LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 70

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70 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

spiritual heirs of Dr. Martin Luther. Moreover, we still
remember very vividly the experiences of the "70s when
our church body passed through a time of great confes-
sional crisis. Today, we can see that that decade,
although filled with bitterness and hostility and pain—
some of which still remains—was in many respects used
by God to help us grow stronger in our faith and
confession. But our task now is to build on the past, not
to live in it. We can learn from the past and thereby
become stronger and wiser; but if we live in the past we
become its victims.

Some have described this time as a new era for The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and I would like to
believe they are correct. I, for one, am more concerned
about where we are going than where we have been, and
I hope you will help lead the church toward that future.
Help us to focus on the big-picture opportunities that are
before us, to see the primary task of the church as
proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ, to catch a vision of
the future that our Lord has in store for us as a church
body—strong in confession, united in our life together,
zealous to carry out the Great Commission, and eager to
show love to all men, especially those in need of our help.

We will be able to do that in our convention, and prior to
that in our floor committee sessions, if we keep our eyes
focused on the theme of this convention, “Him We
Proclaim.”

Dr. Martin Luther said it very well in a letter to an
Augustinian monk whom he had come to know well, ina
letter written in 1516. “My dear brother,” he wrote, “get
to know Christ and Him crucified. Learn to praise Him
and to despair of yourself, and then say to Him, ‘Dear
Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am Your sin.
You have accepted what is mine, and given me what is
Yours. You took upon Yourself what you were not and
gave to me what I was not, for Christ lives only among
sinners.’ In Him alone, and utterly despairing of your-
self and your works, you will find peace and you will
experience that He makes His righteousness to be yours,
just as He accepted you and made your sins to be His
very own.” To Him we dedicate the 55th convention of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. May all of our
deliberations help us and all of our people to say with ©
vigor and enthusiasm, with excitement and vision,
especially in this ‘‘time of the parenthesis,” “Him We
Proclaim!”

(Part II)

I. Missions, Evangelism, and Social Ministry

reoned Planning Assumptions from ECC Report (page

1. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will con-
tinue to be a confessional church.

2. People want to be in mission. If the Synod doesn’t
provide mission opportunities, people will find them
elsewhere.

3. The Synod has a real opportunity to provide world
leadership in confessional Lutheranism. It has
something to offer to the world.

4. The Synod will be a church which will take the
changeless Word and apply it toa changing society.

5. The composition of age groups in North America is
changing from a pyramid with a high percentage of
young people at the base to a block with even
distribution throughout. This will affect church
programs and priorities.

6. The population will continue to be mobile, and the
Synod will have to move with it.

7. Openings of new ministries will be on a national
priority basis. Funds will have to be distributed on a
priority basis around North America for the Synod
to continue to serve its present membership.

8. Some Lutherans in North America will have as
high priority items merger and ecumenism. Others
will have to put additional emphasis on North
American mission and ministry for Lutheranism to
grow this next 10 years.

9. The population of ethnic minority groups is growing
fast, and sometime in the next century minorities

will become the majority of the population. The .
Synod will expand its work with these groups and .
keep up with these population changes. :
13. While continuing to emphasize the separation of :
the two kingdoms of church and state, the Synod *
needs to provide added resources to help its consti-
tuency reach informed decisions.

Questions for Consideration and Reflection

1. Many good things are happening in missions,
evangelism, and social ministry. What can be done
to help our people know more about them?

2. Is the Synod pleased with World and North Amert-
can Missions, Evangelism, and Social Ministry.
planning assumptions and goals for the next 10
years and the mission planning process contained
in the ECC report? Realistic mission goals are
essential for planning higher education and most:
other synodical programs.

3. Please consider the report of each board and com
mission and determine agreement with the direction
it is taking. ;

4. Several hundred new ministries have been opene@
during the last several years and are scheduled
the next three years. Yet, baptized membershi
grew only 3,740 and communicant membersht
only 5,460 in 1982. Are we simply spreading 00%
current membership among more congregations,
In 1981, 1,470 congregations gained 0 adults an!
680 gained 1 adult. How can national and Distrié
evangelism programs be strengthened? Wh