# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1981_S194 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 194 RESOLUTIONS available, though not yet sufficient to take full advan- tage of the many opportunities to move forward in mission; and WHEREAS, There had been a decline in the number of pastors serving the Synod from 1976 to 1979 (a net loss of 973); and WHEREAS, There still is a continuing decline in the number of male teachers serving the Synod (1976—1979 a net loss of 201); and WHEREAS, The resolutions passed by recent conven- tions of the Synod, relative to the recruitment of pro- fessional church workers have been relatively ineffec- tive; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention instruct the Board for Higher Education to increase its efforts in recruitment, and to increase and upgrade the materials available, that the materials be multicultural in nature, and that the BHE request the Board of Directors to allocate funds to make possible the production of these materials; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod instruct the Districts to require their recruitment personnel to participate fully in the training programs made available by the BHE and to share what they gain from these programs with the congregations; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod instruct the Districts to require their recruitment personnel to use extensively the materials supplied by the BHE and other agencies within the Synod, and to make maximum distribution of these materials a high priority; and be it finally Resolved, That we express our thanks and praise to God for His continuing blessing in the gifts of faithful pastors and teachers to His church. Action: Adopted as amended (14). (Amendments approved by common consent: “that the materials be multicultural in nature” and ‘‘and other agencies within the Synod.” The convention declined to remove “male’ from the title.) To Encourage Continuing Education RESOLUTION 6-25A Overture 6-68 (CW, p. 272) WHEREAS, Various professions recognize the ongoing need for an organized program of professional growth by requiring their members to meet certain standards regularly in organized programs of continuing educa- tion; and WHEREAS, All professional church workers face the urgent need to continue growing in theology and its proper application in practice; therefore be it Resolved, That all professional church workers be encouraged to take advantage of presently existing programs of continuing education available to them; and be it further Resolved, That all congregations be urged to make time available to their professional church workers for continuing education, and provide the necessary funding from their own or other resources; and be it further Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education be charged to convene a committee including representa- tives of the college seminaries and parishes to study and draw up a suggested plan of continuing education workshops and seminars; and be it further Resolved, That the President of the Synod expand the present continuing education committee, comprised of himself and the executive secretaries of the Board for Higher Education and Board of Parish Education, to . include representatives of the colleges, seminaries, and parishes, to study and draw up a suggested plan of continuing education workshops and seminars; and be it finally ' Resolved, That this committee report through the President of the Synod to the next convention of the Synod. Action: Adopted (14). To Modify the Church-Work Deposit-Fee Requirement RESOLUTION 6-26 Overture 6-71 (CW, p. 272) WHEREAS, A form of church-work deposit fee has been a synodical requirement for all church-work students; and WHEREAS, The eligibility of some schools and their students for state funds has been brought into question by the synodical church-work deposit-fee policy; there- fore be it Resolved, That the Board for Higher Educaton be authorized to modify the policy for selected institutions or grant an exemption from the church-work deposit-fee requirement as the needs of the various institutions require. Action: Adopted (10). To Discontinue the Declaration of Intent Form RESOLUTION 6-27 Overture 6-70 (CW, p. 272) WHEREAS, The synodical requirement that all stu- dents enrolled in synodical education institutions who are preparing for church-work occupations must annually complete the Declaration of Intent form has jeopardized the eligibility for various federal and state funds on the part of students and our educational institutions; there fore be it Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education be authorized to discontinue the requirement of the Decla- ration of Intent form in the synodical educational institutions. Action: Adopted (10).