# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S20 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 20 SYNODICAL REPORTS ¢ To be in mission is to recognize the magnitude of the task. There are many risks—personal and corporate, physical and emo- tional. To claim Christ’s Commission is also to claim His assur- ance: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. ... And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” We can be faithful in mission because God has been, is now, and will be faithful to us. Confessional and missional The Task Force recognizes that being confessional and mis- sional is a difficult responsibility. Being confessional is to present the truth of the Gospel without compromise. Being missional is to be willing to engage cultures that are different from us—not only non-Christian, but potentially anti-Christian. To do so will chal- lenge us to “give the reason for the hope that we have” with “gen- tleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). * To be in mission is to use proven mission strategies. The international mission and national multiethnic mission endeavors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have been successful through use of intentional strategies. These have revolved around four components: Learn the culture ... learn the language ... train the leaders ... grow the mission. The Task Force urges wider use of these strategies in North America, not just among immigrants but among the unchurched culture of our communities. They are strate- gies for every congregation and every individual. ¢ To be in mission is to be aggressive. The urgency of the mis- sion calls us to reach out to the unchurched, not just by opening the doors of our sanctuaries, but by going out from our sanctuaries into the marketplace. Awareness of the communities where we minister will allow us to apply mission strategies. These strategies call for us to speak of our faith among people who don’t believe in the Bible, who distrust institutions, who regard time as more valuable than money, who seek meaningful personal relationships, who have no concept of sin or hell, and who have no sense of need for the Sav- ior or the church. * To be in mission is to be diverse. The faces of American so- ciety will change dramatically in the next decade as populations of Asian, Hispanic, African, and Middle Eastern descent grow. We can no longer describe ourselves as German Lutherans but as Lutheran Christians. Our congregations cannot be museums. In- stead, they can thrive as centers where people are invited in and welcomed to discover and love the relationship with God as people adopted and justified through the Savior Jesus Christ, and then be sent out again in mission. * To be in mission is to be cooperative. We have no time to study and recommend new organizational structures. The urgency requires us to cooperate now in creative ways, tapping all the avail- able energies and resources of our congregations, Districts, col- leges, seminaries, and agencies. There also is strong evidence that the people of the Synod believe that infighting and bickering, the lack of cooperation, will hinder our mission. Laity as missionaries Mission is not someone else’s job. It is everyone’s responsibil- ity. It is part of Christian vocation. “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:3). The Mission 21st Century Task Force affirms that this Synod of congregations needs to free, empower, encourage, and equip laity to live as missionaries both locally and globally. * To be in mission is to be creative. Small rural and urban con- gregations are learning to form partnerships that reach across tra- 2004 Convention Workbook ditional congregational, District, and geographical boundaries. We are now experiencing many exciting examples of how this is hap- pening. Theological education is taking innovative approaches through efforts such as Distance Education Leading To Ordination (DELTO), the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, and the His- panic Institute of Theology. This is only the beginning as we call on the Holy Spirit to lead us in discovering new strategies to tap strengths, address needs, and provide mutual support for mission in North America and around the world. * To be in mission is to train lay missionaries. At least 18 syn- odical Districts now provide lay leadership training programs to broaden the ministries among their congregations. They tap the in- structional expertise of our colleges and seminaries, along with “‘prac- tical” mentoring experiences with professional workers. Some of these lay leaders are immigrants who use their training to grow Word- and-Sacrament ministries among their people. Other laity are helping to plant congregations, visit the sick and shut-ins, and carry on certain ministries where congregations do not have a pastor. The Task Force encourages the expansion of these leadership training efforts. * To be in mission is to work in partnerships. During the past decade, the congregations, Districts, and national offices of the Synod have formed new partnerships that transcend jurisdictional boundaries to address emerging ministries. For example, FRONTERA is a part- nership of four Districts and North American Mission to address min- istry among people living along the Mexican border. The People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO) missionary society, North American Mission, and Districts are addressing ministry among Mus- lim people. The Apple of His Eye organization works with North American Mission and congregations to reach Jewish people. Har- vesters for Christ are laity who travel to other congregations to assist with community outreach. These and other partnerships stimulate us to think in new ways about mission outreach. Congregations as missionary outposts Being in mission is not the task of the Synod, not even of the Districts (although they are on the front in mission in North Amer- ica). As the mission field expands, the mission begins at home, in congregations. The Task Force strongly encourages every congre- gation to see itself as a missionary outpost. * To be in mission is to see our communities as mission fields. This calls for congregations to intentionally look around their communities with missionary eyes. It calls for awareness, the vision that sees people who are without Jesus Christ in their daily lives and who are without the communion of saints. It calls for classes and Bible study that not only discover the tools for evan- gelism but rediscover the very tenants of our faith. It calls for a “can do!” attitude that identifies congregational and individual strengths that can be tapped for Gospel outreach. As pastors and laity work together, they cast a far wider vision and passion for mission that utilizes time, talent, and treasure. * To be in mission is to use resources. As missionary outposts, congregations have a wide array of tools and resources. Among them is the demographic information available from city depart- ments, county offices, and school districts. District staff are avail- able to help them revision their mission and ministry. Lutheran Church Extension Fund offers demographic information and ser- vices for strategic ministry planning. Social service agencies, par- ticularly Lutheran agencies, are well aware of community needs that can be addressed. The congregation is not alone in this mis- sion; each is encouraged to build its own partnerships as a mission outpost. As missionary outposts, they are free to partner with con- gregations, Districts, national offices, colleges, seminaries, and other LCMS agencies to explore and undertake mission in their communities.