# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S17
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

SYNODICAL REPORTS 17

R1-01
LCMS World Mission

In this first year of a new century and millenium, the Lord of
the church places before us more opportunities and challenges for
mission than ever before!

Electronically our world has become a “Web site society,” satu-
rated with instant communication, information overload, faster
transportation, and massive people movements.

World population is more than six billion and heading toward
seven billion by the year 2025. We are no longer isolated from a
great mix of political, social, and religious standards and beliefs. In
the midst of all this, our Lord in His Word reminds us that we are
living in the latter days of the New Testament age and that there
still is “one thing needful”—that is, the urgency to “Tell the Good
News about Jesus.” ‘

Imagine a slower paced world when Paul and Barnabas reported
back to the congregation that called and sent them into their mis-
sion. In Acts 14:26-27 we read:

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been com-
mitted to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On ar-
riving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God
had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the
Gentiles.

Their mission is an apostolic preview of what God has contin-
ued to do through faithful ambassadors of Christ down through the
centuries—even more so on a global scale today!

The Unfinished Task

In thanksgiving and praise to God for His many blessings, the
Board for Mission Services, operating as LCMS World Mission,
presents to the Synod an overview of its work. The Board is grate-
ful and encouraged by the decision of the 1998 convention of the
Synod, which adopted Res. 1-01A to help the entire church body
develop a sharper focus on Christ’s mission. The statement from
that resolution reads:

In grateful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy

Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran

Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of

Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities, and ihe

world. (1998 Handbook, Foreword)

That statement serves as a reminder and incentive to the Board
for Mission Services to work in accord with its own mission state-
ment and desired outcomes: ““LCMS World Mission provides lead-
ership for dynamic global outreach.”

Guided by the dynamic implication of that statement, LCMS
World Mission is determined by the grace of God to focus its en-
ergies on behalf of the Synod in an orderly and effective way.

Employing the gifts God gives His people in Christ, LCMS
World Mission is committed to doing the following:

. Evangelizing unreached peoples

. Developing leaders

. Providing guidance for mission strategy

. Reaching out to special need groups in the United States
. Recruiting personnel

. Training for/in service

. Working with partners

SDN SW —

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. (Matt. 28:19)

The shaded area contains the world’s least
eople—nearly 100 percent

evangelized p
of the world’s 1.1 billion Muslims, 800

million Hindus and 300 million Buddhists.

Take a look at the unfinished task.

¢ Of the more than six billion people on earth, more than half are not Christians.
* Of the 6,700 languages worldwide, the Bible or Bible portions have been translated into about 3,000 languages.

¢ It is estimated that almost 11,000 people groups in the world have no opportunity within their own culture to hear or read the Good
News of Jesus Christ. Many of these are beyond the reach of “near neighbor” evangelism.

* Approximately 35 countries are closed to Christian missionary work.

* Fifteen countries impose a variety of restrictions, which make Christian evangelism difficult. In a number of countries the political sit-
uation is from time to time less than stable, sometimes even dangerous.

2001 Convention Workbook