# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S120 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 120 RESOLUTIONS shall have inserted into them the following statement: “Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be used to help carry out ‘The Great Commission’ and shall not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission of God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remember 1-02!” Action: Adopted as amended (6) (An amendment to add the additional “Resolved, That as a reminder of the primacy of this resolution, all future resolutions passed at this convention shall have inserted into it the following statement: ‘Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be used to help carry out “The Great Commission” and shall not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission of God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remember 1-02!’” was adopted. An additional amendment to replace the third resolve with the words “That we seek to resolve the differences in doctrine and practice which cause dissension and division among us by honest and prayerful discussion, so that we are able to live in genuine and God-pleasing harmony as God’s people,” further amended to not replace the original wording but to add the new wording to the existing wording, was approved. The resolution as amended was adopted during the sixth session of the convention [yes: 920; no: 146]. After discussion of how the final resolve should be applied to future resolutions adopted by the convention, it was agreed by common consent that all subsequent resolutions be considered and decided with the understanding that this resolve is a part of the resolution.) To Intensify Mission Effort RESOLUTION 1-03A Overtures 1-01–02 (CW, p. 125) WHEREAS, The Lord of the church has laid upon His people the urgent obligation, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15); and WHEREAS, Our Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has as one of its objectives to “strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to extend that Gospel witness into all the world” (Constitution, Art. III); and WHEREAS, God over the years has provided opportunities for such bold witness both in the United States and throughout the world, both corporately and individually; and WHEREAS, There still are large numbers of people who until now have not even had the opportunity to learn of Christ and the Good News of salvation in Him; and WHEREAS, With each passing day the window of opportunity for such witness grows smaller; therefore be it Resolved, That we humbly thank God for using both the corporate and individual witness of members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in offering the blessings of salvation to a world in need of Christ; and be it further Resolved, That we repent of our failure to grasp the opportunities for faithful witness that God has placed before us both as individuals and as a Synod; and be it further Resolved, That in view of the urgency of bringing the Gospel to those still ignorant of it, we will give priority to Christ’s mission in every aspect of our life together in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and be it further Resolved, That in light of St. Paul’s admonition (2 Cor. 8:7), “… just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving,” we en200l Convention Proceedings courage individuals, organizations, Districts, and congregations to increase annually the amount of funding related to the mission program carried on by LCMS World Mission and its partners; and be it finally Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be used to help carry out “The Great Commission” and shall not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission of God’s kingdom here on earth! We will remember 1-02! Action: Adopted as amended (6) (The fourth resolve was amended by adding the word Districts after the word organizations and by changing the word expect to the word encourage. The resolution was adopted as amended [yes: 1,031; no: 23]. The final resolve is added as required by Res. 102, adopted by the convention in an earlier session.) To Urge Support for International Student Ministry RESOLUTION 1-04 Overture 1-15 (CW, p. 128) WHEREAS, God has brought more than 600,000 international students and scholars with approximately one million dependents to the United States; and WHEREAS, They and their families are eager to learn about culture and religion in America; and WHEREAS, Approximately 90% of these international friends live without a personal knowledge of our Lord and Savior, and many have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel even once; and WHEREAS, Most international students who come to faith in Christ will eventually return to their native countries as “missionaries” in their own right; and WHEREAS, In some areas local congregations are presented the opportunity of ministry to international high school students; and WHEREAS, God is blessing the sharing of the Gospel with international students in over 60 LCMS intentional ministry sites in the United States alone; and WHEREAS, Supportive and involved congregations have grown in their sense of God’s Gospel mission at our very doorstep; and WHEREAS, We recognize the shortness of time until our Lord comes again; therefore be it Resolved, That the congregations of our Synod be encouraged to recognize international student ministry; and be it further Resolved, That the congregations of our Synod include in their regular prayer ministries (in worship, prayer chains, etc.) the intentional Gospel outreach among international students and their families; and be it further Resolved, That the congregations of our Synod utilize International Student Ministry resources available from both the LCMS Campus Ministry office and from our partner mission society, International Student Ministry [ISM, Inc.]; and be it further Resolved, That congregations raise awareness of, develop, expand, involve themselves in, and support ministries in the North American mission field among international students and their families; and be it finally