# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S135 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES 135 WHEREAS, The people of LCMS congregations desire the best- equipped pastorate and welcome any opportunity to provide sup- port for that purpose; and WHEREAS, It is a current practice in our Synod to celebrate on specific Sundays during the church year a time to honor and ob- serve the ministries of such specific agencies as LWML, Lutheran Hour Ministries, etc.; and WHEREAS, One vehicle for support of agencies of our Synod readily available to every member of LCMS congregations is through the weekly offering envelopes; and WHEREAS, The boxed envelopes generally in use in the LCMS are those distributed by Concordia Publishing House; and WHEREAS, It is not uncommon for special envelopes for various ministries to be inserted in these boxes distributed to members of LCMS congregations; and WHEREAS, There is currently no envelope specifically desig- nated for the benefit of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Con- cordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; therefore be it Resolved, That Concordia Publishing House be directed to pro- vide an envelope(s) designated “Seminary Sunday” in the boxes annually distributed to LCMS congregations; and be it further Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education in consultation with the Commission on Worship establish a Seminary Sunday at which time the Seminary Sunday envelopes should be employed for gifts specified for seminary support; and be it further Resolved, That the option be made clearly available to desig- nate either student aid, general operations, or where needed most on the envelopes; and be it finally Resolved, That the funds thereby received be sent as designated or evenly divided and distributed directly to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, for the purposes designated. St. John Harrison, NJ 2-07 To Establish Synodwide Seminary Sunday WHEREAS, The members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod desire qualified and capable ministers to furnish spiritual leadership; and WHEREAS, Through sacrificial giving, The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod seminaries continue to prepare men for the holy ministry; and Wuereas, We wish to edify the congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod by emphasizing the following knowl- edge about our seminaries: 1. How they recruit and train pastoral candidates 2. The vicarage program 3. How they are financed 4. What support the congregations can provide to the seminarians and to the seminaries (i.e., sponsoring a student, food and cloth- ing banks, finances; etc.) 5. Facilities and programs available to provide teaching to the con- gregations (i.e., in-house retreats, retreats at the seminary, sym- posiums, continuing education courses, etc.) 6. Library facilities and how to access them 7. Publications and Web pages and WHEREAS, This information may assist the young men of the Synod in directing them to choose a career in the holy ministry; and WHEREAS, We wish to acknowledge and praise the work of a cadre of faithful, orthodox, and dedicated theologians, many of whom are thought to be the most eminent in their fields of exper- tise; and WHEREAS, It has become increasing difficult to sustain the sem- inaries without direct contributions from the congregations and in- dividual members; and WHEREAS, We wish to acknowledge the curriculum at the sem- inaries as being complete for the thorough training of our pastors; and WHEREAS, We need to inform the members of the Synod of the requirements of time and hard work necessary to provide for fur- nishing men to the holy ministry for all our churches in the Synod, both large and small, and to fill the mission positions so necessary in the world today; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con- vention establish an annual “Seminary Sunday”; and be it further Resolved, That the faculties at the seminaries be sent out to our congregations during the Seminary Sunday to provide firsthand in- formation to the congregations; and be it further Resolved, That this sending out of the faculty be on a rotating basis so that as many churches as possible will have an opportu- nity to have firsthand knowledge of our seminaries; and be it fi- nally Resolved, That the cost of this sending out of the faculties be borne by the Synod. Bethlehem Fairborn, OH 2-08 To Address Conditions Contributing to Church-Worker Shortages WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is in the midst of a trend of severe church-worker shortage (ref. LCMS Re- porter, January 2000; The Lutheran Hour broadcast, Feb. 27, 2000); and WHEREAS, Certain studies and references have sounded the alarm regarding various factors affecting this trend (e.g., “The Clergy Killers” by G. Lloyd Ridiges); and WrerEAS, Infighting within congregations takes a toll on the parsonage and other professional church workers, resulting in a poor witness to the congregation and its young members, and dis- courages young people in considering professional church work as a vocation; and WHEREAS, Inconsistency of doctrine and practice between con- gregations and pastors within the LCMS may cause confusion at best and suspicion and disunity at worst; therefore be it Resolved, That the 2000 convention of the LCMS Rocky Moun- tain District encourage the congregations of the Synod to humble themselves before the Lord in prayer and careful study of Holy Scripture regarding the office of the pastoral ministry and other professional church workers; and be it further Resolved, That the 2000 convention of the LCMS Rocky Moun- tain District encourage the Synod’s congregations to remain firm in LCMS confessional heritage, be consistent in the doctrinal prac- tice of the means of grace acting in love so that petty differences do not become major issues, and strive through inter-congregational communications, such as Circuit pastoral conferences and Circuit convocations, toward a greater support on all levels of pastors and other professional church workers; and be it further Resolved, That the 2000 convention of the LCMS Rocky Moun- tain District encourage the structure in place in the Synod (1.e., Cir- cuit Counselor, District President, etc.) to prayerfully step into con- gregational matters in a timely way, so as to defuse potentially volatile matters, and not hold back straightforward admonition of either pastor or congregational members who are out of line; and be it finally Resolved, That the 2000 convention of the LCMS Rocky Moun- tain District urge the LCMS not to succumb to the pressures of the world, but to seek biblical solutions to the shortage of professional church workers. Rocky Mountain District 2001 Convention Workbook