# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S210 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 210 PROGRAM AND FINANCE WHEREAS, Res. 1-02 required as a reminder of the primacy the Great Commission that all resolutions passed by the Synod in con- vention contain the following statement: “Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be used to help carry out ‘The Great Commission’ and shall not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission of God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remem- ber 1-02!”; and Wuereas, LCMS World Mission in December 2002 announced the elimination of 28 overseas missionary positions (one-fourth of its career-missionary force) and the elimination of 17 positions from the LCMS World Mission staff (a reduction of one-third) (“LCMS mission board cuts staff, plans to lay off missionaries,” LCMS News, no. 73, Dec. 5, 2002; and “Mission board cuts 28 overseas positions,” LCMS News, no. 80, Dec. 26, 2002); and WHEREAS, LCMS World Mission in November 2003 eliminated six full-time and three part-time area directors and three vacant po- sitions (“Missions cut director posts from 12 to four,” Lutheran Witness, January 2004, p. 14); and WHEREAS, The elimination of LCMS World Mission career missionary and staff positions contradicts the Missouri Synod’s ex- pressed commitment to the continuation of its outreach emphasis and its commitment to be “passionate for Great Commission”; therefore be it Resolved, That the LCMS remember to make mission emphasis and the Great Commission the Synod’s number one financial pri- ority, consistent with Res. 1-01 and 1-02. St. John Hattiesburg, MS 4-10 To Restructure Support of Missions and Training of Church Workers Wuereas, The Synod has now been forced to reduce the num- ber of missionaries it supports and cut its missions budget; and WHEREAS, The second and third objectives of the Synod ac- cording to its Constitution are missions and the recruiting of pas- tors, teachers, and other church workers (Art. HI 2, 3); and WHEREAS, Due to budget constraints the Synod no longer pro- vides any direct subsidy to its colleges, universities, and seminaries for the training of pastors, teachers, and other church workers; and Whereas, Our Lord’s mandate to extend the Gospel witness to all the world (Mark 16:15; Art. HI 2) requires missionaries and the training of pastors, teachers, and other church workers; and WHEREAS, Congregations do not join a District of the Synod, but join the Synod directly, which then is divided by the Synod it- self into Districts (Art. V, XII); therefore be it Resolved, That congregations be urged to contribute at least 10 percent of their total budget to the Synod to support the mission work of the entire Synod and the training of pastors, teachers, and other church workers; and be it further Resolved, That the several Districts shall be required to con- tribute to the Synod a minimum of 20 percent of all funds con- tributed to them by congregations, and that such funds shall be des- ignated solely for the support of missions; and be it further Resolved, That the several Districts shall be required to pass on to the Synod an additional 20 percent of all funds contributed to them by congregations, that these funds shall be designated solely for the support of training pastors, teachers, and other church work- ers at the colleges, universities, and seminaries of the Synod, and that these funds be distributed according to a fair and equitable for- mula developed by the Synod’s Board for Higher Education; and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod may expend no more than five per- cent of the funds it receives for these two purposes on administra- tive responsibilities related to the dispersal of these funds. Shepherd by the Lakes, Syracuse, IN; St. John, Columbia City, IN 4-11 To Financially Support Missions and Training of Church Workers WHEREAS, The second and third Objectives of the Synod, ac- cording to its Constitution, are missions and the recruiting of pas- tors, teachers, and other church workers (Art. III 2 and 3); and WHEREAS, Due to budget constraints the Synod has reduced the number of missionaries it supports and cut its missions budget; and WHEREAS, Due to budget constraints the Synod no longer pro- vides any subsidy to its colleges, universities, and seminaries for the training of pastors, teachers, and other church workers; and WHEREAS, Our Lord’s mandate to extend the Gospel witness to all the world (Mark 16:15; Art. III 2) requires missionaries and the training of pastors, teachers, and other church workers; and WHEREAS, Congregations do not join a District of the Synod, but join the Synod directly, which then is divided into Districts (Art. V and XID; therefore be it Resolved, That the Districts shall be required to contribute to the Synod 20 percent of all funds contributed to them by congre- gations and such funds shall be designated solely for the support of missions; and be it further Resolved, That the Districts shall be required to contribute to the Synod an additional 20 percent of all funds contributed by to them by congregations and such funds shall be designated solely for the support of training pastors, teachers, and other church work- ers at the colleges, universities, and seminaries of the Synod and that these funds be distributed according to a fair and equitable for- mula developed by the Synod’s Board for Higher Education; and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod may expend no more than 5 percent of the funds it receives for these two purposes on administrative responsibilities related to the dispersal of these funds. St. Peter, Snyder, NE; Immanuel, Dodge, NE 4-12 To Request Financial Support for Seminaries WHEREAS, The Constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod includes the following objectives in Art. III: _ “The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall— 3. Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth; 5. Aid congregations to develop processes of thorough Christian education and nurture and to establish agencies of Christian edu- cation such as elementary and secondary schools and to support synodical colleges, universities, and seminaries”; therefore be it Resolved, That the Indiana District in convention petition the LCMS in convention to mandate that a portion of the Synod’s un- restricted income be designated for 10 percent of the operating budgets of the Synod’s two seminaries beginning in 2005. Indiana District 4-13 To Increase Financial Support for Seminaries WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, founded on the unity of its confession, sought to provide for the training of its pastors and teachers through the establishment of its own seminar- ies and colleges (Articles of Incorporation II a, b, d and Art. III 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 of the LCMS Constitution); and WHEREAS, The LCMS commonly understands a method of sup- porting the operation of these institutions to be through the dis- semination of its Sunday offerings; therefore be it