# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S14 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 14 MISSIONS the Evangelism Affirmations adopted at that convention: “At Detroit, in 1965, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod adopted the ‘Mission Affirmations.’ Correctly understood and consistently applied, these Mission Affirmations have the potential for taking our church by the hand, in an adventure of faith, as we follow our Lord ever deeper into the 20th century. Wrapped in the whole cloth of the Mission Affirmations the church finds warmth, protection, strengthening, safety and direction.” The undersigned are deeply committed to the Mission Affirmations and the related resolutions adopted in various conventions since 1965. It has been gratifying to observe the response of Synod to the Mission Affirmations with emphasis on mission to the whole man, the whole society, the whole world, the whole church, and to see the truly evangelical thrust of resolutions and policies adopted at various conventions of Synod. Until this past biennium the Board for Missions and Synodical staff working under it have consistently shaped objectives and programs in accordance with these policies and directions laid down by Synod. They found great joy and genuine excitement in working in harmony with these evan- gelical directives. The Obstacles to Fulfillment of This Commitment Because we commit ourselves totally to the above position we must reject the following attitudes which repeatedly have surfaced and prevailed in our board in the past biennium: 1. We repudiate a posture that assumes that the staff of the Board for Missions, its missionaries, missions or sister churches overseas, and Districts are not to be trusted and are suspect. 2. We repudiate the attitude and spirit which ignores and bypasses the work. thought, and study of our exceptionally gifted staff. 3. We regard as specious the implication that some of our missionaries and staff members are guilty of unionism, syn- cretism, new humanism, or new universalism. 4. We lament the abandonment of sound and evangelical planning and administrative procedures and deplore the unilateral adoption of policies for mission work without con- sultation with those who are to implement those policies, and/or will most vitally be affected by them. 5. We reject attempts to reinterpret either the intent or the content of synodical resolutions, quoting them out of context, or in some cases, blatantly overruling them as “‘out of date,” “ambivalent,” and the like. 6. We consider it simplistic to judge every serious attempt at cooperative or joint mission efforts with other Christians as hazardous and unionistic. 7. We consider specious the blanket condemnation of all tri-Lutheran approaches in mission in Districts and overseas churches. 8. We repudiate efforts to scuttle growth toward cooperative and unified Lutheran work and to divert us on a course which inevitably would lead to a new isolationism. 9. We deplore treating lightly or even ignoring what is actually happening in Christ's mission as God’s people carry on their ministries in congregations, campuses, Districts, mis- sions, and sister churches. 10. We reject the posture of infallibility on the part of the board which, in effect, says to Districts and overseas churches — “We have a right to make our own assumptions as to what the facts are no matter what statements may come to us from those directly involved in the work.” We are submitting to Floor Committee 1 written evidence documenting how the above attitudes and tactics were persis- tently injected into the Board for Missions’ decision-making process during the past biennium. The Future Where we ourselves have failed to live up to our commit- ments we sincerely repent and submit ourselves to correction. We are deeply committed to reconciliation, to building bridges instead of barriers, to respecting differences without promoting dissension and division. We want to get on with the job; for: 1. We know that reconciliation is possible among us through the Cross. The mission is in the hands of the forgiving and sending Lord. 2. We remember the great commission—‘‘Go disciple the nations ... I am with you always... All power is mine in heaven and on earth.” ‘‘As my Father has sent me, even so send I you.” (In that commission God’s command and God’s promise are always together.) 3. We remember our history. Through the decades our God has helped us to grow in our understanding of mission. He has used and will continue to use our church as an instrument of mission in His world. 4. Under the Spirit’s guidance and power, exciting things are happening in Cod’s mission. Marvelous gifts of manpower and technology are available and in use by the church, to hasten the coming of the eternal Kingdom. 5. In these crucial and final hours of the world’s history the members of our Synod, guided by the Spirit of our God, will not permit the pursuit of God's mission to be curtailed, dimin- ished, or diverted. The times in which we live demand a witness to the Gospel that is honest, bold, creative, and positive. We ask for no more. We can be satisfied with no less. Paul W. Harms Will L. Herzfeld Alfred E. Jordan Paul R. Martens Lorman M. Petersen C. An Individual Board Member's Statement When a group of committed Christians divide themselves into a “majority” and “minority” such action in my opinion be- comes displeasing to our Triune God. Such action can also be sinful. More people than ever are in need of hearing and experi- encing the Gospel. I sincerely believe every Board for Missions member, advisory member and staff member is prayerfully dedicated to proclaim the Gospel. Any differences in degrees of dedication, emphasis, and doctrinal differences must be dis- cussed openly, thoroughly, peacefully and speedily with a goal of continued mission zeal. Traditional and special methods of proclamation in accord with Scriptures need to be intensified to spread the good news among the spiritually starved expanding world population. Where we have failed to agree on issues I ask for His for- giveness and also ask God for strength and courage to en- courage our Board for Missions to continue and intensify ministries in an increasing number of mission fields in accord with the challenge and promises of His Holy Bible. Biblical References: The peace that Christ gives is to be the judge in your hearts; for to this peace God has called you together in one body. And be thank- ful. [Col. 3:15} May my faith be made perfect through actions. (James 2:22] I can only add my signature to such reports and recom- mendations where the entire board can reach general agree- t. men Wallace Bronner VI. CONCLUSION: WHOLLY, WHOLLY, WHOLLY Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee. “Take My Love... Ever, Only. All for Thee”’ Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are made holy, holy, holy. We respond with our total lives— wholly, wholly, wholly. The theme of the New Orleans con- vention says it in a different way when it quotes the last line of the last stanza of Hymn 400—‘“‘Ever, Only, All for Thee.” That is not only the theme of a convention. That is also the theme of our lives. Wholly, Wholly, Wholly —‘“ever, only, all for Him.” Attached as appendixes to this report are brief summary reports from North American Districts and from the overseas sister churches that have grown out of our Synod’s missionary labors around the globe. In the repeated references to the shortages of funds and how this hampers the mission, we are brought face-to-face with the realization that the “love” and “treasure-store’ most of us have poured at our Lord’s feet is not our ‘‘all” at all, but a paltry amount, grossly insignificant compared to what we have been given by God and greatly insufficient for the task He has placed before us.