# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1979_S5 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Those Three Little Dots... How many members of the Synod can still recall the theme of the 1971 New York convention? Or the logo developed by Marxhausen for the 1969 Denver conven- tion? Or the theme of the gathering in Cleveland in 1962? Convention themes and logos seem destined soon to be forgotten. But itis safe to assume that the 1979 theme “God Opens Doors...” with its three little dots and its dynamic logo will long be remembered by those who were in attendance. Having sat on the rostrum now for 10 consecutive conventions, we are tempted to call this one a great convention. It was at least the best in many years. It was a positive, forward-looking, intelligent, and happy convention. This was due in no small measure to the mission theme, to the presence of representatives of our overseas partner churches and many of our overseas mission- aries, to the inspiring mission rally at Kiel Auditorium attended by some 6,000 persons, to the Mission Fair with its many booths manned by St. Louis area congre- gations, to the daily Bible study on the Book of Acts, to the short addresses from our overseas and minority brothers and sisters, and to the opening service, which set the tone for the entire week. Perhaps one of the most lasting memories will be that of our overseas brothers and sisters gathered together on the rostrum, with the President of the Synod suddenly being asked to offer an extemporaneous prayer. In the hushed stillness one thought of the unseen cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1) who had gone before—prophets, apostles, martyrs, fathers, moth- ers. We were “following in their train.” To be sure, there were other features. We heard from the former President of our Synod, Dr. Oliver R. Harms, encouraging us to pass through God’s open doors. The convention was honored by the senior senator from Missouri, Thomas Eagleton, and pondered his concern over governmental encroachments in the volun- tary sector of our American life, including the work of the churches. The delegates witnessed the presentation of awards to men and women who had excelled in service to the deaf, to the mentally retarded, to the educational institu- tions of our church, and in other ways. * * * Yes, it was also by necessity a legislative assembly. Many elections were held and many resolutions passed. The difficult decision regarding fellowship with the ALC was delayed for another biennium; a new hymnal was approved; participation in the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. was continued; a master plan (or set of basic principles) was adopted for the colleges and seminaries; a constitutional amendment (which must now be sub- mitted to the congregations) elaborating on the objec- tives of the Synod (Article ITI) was approved; some of the recommendations of the Task Force on Constitu- tion, Bylaws, and Structure were adopted, some de clined, and a smaller continuation task force created. We are listing for handy reference the resolutions which seem to be of more general interest (see also the index at the back of the book): Res. 102A Brazil Res. 1-03A ff. Mission Challenges Res. 109 Great Commission Convocation Res. 2-03 Objectives (Article III) Res. 205A Article VII Res. 2-07 Auxiliaries Res. 301 New Hymnal Res. 302A Abortion Res. 3-03 ALC Fellowship Res. 3-05 Canada Res. 3-07 LCUSA Res. 3-08 SELC Merger Res. 3-10 Charismatic Movement Res. 401A Separate Church Extension Fund Res. 4-07 Headquarters (also 4-08) Res. 4-09 Black Ministry Res. 4-14 Faculty Salaries (also 12-13) Res. 5-07 Vice-Presidential Vacancies Res. 508 Dallas 5-01 (Dual Membership) Res. 5-11 Uncertified Pastoral Delegates Res. 5-13 Teacher Status Res. 601A Model for Higher Education Res. 604A Saskatoon Res. 605 Deaconess Program Res. ‘7-05 Pan-Lutheran Catechism Res. 808 Pastoral Counselors Res. 1201A Fundraising Effort Res. 12-04 Master Plan Res. 12-06 Budgets and Work Program x * * Once again a few technical explanations are in order. Some resolutions have an “A” attached to their identifying number. This indicates that the resolution originally prepared by the floor committee over the Memorial Day weekend had been revised by the commit- tee, usually in answer to reactions received prior to the convention. The number in parentheses below each resolution indicates the session in which final action was taken. In many instances it might be well to consult the minutes of that session for additional information. The paren- thetical comments in small type below some resolutions provide still additional information from the notebooks of both secretaries. CWrefers to the Convention Workbook, the 336-page book of reports and overtures to the convention. TB stands for Today’s Business, the daily publication bringing the text of the proposed resolutions prepared by the floor committees. The first issue of Today’s Business (Sections A and B) was sent to all congrega- tions and delegates prior to the convention and con- tained practically all resolutions. The daily issues dis- tributed at the convention proper brought the revised versions to the attention of the delegates. The following should also be noted for the record: