LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 68

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68 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

in Jesus Christ. This is in reality our primary task as a
church body. Our rich heritagé of Lutheran doctrine is
ours not only to keep and preserve, but to pass on to
others. All else that we do, in one way. or another,
supports this task. As the committees go about their

work reviewing reports, overtures, and recommenda- -

tions and considering the big picture as it pertains to
them, let us ask how each item on our agenda supports,
enhances, and fosters the primary mission of the
church, especially in this “time of the parenthesis.”

3. Leadership Support. Our church body has been
blessed with many fine pastors; teachers, and other
professional church workers. But it has become increas-
ingly obvious that they need our strong support and
encouragement. The expectations we have of our various
ministers of the Gospel are very great, indeed. A pastor
is expected to be all things to all people. He often has
very little time to grow and develop his skills in order to
keep up with the demands upon his time and energies.
Our teachers are often unappreciated as they carry out
their ministries of educating our young people. The
stress and strain under which many of them work have
caused anxieties and problems in their personal and
family lives. We need to give urgent attention to provid-
ing additional support for our workers. To some extent,
this concern begins already as we consider our profes-
sional education programs and institutions. We need to
provide more help for our parish pastors, more support
for our Sunday school and Bible class teachers. Con-
tinuing education programs and opportunities for
growth in professional skills need to be developed and
encouraged—especially now, in this “time of the
parenthesis.”

4. Relationships with other Christians. Throughout
our church there is a great deal of concern among our
people about our relationships with other Lutherans,
and indeed all other Christians. In our last convention,
we asked for a major church-wide study of inter-Chris-
tian relationships. Our Commission on Theology and
Church Relations, in consultation with the Council of
Presidents, has developed a basic plan for a church-
wide study of many issues confronting us in this area.
Clearly, our church body does not want to surrender its
confessional heritage nor compromise God’s truth in
any way. We want to be faithful to God and His Word in
all that we do. But we also recognize that we need to
maintain friendship and good will with other Chris-
tians, especially other Lutherans. We need to intensify
our efforts to overcome the differences that now divide
us from others. This is particularly true at a time when
other Lutherans in our land are forming a new church
body. We are being asked why we are not a part of that
movement. To answer that question, we need to know
who we are and why we are who we are. Others are
inclined to see us, at least in some areas, as sectarian,
isolationistic, and even legalistic in our attitudes toward
others. You and I know this is not true, but we need to
address and find ways of approaching other Christians
with friendship and good will.

At times it seems that we have an all-or-nothing-at-

all relationship with others who share our faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, but may not agree with us in
doctrine. We need to give attention to the question of.
whether different forms of activity may be appropriate
for different levels and depths of relationships. We need
to consider whether our work in the Lutheran Council in
the U.S.A. contributes to the furtherance of our
proclamation of Jesus Christ and the building of
stronger inter-Christian relationships. This is not a
simple question to answer: a withdrawal from such
activities would be viewed by many as proof of our
alleged isolationism, while our continued membership,
in the council may well cause our witness to be ambi:
guous from time to time. It is my prayer that thi
convention can give strong support to developing
responsible guidelines for all of us—pastors, congreg
tions, teachers, and laymen—in our efforts to relate w
to other Christians, especially now in this “time of thi
parenthesis.”

5. Utilization of Resources. We have been blesse
with a wide variety of resources to be utilized in minis
for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have outstan
ing human resources in the great people of this chureh
body. It is almost overwhelming to witness the talents
and abilities God has given individuals throughout ong
church body, and we praise Him for that. In this mod
age, we have also been blessed with technolog
resources that give us unparalleled opportunities tq
communicate with others in this world, and to shaf¢
with them the most important and precious messag
imaginable: “Him We Proclaim.” We have great mate
ial resources. Our chuches, schools, educational insti
tions, and offices are oustanding assets for the wor
God has given us to do. But in 1983 we are facing’
questions like these: Are we making the best use of th
resources God has so freely given to this church b
and its members? Are we preparing for the best utili
tion of resources in the future? I regret to say tha’
some respects we have fallen behind in our us
emerging technologies; this convention can help us;
recover some of the ground we have lost. We will vel
soon need to have an integrated, coordinated,. an
efficient computer system and network that benefits
work of our church body at all levels. Video technologg
even now, is being put to good use throughout.
Synod, but we need to do more and to do it soon. I pr
that one day soon we may benefit from a satel}
communications network and that we will begin;
make more extensive use of radio, television, ca&
teleconferencing facilities, and the like to further
cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our midst.
abroad.

But in this area of resources, perhaps no questio
of greater importance for this convention tha
matter of our finances. Although many of us W'
protest the statement, our people do have great fing
resources. Many are giving very generously to carty.&
the work of the Lord in various ways, but others:
still learn the joy of giving. Our statisticians tell us!
our members contributed an average of 2.3 perce®