# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1979_S86
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

86 REMARKS OF NEWLY ELECTED LCUSA GENERAL SECRETARY

resolved to ask the Division of Mission and Ministry of
the Lutheran Council to design a study process for the
participating bodies to explore with industry possible
ways of cooperation. There are so many problems
among the poor people in America. It is good that we can

resolve to cooperate in this kind of exploratory study.

I am personally excited by all that we can do
together. I ask your continuing help and your fervent
prayers for the council as I begin my term of office.

John R. Houck

Closing Address

(Excerpts from transcription)

I want to begin with the reiteration that not only
does God Open Doors, but He has opened them. It is my
very firm belief that God has been at work during this
convention opening doors to us in many different ways,
and for that, first of all, we thank Him, and secondly, we
thank all of the people who have participated in this
convention.

I’ve now had the responsibility of serving and
chairing five conventions. I think of those conventions
and then think of this one, the politeness and the
kindness that you’ve shown to each other, and certainly
to the chair, and also the thoughtfulness that has been
expressed. There have been some excellent suggestions
made. It’s been a real pleasure to chair this convention,
to see the way you have worked together to help open
doors and to keep them open.

I want to say that we have had a few tense moments.
The voting on Resolution 3-03 on fellowship was in my
opinion almost a miracle of God. I didn’t really like that
resolution very much. In fact I went to one of the District
Presidents who never says a word (that’s one of the
reasons I like him so well) and suggested to him, “Why
don’t you get that thing pulled off the floor and propose
tabling it, since it really doesn’t say a lot more than the
Dallas resolution, and all we do is sit and hassle.” He
thought about it, then decided againstit, and I think his
judgment and the leading of God was better than mine.
Because in a very remarkable way on a resolution that
could have been terribly, terribly divisive on the most
difficult subject to come before this convention, the most
highly emotional, we got over 800 concerned, informed,
intelligent, and certainly convinced delegates to come
together and agree.

I think it is indicative of the spirit of the Missouri
Synod, a church that I grew up in, and that I’ve known
from the days when we were considered way over to the
right, the old German church, to the present time. Yet I
don’t think the spirit of Missouri has changed a bit. On
the one hand we have said, in resolution after resolution
after resolution, that we want to be a Biblical and
confessional Lutheran church.

On the other hand, we have said we don’t want to act
precipitously. We want to be patient. We want to reach
out. We want to be in fellowship and to work with and
cooperate with other churches and other Lutheran

churches. It seems to me that the convergence that came
between such an overwhelming majority of this conven-
tion on that very difficult and emotion-laden vote was
something that I will always remember as representing
Missouri.

We go at each other. We’re concerned. We don’t
always agree, but we come together and we work
together, and I know that we rejoice together. And for
that I am very grateful!

I’ve said this in 200 to 300 congregations, that I wish
you could have had the experiences I’ve had in visiting
partner churches and in seeing the mission of this
wonderful church of ours. I think these 1,700 people and
the visitors have seen a glimpse with these partner-
church presidents, the treasurers, the missionaries, the
mission fair, and all the things that you have had an
opportunity to experience. I hope that it has opened a
door in every heart, and a door in every mind, to give us
a little indication of the really wonderful work that the
Lord has led this church into both here and abroad.

As said by General Hyatt, president of Concordia
College, St. Paul, Minn., and I think he spoke a very
great truth, the church needs to regain a sense of its
self-esteem. We voted to collect $40 million. I know we
can do it. I haven’t the slightest doubt that we can do it.

We can do anything that we set our minds to with
God giving us the grace and the blessing of His Word
and His Spirit, and when we decide on His things, to do
His mission and not our own.

T hope that message of General Hyatt came through
loud and clear. I hope there’s not one dime given in that
collection that says I’m doing it for my Synod, or I’m
doing it for those officials, or I’m doing it because I want
to get ahead, or I’m doing it because somebody tells me
to. You doit because the Lord Jesus Christ has opened a
door in front of you and showered you with gifts to use so
that more people may come to know Him. That’s all.
That’s why we do it.

In closing I commend you all to God as you journey to
your various homes. May He bless you, may He bless
every pastor and teacher in His ministry, and every
congregation. May we grow together, walk together,
love Him, work for Him, and walk into those marvelous
opportunities which He has put before us. God bless you
and God bless our church. J. A. O. Preus