# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1979_S156
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

156 RESOLUTIONS

qualified person no later than at the beginning of the
1981 fiscal year; and be it further

Resolved, That through the initiative of a full-time
staff person concerted efforts be made to achieve the
appointment of ministerial health committees in all
Districts of the Synod; he would supervise the training
of the District ministerial health committees and pro-
vide resources for preventive as well as remedial health
care in the Districts, supplementing such care whenever
necessary through the services of the Lutheran Medical
Center, St. Louis; and be it finally

Resolved, That the commission in cooperation with
District ministerial health committees offer counsel and
assistance to professional church workers who may
need to make a vocational transition.

Action: Adopted as amended (9).
(By a vote of 475 to 377 the convention in Session 8 amended
the resolution by deleting the final resolve, which had read:

Resolved, That out of concern for future professional
workers and the people among whom they work, the Synod’s
Commission on Ministerial Health be encouraged to speed up
the development of practical guidelines for evaluating the
mental and emotional health of all applicants who apply for
admission at synodical schools as church-work students.
These guidelines and evaluations shall be used by the admis-
sions departments of our schools in determining whether a
student should be admitted to the program. for a church
profession. Such an evaluation shall be repeated prior to the
placement of students into vicarages or internships in the
Synod, and again prior to certification for placement into
ministry.

The amended resolution was thereupon declined, 360 to 515.
However, in Session 9 the convention resolved to reconsider the
resolution as amended. It then adopted the resolution as
amended in the earlier session.)

To Encourage Concern
for Criminal Justice

RESOLUTION 8-04A

Report 8-01 (CW, pp. 231—232); Overture 8-14
(CW, p. 236)

WHEREAS, The Synod in convention in New Orleans
and Dallas supported and encouraged concern for crimi-
nal justice and prisoner rehabilitation; therefore be it

Resolved, That our concern for the criminal justice
system continue to be more than a ministry through
chaplains and their associates; and be it further

Resolved, That Christians be encouraged to support
educational and legislative efforts that foster aid to
persons and families who are the victims of crime; and
be it further

Resolved, That the Board of Social Ministry and
World Relief with the assistance of other program
boards design activities (chaplaincy, volunteer visita-
tion, seminars, workshops, etc.) that might be helpful in
reforming the American criminal justice system; and be
it finally

Resolved, That the above concerns be incorporated
from a Biblical point of view in informational brochures

prepared jointly by the Board of Social Ministry and
World Relief and the Board of Parish Education.

Action: Adopted (12).

(“Reforming” was substituted by common consent for
“humanizing” in the third resolve. The delegates declined to
insert two resolves from the original Res. 8-04 as well as a
reference to abolishing capital punishment.)

To Conduct Social-Ministry Workshops
RESOLUTION 8-05
Overture 8-12 (CW, p. 236)

WHEREAS, The Board of Social Ministry and World
Relief on the basis of its experiences and evaluations
from the field is convinced that workshops and semi-
nars are excellent platforms from which to further the
cause of Christ through social ministry; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Social Ministry and World
Relief has developed and presented workshops dealing
with a variety of social-ministry concerns; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Social Ministry and World
Relief continues to offer such workshops to Districts,
Circuits, and clusters of congregations on a cost-shar-
ing basis; therefore be it

Resolved, That Districts, Circuits, or groups of con-
gregations who desire to involve their constituency in
the broader aspects of social ministry concerns and
activities are urged to negotiate with the Board of Social
Ministry and World Relief for information on coopera-
tive planning and financing of one or more workshops
on the following subjects: Project Compassion, Devel-
oping Parish Boards of Social Ministry, Alcohol and
Drug Dependency, Serve Your N eighborhood, Issues of
Injustice and Oppression, Helping Older Persons to
Maintain an Independent Life-Style, and World Hun-
ger.

Action: Adopted (9).

To Promote Participation
in Project Compassion

RESOLUTION 8-06

Overture 8-09 (CW, p. 235) Report 8-01 (CW, p.
232)

WHEREAS, Information from Districts, agencies, and
the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League indicates
that by the end of 1979 the Synod will have reached its
stated goal of 25,000 trained Project Compassion volun-
teers; and

WHEREAS, The majority of our Districts have appoint-
ed District Project Compassion coordinators, responsi-
ble for the training of additional trainers of Project
Compassion volunteers in their area; and

WHEREAS, Requests for Project Compassion kits
continue to reach us from many parts of the world and
from many mainline churches in Christendom; and