LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 257

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

HIGHER EDUCATION 257

WHEREAS, Seminex and its supporting organizations have
continued to operate in disagreement with the doctrinal stand
of the LCMS, and their leaders have been openly critical of the
direction of the Synod; and

WHEREAS, The present students at Seminex have enrolled in
the institution voluntarily and with every opportunity to know
the theological leanings of Seminex and its supporting organi-
zations; and

WHEREAS, These actions indicate that these voluntary
entrants have thereby indicated their opposition to the
doctrinal stance of the LCMS; therefore be it

Resolved, That the colloquy program forSeminex graduates
be discontinued immediately, and be it further

Resolved, That District presidents be directed to declare
vacant all congregations employing uncertified Seminex
graduates within six months of the date of the close of this
convention.

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church
Holdrege, Nebr.

Vernon J. Nelson, President
LaVern R. Bellamy, Pastor

6-22

To Implement
Hispanic Seminary Extension

WHEREAS, The New Orleans convention of 1973 addressed
itself to the Board for Higher Education, asking it to “develop
special curricula and arrangements at selected colleges and
seminaries for the training of future workers” (Res. 6-22); and

WHEREAS, The Anaheim convention of 1975 further in-
structed the Board for Higher Education to “implement the
project of Hispanic missions” and resolved that the training
program for the ministry be “centered on the campus of
Concordia College at Austin as an extension program of
Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, [Il., and other
necessary locations under the supervision of the Board for
Higher Education” (Res. 6-10); and

WHEREAS, The Synod in Dallas in 1977 instructed Concordia
Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., “to locate a Hispanic Extension
in the Chicago metropolitan area ... under the direction of the
Board for Higher Education by the 1978—79 school year’ (Res.
10-09A); and

WHEREAS, The Synod in St. Louis in 1979 resolved “‘that the
Synod require the synodical President, with the chairman of
the Division of Higher Education, in consultation with the
Hispanic Advisory Council, the Board for Higher Education,
the Board for Missions, and the Colloquy Board, to assume
responsibility for the implementation of Dallas Res. 10-03,
calling for preparation and training of workers for Hispanic
pastoral ministries”; and “that this be done as quickly as
possible, and that a written progress report be given every six
months to the President of the Synod and to the 1981 conven-
tion of the Synod”; and “that regular reports be made to the
church in the Reporter on the progress on this matter”; and
“that the President and the chairman of the Division of Higher
Education be empowered to direct the seminaries and colleges
and boards to carry out, without delay, assignments given
them in the area of a Hispanic program” (Res. 6-10A); and

WHEREAS, More than eight years of pleading, resolving, and
instruction has brought no tangible results to the program for
training for the Hispanic ministry; and

WHEREAS, The need for such an extension and the training
for future workers for work in Hispanic fields, which number
conservatively 20 million souls, grows alarmingly urgent
throughout the Synod; and

WHEREAS, The various Districts with heavy concentrations
of Hispanics are especially experiencing a crisis of lack of
personnel for Hispanic ministries, with a limited supply of
pastors available to the church at large in 1981; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Texas District requests the President of
Synod to personally and publicly call to account all those
persons, boards, institutions, or other entities to which the
church for close to a decade now has given the responsibility

for initiating a Hispanic Seminary Extension Program; and be
it further

Resolved, That the synodical President call upon those
responsible for implementation of the standing resolution to
respond to the church in convention assembled in 1981 regard-
ing their activities or lack of same to date; and be it further

Resolved, That, should the responsible parties be unable or
unwilling to implement the resolution (Dallas 10-03), the
church in convention grant the authority for implementation
to a select presidentially appointed committee of persons
interested in and capable of implementation; and be it finally

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
reaffirm its commitment to the making of disciples among the
Hispanics in our country (soon to become the largest minority
in the U.S.) or go on record as neither desirous nor capable of
providing a viable ministry to this growing population or the
attendant specialized training for staffing said ministry.

Texas District
Walter A. Dube, Secretary

6-23

To Establish a Hispanic-American
Seminary Extension Program

WHEREAS, The need for a Hispanic-American Seminary
Extension Program has been great for some time and grows
greater; and

WHEREAS, Three previous conventions of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod resolved to implement this program,
with no tangible results; and

WHEREAS, The Hispanic-American ministry of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has suffered and is suffer-
ing because this program is not in operation; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
determine that the Hispanic-American Seminary Extension
Program be implemented during the next biennium; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education be in-
structed to work out the details of this program in conjunction
with the appropriate ministerial-training institution; and be it
finally

Resolved, That the Board of Directors be instructed to
allocate the funds required to implement this program.

Florida-Georgia District
Theodore W. Eisold, Secretary

6-24

To Reaffirm Saskatoon Involvement

WHEREAS, The Alberta and British Columbia District has
made it clear that it wishes to support increased involvementin
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon (1978 convention
Res. 78-23); and

WHEREAS, The Manitoba and Saskatchewan District has
continually supported our greater participation in the sharing
of responsibilities of seminary training at the LTS, Saskatoon;
and

WHEREAS, The two western Districts in Canada have bene-
fited greatly from the fine and careful training given at LTS for
the Canadian scene; and

WHEREAS, The wishes of these two Districts should be heard
and respected for their firsthand knowledge of the standard of
theological training given; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention rescind Res. 6-04A
of the 1979 convention; and be it further

Resolved, That we reaffirm our support and increase our
involvement at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, so
that seminary training of our young men in western Canada
may continue without disruption.

Grace Lutheran Church

Edmonton, Alberta

Wayne A. Corbin, Executive Director
Elke I. Bahrs, Secretary