# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S100 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) SYNODICAL REPORTS 99 R7-05-32 Southern District “Telling the Old Story in a New Century” was the theme of the 2000 Southern District convention and continues as the theme in this current triennium. Having begun as a District in 1882, we are now telling that Old Story of Jesus and His love in the “third cen- tury” of our existence. Our adopted purpose statement develops that convention theme: The purpose of the Southern District (officers, staff, and lead- ership) is to challenge, encourage, and support all congregations and workers in the partnership of “Telling the Old Story in a New Century.” The old story is being told by members and workers at 170 “‘sto- rytelling sites” on Sunday mornings and during the week. Some of those congregations are blessed with more “tellers and hearers” than ever before, as God adds to their numbers through successful Spirit-blessed witnessing and through the influx of numerical growth in their communities. Sadly, others have a diminishing number of “tellers and hearers,” as memberships wane in the face of an aging and/or transitioning membership that has not yet been blessed with the necessary outreach skills, motivation, and effort or the Spirit’s blessing upon such skills, motivation, and effort. The Southern District has made a commitment to intensify the telling of the Old Story through our congregations, 18 elementary schools, 18 free-standing preschools, and one Lutheran high school. Crucial to our storytelling is God’s continued blessings upon our 40 historic African American congregations and our one His- panic congregation. The oldest LCMS African American congre- gation, Mt. Zion, New Orleans, formed in 1878 by the former Syn- odical Conference mission program, is older than the Southern District itself. The Southern District is blessed with the presence of six African Americans on the Board of Directors, the highest number in its history. Serving as a source and site of equipping our pcople for lives of witness and service is God’s special gift within our District named Concordia College, Selma, AL. The potential for mission and ministry in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle is great and chal- lenging. It’s an exciting time to be “telling the Old Story.” Following the 2000 District convention the newly elected Board of Directors adopted five corporate goals targeting these five areas: * recruitment and training of professional and lay leaders * stewardship * multicultural ministry * outreach * intergenerational ministry Orval Mueller, President R7-05-33 Southern Illinois District “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, | may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:27 RSV). This desire of the apostle Paul is our prayer for the congrega- tions, pastors, teachers, and DCEs of our District and of the Synod. That’s because the church is that “assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel” (Augsburg Confession VII). The real “action” in the church mandated by God takes place in the congregations as God's people worship, baptize, preach, teach, confess, absolve, gather for the Lord’s Supper, and, most of all, reach others with the saving message of Christ. Here is where God is faithful to His promises. The Missouri Synod (and its local expression in the Southern Illinois District) is a federation of con- gregations united by the same confession of Christ. It exists to help the congregations do together what they cannot do separately. At the end of the triennium, the Southern Illinois District con- sisted of 97 congregations (one congregation disbanded during the triennium) served by 88 pastors (of a total of 101 active pastors). These congregations include 44.173 baptized souls. Enrollment in our 23 parochial schools (served by 163 full-time and 47 part-time teachers and 23 administrators) is 3,938. We have 36 preschools, 20 of which are part of Christian day schools. The 16 “stand alone” preschools enroll 610. We now have two Lutheran high schools— Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville with 237 stu- dents, and Christ Our Savior Lutheran High School in Evansville with 18 students. Total enrollment in all SID schools at the end of 2000 was 4,803 students. The mission of the District is to support the work of these 97 congregations, enabling them more effectively to share the Gospel. Between conventions the District operates through a Board of Di- rectors chaired by the President. Three program boards serve the parishes of Southern Illinois: a Board of Spiritual Care and Super- vision (Circuit Counselors and District Praesidium), a Board of Missions, and a Board of Congregational Support. One member from each board also serves on the Board of Directors. In addition to the boards listed, the District also has a Commission on School Matters, a Commission for Communication, and a Finance Com- mittee, as well as a number of other committees. The ministry areas of evangelism, education, human care, stewardship, and youth are handled through the Board of Congregational Support assisted by various ad hoc task forces. District work is conducted from an office building at 2408 Lebanon Avenue in Belleville, IL. Besides a full-time President, the District Board of Directors calls a full-time executive assistant for the areas of missions, education, youth, evangelism, and stew- ardship. The secretary to the President also works full-time. Those working part-time for the District include an assistant to the Presi- dent, a mission assistant, an older-adult ministries coordinator, our LCEF area Vice-President, a part-time secretary/bookkeeper, and a part-time receptionist. Truly God has blessed our District with faithful workers. The Circuit Counselors and District Praesidium form the Board of Spiritua] Care and Supervision. In addition to its Circuit Coun- selor duties, this board is concerned with the spiritual welfare of District workers and congregations. The board offers support ac- tivities and workshops to the congregations (e.g., annual pastor/elder training workshops and an annual spiritual retreat for church work- ers). The board also supervises the Ministerial Health Committee in the District and sponsors annual renewal retreats for pastors and teachers and orientation for new church workers in the District. The Spiritual] Care Board spends considerable time in the study of theo- logical issues affecting our congregations and functions as a “‘sup- port group” for the District President in his work. The Mission Board not only is involved with mission congre- gations but also in a strong prison ministry in the state prison insti- tutions in our geographical area. We support the work of eight chaplains (seven part-time, one full-time), one vicar, and several lay volunteers in the prisons of Southern Illinois. Two new prisons are under study. District campus ministries are also carried on at Southern [linois University campuses at Carbondale and Ed- wardsville. We are exploring a mission school in the East St. Louis area and Hispanic ministry in the Caseyville area. Two of our con- gregations are involved in ethnic ministry—one to the Korean pop- ulation in Belleville and the other to the Chinese population in the Carbondale area. 2001 Convention Workbook