# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S127 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 126 MISSIONS WHEREAS, Our strength comes from the Word of God; therefore be it Resolved, That this convention focus mainly on uplifting our leaders, celebrating our faith, and renewing our commitment to reach out to our communities with the Gospel; and be it further Resolved, That we resist the temptation to look for the sliver in the eye of our brothers, while ignoring the logs in our own; and be it further Resolved, That we spend the majority of our time in convention in finding new and innovative ways to encourage time in the study of God’s Word and sharing of the Gospel; and be it further Resolved, To prayerfully commit to being examples, especially during this convention, of how God’s people function when they are motivated by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ; and be it further Resolved, That we encourage all our church leaders, local, Dis- trict, and synodical, lay and professional alike, to renew their ef- forts to train and equip our members to be the “salt of the earth” and “ambassadors” of the love of Jesus Christ; and be it further Resolved, That we resist the temptation to make minor issues the major issue at our convention, and spend the majority of our time in prayer, praise, and study of God’s Word; and be it finally Resolved, That we in convention turn our energy and efforts to making the Great Commission the main “trademark” of our Synod and its members. Trinity Indianapolis, IN 1-05 To Reclaim Primary Operative Force WuereaS, The church exists in a world where the population is expected to expand by forty to sixty million people in the next fifty years; and WHEREAS, Eighty percent of the world’s population will live in cities in ten years; and WHEREAS, Secularism continues and grows in its appeal to peo- ple of all nations and cultures; and WHEREAS, The gap between rich and poor is accelerating faster than ever; and Whereas, A common indifference to Christ's Word and work continues worldwide; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod reclaim the historical perspective of the Synod that the Good News of Jesus, the Savior, is the center and primary operative force in our church body; and be it further Resolved, That the LCMS determine to share the Good News of Jesus with all people wherever they may be and that our church body * search out new and innovative methods such as the new technologies; * put aside anything that hinders the proclaiming of this Gospel mes- sage; * seek to cooperate and work with other Christians who share our per- spective; * pray daily that the power of the Word may work in the hearts and lives of all people. Concordia Kirkwood, MO 1-06 To Overcome Disunity for Sake of Gospel WHEREAS, God has established the church to be His family on earth, and in this family God is the father and Christ the elder brother (Rom. 8:29); and 2001 Convention Workbook WHEREAS, It is God’s desire that all the members of the family live in love with one another for the common goal of sharing the Gospel; and WHEREAS, Because of the human element in the members of our church family, Satan, God’s enemy, works to create tensions and dissension between the members of God’s family, such as those troubling our Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and WHEREAS, Such tensions and dissension impair our common witness to the Gospel; therefore be it Resolved, That we, the members of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod, gratefully thank God for His grace in bringing us into His family; and be it further Resolved, That we also recognize that the tensions and dissen- sion we are undergoing in our life together are destructive of the unity that should characterize us as God's people; and be it further Resolved, That we implore all members of our Synod to con- sider whether our own words and actions may have contributed to the disharmony that has impaired our witness to the Gospel of Christ; and be it further Resolved, That when we become aware of the sinfulness of our words and activities we humbly ask God, for Jesus’ sake, to for- give us and by the help of God’s Spirit determine to avoid anything that will result in harm to the cause of the Gospel; and be it finally Resolved, That we lay it upon the hearts of all members of the Synod to implore God’s help in overcoming disunity and to help us to work together in harmony for the sake of the Gospel. Lord of Life Leawood, KS 1-07 To Reaffirm Strong Lutheran Interest in Jewish Evangelism Wuereas, The blessed Martin Luther preached and wrote many sermons, articles, and treatises of inestimable worth to the church; and Whereas, Dr. Luther’s books grace the shelves of pastors and laymen throughout our Synod and elsewhere; and WHEREAS, The whole Christian church owes an unpayable debt of gratitude to the bulk of his written and preached word; and WHEREAS, The Synod in convention unanimously passed a dis- avowing statement regarding Luther’s anti-Semitic writings; and WHEREAS, Luther’s book On the Jews and Their Lies has caused great difficulty in witnessing to Jewish people through the cen- turies; and WHEREAS, Many other statements, sermons, and writings by Luther are extremely complimentary to Jewish people; and WHEREAS, In his final sermon Luther made statements highly praising Jewish people as the bearer of the messianic promise and final fulfillment; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention reaffirm its disavow- ment of Luther’s anti-Semitic writings and direct its attention to many positive writings on Jewish evangelism; and be it further Resolved, That our efforts to bring the message of salvation to our Jewish neighbors be intensified as directed by the Lord of His church in Acts 1:8 (et al.); and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod affirm the mission statement of the Task Force in Jewish Mission, viz. “courageously declaring Y’shua as Messiah: urgently equipping believers in Jesus to do the same.” Mount Calvary Beverly Hills, CA