LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 66

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66 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

its members. Only a delegate convention of the Synod shall
authorize affiliation or association of the Synod with other
church bodies, synods, or federations, and the discontinu-
ance of such affiliation or association.

The primary role of floor committees, simply stated,
is to assist the convention in taking actions that
proclaim our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and do soin
the most effective way possible. Several observations
are therefore in order. Committees must, first of all,
assist a convention in using its time well. A convention
does that when it devotes the major portion ofits time to
major issues. As committees review the reports and
overtures submitted to them, one important goal is to
identify the priority items to come before the convention
itself. If the Synod in previous conventions has already
acted on items in a satisfactory manner, or if items
presented to the committee would be handled more
effectively by boards, commissions, or other agencies of
the Synod rather than by the convention itself, commit-
tees should not hesitate to recommend the usage of
either Resolution A or Resolution B; they can save a
great deal of time.

Again, in framing responses to overtures submitted
to them, floor committees should ask which group
within the Synod is best suited to respond; in that
connection, it is important to remember that not all
decisions in a church body of our size and complexity
are best made by a convention. A convention, for
example, should ordinarily not decide to create or to
abolish staff positions or handle any of the other details
that are more effectively done by our boards and com-
missions or other entities. Again, when major policies or
positions need to be described for the Synod, it is
important to make sure that time for adequate study
and reflection has been given, lest the Synod take
precipitous action.

It is also important that all committees be very
conscious of the cost of embarking upon new programs
or establishing new directions, for we simply do not
have the resources readily available at this time to
undertake everything that we want to do.

It should also be noted that a synodical convention is
not only our principal legislative assembly, but exists to
provide “an opportunity for worship, nurture, inspira-
tion, fellowship, and the communication of vital infor-
mation” (Bylaw 2.01). Floor committees can assist the
convention, and indeed the entire Synod, to learn more
about the wonderful things God is doing through us,
and to have a deepened sense of appreciation and
thanksgiving for such ministries. To that end, the
convention provides a number of worship and inspira-
tional opportunities. Committees may want to coordin-
ate requests for action with various presentations to the
convention by audiovisual means, invited guests, and
other presentations.

Our floor committees will spend a great deal of time
on the overtures submitted to the convention by congre-
gations and others in the church. In fact, you will be
dealing with 527 overtures, 353 which were received
from 189 congregations (about 3% of the total number of
congregations). It is important that these overtures be

reviewed and that responses be given. But it is of equa’
importance that floor committees address the reports of 2
our elected and appointed boards, commissions, an
officers. Itis critical that floor committees be not mere]
reactors to overtures, but concerned churchmen wh
address “big picture” questions. To that end, a numbe
of key planning assumptions, together with question
for consideration and reflection and specific suggestions
and recommendations from my office, will be presente
to each floor committee. Although your time is short;
challenge and invite all of you, both as individua
churchmen and as committees, to give the primary.
attention and emphasis in your work to the majd
opportunities, problems, and challenges facing The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as we confront both
church and world in this “time of the parenthesis.”

1983 comes only once, and we do not gather again
a Synod for three years. We need to ask: What has th
Lord called us to do at this place and at this time? Wha
blessing is He providing now that will enable us to d
His will, to proclaim Him, to further the cause of th
Gospel in our world? What can we do now to meet.
new challenges that He is presenting to us in this
between the eras of past and future? Where do we wan
to be as a church body, in 3, 6, or 10 years? And sails
we begin the journey to reach those goals?

The times in which we live, in both world and churek
call for a sense of urgency as we carry out our work.
around us, wars and rumors of wars abound. Concern
about nuclear weaponry have made large areas of th
world population apprehensive about the very future
mankind. .

People, both young and old, are suffering froy
psychoses and neuroses brought on, at least in part, b
problems in society. The list of “isms” plaguing .o'
secular world is long and frightening; naturalis:
subjectivism, rationalism, skepticism, materialis:
technologism, cynicism, nihilism, relativism, secular
ism, atheism—and these are merely some of the mog|
obvious. To a world still lying in the bondage of.sin
whose life is fraught with such “isms,” we have.
opportunity to respond with the only message that ¢
save and redeem, in this “time of the parenthesi
“Him We Proclaim.”

Moreover, this is a unique period in the history of th
church, as well. All over the world many Christi
churches are struggling even to retain a measure of thi
Christian doctrinal heritage. More and more frequen
churches find themselves more comfortable address
complex political issues than articulating the ba:
Gospel of Jesus Christ as we know it from His inspil
Word, Holy Scripture. It is also a time of organizatio
change within the church, including American Luthi
anism. More than 5 million American Lutherans
currently involved in discussions to form a new Luth
an church, and this has had a profound effect on.
way five of our churches relate to each other in:
Lutheran Council. We need to address our involvem!
with other Christians and other Lutherans in the m
responsible way, and this convention can help to. th