LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 301

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302 SOCIAL MINISTRY

the people who are helping and being helped in two of the most
poverty-stricken areas of our country made our board and staff
more aware of human problems and of the kind of help that is
needed.

Members of the staff have visited institutions, agencies,
and projects within our country as well as Brazil, Zambia,
Tanzania, Kenya, Philippines, and Hong Kong. Our staff has
participated in meetings with Indians, Blacks, Hispanics, and
welfare and health groups. We have served on the boards of
Lutheran World Relief, Heifer Project International, National
Interfaith Coalition on Aging, National Council on Aging,
National Safety Council, and the Association for Clinical
Pastoral Education, as well as social service, health, and
chaplaincy organizations. Through our involvement with
national and regional organizations we have become better
able to sensitize and help the members of our church body.

Sharing Awareness with the Church

Helping our church grow more aware of the injustices and
oppressive treatment experienced by, and the needs of, our
neighbors around the world is an ongoing task. Our staff
communicates with our Districts, congregations, agencies.
chaplains, and other individuals by means of two newsletters.
“Sharing” informs about world relief/ world hunger needs and
“Social Ministry Spectrum” provides information about the
whole spectrum of social] ministry activities. Regular articles in
the Reporter and the Lutheran Witness help reinforce synod-
ical programs and services. Members of the staff delivered
sermons on human needs in congregations in various parts of
the country.

Workshops on such subjects as world hunger, alcohol and
drug dependency, Project Compassion, parish social ministry
programs, ministry to older persons, refugees volunteer ser-
vices, and other social ministry subjects were conducted in
several Districts and metropolitan areas.

The question has often been asked, “Have the future leaders
of our church been given the opportunity to become acquainted
with the social ministry programs of our church?” During 1980
a two-day “Social Ministry Awareness’ seminar was con-
ducted by our staff at Concordia Teachers College, Seward.
Early in 1981 “Social Ministry Awareness” days were held at
Seward; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and Concordia
College, Bronxville, with staff members providing the leader-
ship. We are pleased that our colleges at Seward, Bronxville,
and Portland have developed social work programs that lead to
an undergraduate degree. The graduates are available for
service in Lutheran agencies and in congregations or clusters
of congregations interested in a director of social ministry

(DMS).

Congregations Extend Their Caring

The mandate given by our Lord to His churchis threefold. It
includes (1) preaching the Good News of salvation through
faith in Christ, (2) teaching the truths of Scripture, and (3)
healing the hurts of people. This threefold responsibility of the
church has always been clear: but the method of carrying it out
at times has been obscured, sometimes fragmented, and often
difficult. The Board of Social Ministry and World Relief during
its 30 years of existence has sought to assist our Districts and
parishes in extending their ministry of healing.

Agencies Are Extensions of Congregations’ Caring

A knock ona parsonage door in St. Louis and a letter witha
ten-dollar bill led to the creation of the first institution of our
Synod, a children’s home in 1868. Since that time, institutions
for the aged and children, hospitals, homes for the retarded,
counseling centers. nursing homes, housing for the aged, and
agencies that offer family life education programs and other
types of social services have been established by LCMS
congregations. For 50 years the social service programs were
not a part of the Synod’s official program, and consequently
many of the agencies functioned quite independently. In 1950
the Synod established the present social ministry structure,
which provided official recognition for the ministry of the 59
agencies and institutions that have been granted ‘church
affiliate status” with the LCMS. These agencies of our congre-
gations comprise one of the largest ministries of our Synod in
terms of dollars, staff, and numbers of people reached. Through

the development of Lutheran Social Service System (LS. 3) by
our department together with the social ministry boards of The
American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in
America, the relationship of our agencies with the congrega-
tions and Districts has been strengthened. The creation of
LS/3 has resulted in adoption of unified criteria for church
affiliate status, analysis of fiscal reports with financial consul-
tation where necessary, resources for program and manage-
ment assistance, and opportunities for staff and board train-
ing. Dr. Weber is chairman of the LS’3 Policy Committee; and
Mr. Virgil Fuchs, ACSW, is our representative on the Collegial
Staff.

Congregations Reach Out Through Chaplaincy Programs

The Scriptures make it plain that visiting the sick and the
troubled is not an optional matter for the church. Jesus will call
attention to ministry to the sick and the imprisoned when He
returns on Judgment Day. Today our Synod counts 175 full-
time institutional chaplains and 45 pastoral counselors who
are carefully trained for specialized ministry among the sick,
imprisoned, infirm, and troubled. In addition to full-time
chaplains, there are more than 300 pastors who are providing
part-time service in a variety of institutions. A year of clinical
pastoral education is required of our chaplains in addition to
theological education and experience in the parish. Scholar-
ships for this training have been offered through our Chap-
laincy Services Committee, funded by grants from Wheat
Ridge Foundation and Aid Association for Lutherans. During
the past year our chaplains provided pastoral care to more
than a half million people in approximately 1,000 institutions.
Chaplains serve in general medical-surgical hospitals, mental
health centers, geriatrics facilities, homes for the develop-
mentally disabled, and correctional facilities. Trained lay
people in our Project Compassion program provide excellent
assistance for our chaplains. Regular workshops and confer-
ences are arranged by our department for chaplains and
pastoral counselors on an annual basis to provide continuing
education opportunities.

The Chaplaincy Services Committee, which is advisory to
the staff and board, includes chaplains James Ehlers of
Madison, Wis.; Del Thies of Jacksonville, I].; Arthur Bickel of
Chicago, I]l.; Pastoral counselors Ervin Brese of Cape
Girardeau, Mo.; Neal Pape of St. Louis, Mo.; and Robert
Zimmer of Chicago, Il.

Congregations Reach Out Through World Relief

When Jesus commissioned His disciples to share His Gospel
and demonstrate His love, He placed no limits on their
outreach. In fact, He told them to go to the ‘‘uttermost parts of
the earth.” For years our World Relief and World Hunger
programs have reached out in the name of Jesus to more than
35 countries, including the United States and Canada. Hunger,
malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, and poverty have been the
enemies that have claimed more than five million people each
year, most of whom have been children under the age of five. In
1970 we began to provide help for domestic needs, and since
then we have given about 20 percent of our support for projects
located in our various Districts. It was at that time that we also
began assistance to the American Indian people. Through
funds contributed to our Indian Concerns Account and World
Relief, we have made grants of approximately $75,000 each
year for projects processed by the National Indian Lutheran
Board and endorsed by our Districts.

In our overseas relief, rehabilitation, and development
efforts we have used the channels of our partner churches;
Lutheran World Relief, the inter-Lutheran agency with offices
in New York; Lutheran World Service with offices in Geneva;
Canadian Lutheran World Relief with offices in Winnipeg; and
Heifer Project International with offices in Little Rock, Ark.
Each of these groups has reliable representatives in the areas
where we provide help. Thus we have the assurance that our
help reaches the people for whom it is intended.

All domestic projects must have the endorsement of the
District in which they are located, and all overseas projects are
carefully reviewed with the appropriate staff member of the
Board for Missions. Our World Relief Committee, which is
advisory to staff and board, screens the project applications
and offers suggestions regarding our policies and procedures.