# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S389
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

376 STEWARDSHIP AND FINANCE

TABLE III
Giving Compared to Income

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Per Cap Average Persona! Income US
Sesoding |Iy - WWwaD Jag aBeseny

Points to note:

— Beginning in 1950 prosperity has increased at a more rapid
rate than our giving, taxes and inflation notwithstanding.

—In 1960 we gave 3.3% of our income to church and charity,
Today we give 2.5% of our income to church and charity.

TABLE IV
Individual Proportion for All Purposes

PER COMMUNICANT CONTR *0B+100
LC ——

AVG PERSONAL INCOME (US A}

PERCENT

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980

Point to note:

—In 1961 contributions for all Purposes averaged 3.507 of the
personal income of LCMS communicant members, By 1972
this had dropped to 2.38". despite the rise in prosperity.

TABLE V

TOTAL GIVING
FOR SYNOD

Total Synod Budget -§ Milhons

Points to note:

— Beginning in 1940 there is a marked and continued increase
annually in funds made available for Christ’s mission through
the Synod which carries through 1963.

— From 1964 through 1972 not only has the increase leveled off
but a slight decrease is to be noted.

TABLE VI
DISTRICT AND SYNOD INCOME (from congregations)

Point to note:

— From 1960 through 1972 funding the mission of the church
at the District level of its Operation has shown a steady in-
crease while that of the Synod has decreased.

Given the above data, an evaluation of the Synod's stew-
ardship vitality and the effect it is having on the corporate
mission of the church can certainly be made. Not only is
such an evaluation possible, but let it be noted here that
it is substantially the same kind of condition pointed to in
the Stewardship Board’s report to the Milwaukee conven-
tion. It is evident that in the past 5 years God has continued
to bless the efforts of stewardship cultivation which have
taken place within the congregations of the Synod. Not only
has there been an annual increase in all-purpose giving for
several decades, but the Synod shows up well in comparison
with the other larger Protestant denominations in our
country.

Just as clearly evident, however, is a highly disturbing
phenomenon which can no longer be ignored. The contri-
butions of our people toward their corporate mission through
the church has not kept pace with the material prosperity
with which God has blessed them! Although real prosperity
has shown a significant increase in the past 5 years, that
percentage set aside for the church's mission tasks has de-
creased markedly. The negative effect this has been having
on the church's ability to meet mission and service oppor-
tunities of today is felt at every level of its corporate exist-
ence. Congregations are having problems. Districts are hav-
ing problems. There is no sector of church programming,
however, where the impact has been more depressing than
at the synodical level. The decreasing funds available for
Synod's work is greatly hindering the church’s worldwide
mission outreach and eroding the quality of service the
Synod is continually being called upon to render the con-
gregations. That which is especially disturbing is the fact
that this condition exists at a time when God’s people have
never been more prosperous in their personal lives. We do
not conclude from the above that there is no stewardship
vitality left in the Synod. On the contrary, it is present and
in many quarters very much alive. What we do conclude
and emphasize in this report is a twofold necessity facing
the Synod:

1. A more generous sharing of material wealth so that
the corporate mission opportunities facing the church today
may be adequately met.

2. Provide ways and means of channeling these fiscal
resources so that Christ's mission is successfully carried out
at every level of the church's life giving special attention in
these particular times to its work through the Synod.

IH. Stewardship Department Goals for the 70s

In order to meet this twofold need a program of action
for the decade of the 70s was presented to the Synod at
Milwaukee (1971), accepted by the convention (Res. 12-14)
and has since become the department’s blueprint for action,
We list again the program under five points both for pur-
poses of review as well as a backdrop against which de-