# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S52 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) SYNODICAL REPORTS 51 other and are convinced of one another’s integrity, they are freer to use their discretion where such prior consultation is impossible. We do not want to fall into the trap of case-law rigidity by setting down rules for every conceivable situation. At the same time, the exception should not become the rule, lest the truth of the Gospel be compromised. A pastor may face situations in the community where no other pastoral care is available, and he may be asked to minister to those outside his congregation. Before doing this, ideally he would con- sult with other LCMS pastors, especially the Circuit Counselor, District President or Vice Presidents. But often these cases do not allow for consultation of any kind and on-the-spot decisions have to be made. In these and other situations nearly every pastor may question even his own decision and wish he had taken another course of action. We do not have the option of changing the past but must be content with believing that we made the best possible decision under the circumstances. A Concluding Word on the Responses The numerous responses to The Lutheran Understanding of Church Fellowship show the importance of church fellowship for LCMS members. A word of thanks to all participants, especially to those who made extensive handwritten comments! The desire of some for a more detailed examination of scriptural and confessional passages cited in the document in support of the LCMS position is a positive sign. Obviously LCMS members want the Synod’s fel- lowship principles and practices to be firmly grounded on their bib- lical and confessional foundations. Encouraging continued study does not mean that the LCMS has no position on fellowship. Quite to the contrary! One reason for establishing the LCMS, as is evi- denced in its Constitution, was to be faithful to Scripture’s teaching on church fellowship. Many times since its formation in 1847, the LCMS has reaffirmed this. But this does not imply that nothing re- mains to be said on the topic. The goal of The Lutheran Under- standing of Church Fellowship is not to suggest that the LCMS fol- low tradition blindly, but to set forth and apply scriptural and confessional doctrine in the light of current challenges. A pure un- derstanding of the doctrine of church fellowship will strengthen our witness to Christ and His Gospel. For the sake of our unity in the pure doctrine of Christ, we ask God to bless our church as we con- tinue to study this issue. Adopted February 16, 2001 Note 1 In a 1973 opinion titled “What Is a Service?” (with which the CTCR concurred) the Synod’s Commission on Worship responded in part as follows to the question, “Is a wedding ceremony a ‘service’ in the same sense as, for instance, Sunday morning worship?” Any occasion on which a public worship of God occurs—that is, in which the Word of God and prayer are used by a regularly des- ignated worship leader of the church—is understood to be a “ser- vice.” This would therefore include not only those occasions regu- larly designated as worship services (e.g., the ordinary Sunday morning worship noted in the question above) but also occasions— such as weddings, funerals, dedications, baccalaureates, etc.—which may have an ad hoc assembly different from the regular congrega- tional worship asscmbly. It should be noted, morcover, that there are other types of “ser- vice” than just the “public” occasions for worship. Thus when the congregation’s (or its delegated representative’s—e.g., mission board, association of congregations, etc.) officially designated wor- ship Jeader (chaplain, pastor, etc.) carries out his regularly appointed ministerial functions (private Communion, etc.) in which the Word of God and prayer (also at times exposition of the Word and/or singing of hymns) form the major portion of such function, this also is rightly understood to be a congregational “service,” albeit only a private or a semiprivate one. The use of the Word of God and prayer as an entity in ilself (as a corporate worship of God) constitutes a “service.” This is nol 10 be confused with a similar use of the Word and prayer as an integral part of a broader program (e.g., the opening or closing devotion of a meeting). R3-02 Commission on Doctrinal Review During the past triennium, the Commission on Doctrinal Re- view has successfully dealt with the matters assigned to it in ac- cordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Chairman R4-01 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Foundation The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Foundation began in 1958 to serve individuals, organizations, and agencies of the church in growing as Christian stewards. Through resources and services, the Foundation helps link people across the country with giving opportunities in support of the various ministries of the LCMS. Based in St. Louis, the Foundation has counselors through- out the country who are assigned to a District, university. or other ministry in a geographic area. Counselors work with stewards to turn their vision for support into a reality through a life plan that includes appropriate gifting instruments. The Foundation assisted donors in gifting to the LCMS $125.528,110 in the last fiscal year. The Foundation distributed $31.779,454 from bequests, endow- ments, matured agreements, and special gifts in fiscal 2000. The Foundation has gone through much change since the loss of $40 million in 1998. A]l investments are now managed by outside investment managers and the Foundation has reorganized to better serve the church. In May 2000 Norman Sell retired, and the Foundation employed Mark Stuenkel as the new president. Under new leadership the Foundation has reorganized and embraces the following units: ¢ Stewardship Ministry * Individual Ministry ¢ Organizational Ministry * Marketing ¢ Customer Support * Information Technology * Trust Services * Gift Processing Finance * Investment Operations Administration The LCMS Foundation currently administers over 8,100 ac- counts, of which more than 1,400 are custodial accounts for other organizations. We maintain relationships with almost 6,000 donors, over 5,000 beneficiaries, 1,400 named ministries within the ac- counts, and almost 130 various relationships with other interested parties of the accounts. The Foundation is poised to redefine itself to the church in new ways without abandoning the guiding principles that have brought the Foundation to where it is today. The eight reorganized units are working together to serve the church to grow stewards for life. The Foundation is planning completely new ways to deliver resources and services. The “New LCMS Foundation” is working on ex- panding its service to the church through additional gift-planning 2001 Convention Workbook