# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1998_S102 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 102 SYNODICAL REPORTS ness. This is true in every major business area in which OIS works, including, evangelism, missions, media, communication, insurance, banking, publishing, higher education, and fund-raising. The LCMS needs to invest in training programs and the devel- opment of standards in order to encourage and motivate church workers and employees to learn how to effectively make use of new technology, including desktop computing tools and the Inter- net. The LCMS entities need to become learning organizations where employees work together in teams to share knowledge and expertise in order to get things done effectively and efficiently. 3. The explosion of the Internet along with desktop and portable computers challenges the ability of organizations to make effective use of these tools. New technologies, and especially the Internet, provide the LCMS with powerful communication tools to deliver and exchange information resources with professional church workers, support staff, lay leaders, and the public at large. The Internet is analogous to the printing press of the 15th cen- tury. In the same way that Martin Luther used the printing press to put the Word into the hands of the people, the Internet has the po- tential to extend the reach of the church to further spread the Good News. The LutherNet plan, first proposed in 1986, has been converted to the Internet. Partnerships and alliances are key to maintaining even communication and access to information. In some instances, multiple communication media will be required (e.g., electronic and paper) until electronic communication becomes pervasive. The LCMS has made significant progress in the last several years establishing excellent Internet-based information resources including the following: LCMS web site—attracting more than 1,000 visitors per day as a focal point with links to many LCMS resources Lutheran Hour Ministries web site—Internet-based outreach ef- fort Ministry Profile Search—teacher call information for District of- fices Congregation and Schoo! Locators—finding a nearby congrega- tion or school * Congregational Statistics—tables and graphs for the past 10 years E-mail list conferences—processing more than 200,000 mes- sages a month on a wide variety of ministry topics In February 1997 the LCMS web site (www.lcms.org) was rec- ognized by ComputerWorld magazine as one of the premier 100 organizations who are “leveraging the World Wide Web and re- lated technologies in ways that significantly advance their core or- ganization objectives.” Much of this work has been accomplished through LCMS elec- tronic media organizations and units (e.g., Concordia Publishing House, Communication Services, Electronic Media/Church Infor- * mation Center, Congregational Services School Department, the District Information Systems Advisory Committee, Lutheran Hour Ministries, CUENet, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, the LCMS Foundation). There are many additional opportunities to better serve church workers, staff, and lay leaders in the field that should be planned and implemented: * Collection of congregation statistical information online * Assist Districts and congregations to develop a presence on the Internet Concordia Publishing House electronic catalog Electronic interface of Lutheran Church Extension Fund infor- mation Electronic filing and status of Concordia Health Plan claims Electronic catalog of Mission and Ministry Projects Electronic access to products and services from LCMS national contract partners It is my prayer that God will bless this work and continue to en- able the church to make effective use of technology to spread the Good News of His love and salvation for the world. Alan Meyer, Acting Executive Director R7-04-04 Department of Human Resources The Department of Human Resources has a direct relationship to the synodical Board of Directors. It continues to provide leader- ship to the Human Resources function in service to church workers throughout the Synod. It coordinates the development and admin- istration of personnel policies, procedures, and supporting systems within and between all synodwide corporations, boards, commis- sions, departments, and agencies of the Synod. In addition to the concern for attracting and retaining high-quality people for service within all units, it strives to create an environment that is caring and supporting to enhance effective service to the Lord and the Synod. The department, guided by the Human Resources Commit- tee, which includes the chief executive officers of corporate Synod, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, the Lutheran Church—-Mis- souri Synod Foundation, the Worker Benefit Plans, and the full- time officers of the Synod, administers uniform personnel policies and salary administration, including regular review of both posi- tion descriptions and performance evaluations. The department conducts annual compensation surveys and was instrumental in the board’s decision to establish salary ranges of the middle and upper- level executives based on the 25 highest paid parish pastors and 25 highest paid institutional executives (other than CPH or Interna- tional Center employees) enrolled in the Concordia Plans while es- tablishing other salaries based on the competitive St. Louis mar- ket. An updated employee handbook and a new personnel policy manual have been developed. An affirmative action program is maintained and the department works with various boards and de- partments toward maintaining minority employment ratios consis- tent with the population of the St. Louis area. Barbara Ryan, Director R7-05-01 Atlantic District Our location: The Atlantic District extends from the Adiron- dack Mountains on the north,.southward on both sides of the Hud- son River, through the capitol district of Albany, down through the five boroughs of New York City, and eastward to the tip of Long Island. Its borders touch Canada. New Jersey, the New England states, and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and a strip just west of the Hudson River. Our character: The character of the Atlantic District is best seen in its diversity. In His grace, God brings the whole world to our doorstep, and a rich variety of cultures dominate our cities and sub- urbs. We minister to wealthy people, poor people, farm people, suburban people, university and college people, and small town people. Students from al] over the world attend our Lutheran schools and state universities. Patients from every corner of the globe come to our hospitals in search of healing. It is not unusual for a Sunday morning visitor to have come to one of our churches from Africa, Eastern Europe, India, or South America. On each Lord’s Day, our congregations proclaim and celebrate the Gospel through Word and Eucharist in eight different languages, repre- senting at least 25 cultures and countries. Our diverse character raises formidable challenges to our proclamation of the Gospel, including cultural, ethnic, and racial differences, critical social needs and lifestyles which must be changed by the Gospel. However, our diverse character also en- ables us to experience the excitement of our Savior’s Gospel changing lives in time and unto eternity. We believe that each bap- tized person in an Atlantic District congregation has Spirit-given gifts to contribute to the body of Christ in our midst. Our ministry: To a large degree, the character of the Atlantic District determines its approach to ministry. We recognize as a fun-