LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 79

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peared in the December 1982 issue of the Saturday
yening Post. More than 500,000 copies of reprints of
st-article have been purchased by synodical congre-
tions for distribution to others.

15. Unfinished Tasks. Because of inadequate time,
" or funding, a number of projects could not be
mplished during the biennium. These include visits
our partner churches, increased involvement in
vict activities, and the regular publication of a
ergy newsletter.

B. A Church in Mission

The activities of the past biennium have underscored
nat we are in fact living in “the time of the parenthesis,”
eriod between the known past and the unknown
ire, a time of change and questioning. Such a time
n indeed bring uncertainty and even fear, but it can
6 be a period of exceptional creativity, movement,
d: progress—‘“‘a fantastic time to be alive,” to quote
hn Naisbitt, “if we can only get a clear sense, a clear
jonception, a clear vision, of the road ahead” (Mega-
pends, p. 252).

ow are we in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
tynod handling this time of change and opportunity?
at-kind of church body are we and do we want to be?
e we content to be an ecclesiastical organization that
noves steadily onward, doing things very much the
we have always done them, but somewhat timorous
nthe face of change? Or do we perhaps have a deeper
ense of being Christ’s church in mission, a body of
el vers with a challenging and exciting task to carry
ut for our Lord and the resources from Him to accom-
ish that task? My strong conviction—and I say it with
,enthusiasm based on meeting tens of thousands of
ur.members throughout our church body—is that the
ple of the LCMS are eager to be involved in the
gssibilities and challenges confronting our church
jody. Many of us sense that the Lord of the church has
aced us where we are in our various communities, in
ur nations, in our world, for just such a time as this.
any factors in our life together support that
ptimistic reading of the Synod:

vIn the year 1982 we began 102 new ministries, 80 of
i:them congregations—more than all other American
‘Lutheran church bodies combined.

last year, a year in which most church bodies declined
in membership, we registered a small gain.

For the second year in a row, our Sunday school and
Bible class participation increased; not very much, to
.be sure, but our trend line is moving in the right
direction.

Our synodical elementary and high school enroll-
ments are at an all-time high.

According to published national reports, our total
‘congregational, District, and church body giving for
‘all purposes increased 13 percent last year, one of the
‘top three figures for all American church bodies.

So far in the 1980s, we have begun work in five new
‘countries, and our partner churches in Korea, Brazil,

PRESIDENT’S REPORT 79

and other lands are experiencing many blessings in
growth and outreach.

¢ Our 16 seminaries and colleges in North America
have outstanding enrollments of dedicated young
men and women preparing for full-time service in the
church.

e The International Lutheran Laymen’s League and
the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, our men’s
and women’s auxiliaries, report many heartwarming
stories of commitment and dedication to the Lord’s
work; their conventions this summer have both
emphasized their deep dedication to the mission of the
church.

e Our $1 million loan commitment to the Nehemiah
Project in Brooklyn, New York, has given strong
encouragement to other groups to join in a major
redevelopment effort to provide 5,000 homes and
countless opportunities to share the Good News.

e@ Our Lutheran Church Extension Fund has prospered
beyond our fondest expectations, with national and
District resources well in excess of $300 million for the
building of new church properties and the extension
of Christ’s kingdom.

e Our Forward in Remembrance effort continues to
provide funding for badly needed work at our colleges
and seminaries and the expansion of our mission
efforts at home and abroad as the people of this
church body continue to contribute generously toward
the $75 million we pledged—almost double our goal.

e More than 3,500 of our congregations now have
chapters of Lutheran Youth Fellowship, our new
organization for synodical young people, and many
other signs indicate a revitalization of youth ministry
throughout the Synod.

e In District after District, exciting new ministries are
started and continued each year, providing care for
people in institutions, spiritual resources for thou-
sands of young men and women on college and
university campuses, and encouragement and nurture
to new congregations of God’s people.

Such a list could go on endlessly, particularly if we
were to include all the heartwarming stories of faithful
pastors and teachers serving their congregations
through Word and Sacraments, and of faithful congre-
gations simply doing what the Lord has asked them to
do. Such activities may seem ordinary, but they are the
backbone of this great church body. They illustrate the
continuing power of God’s Word and Sacraments in the
lives of His people and His people’s response to His love
in those countless ways that keep the church moving
forward in this world with the precious message of life
and salvation through Him whom we proclaim.

But you and I know very well, indeed, that there are
counterindicators of our organizational and ecclesiasti-
cal health—suggestions that in many areas of our
synodical life and work we have not yet caught the
vision of what all we might be and do for the sake of our
Lord and His precious Gospel. Whether we look at
national, District, or local programs, must we not
confess a frequent preoccupation with the following?