LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 165

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initiate immediately a synodwide total and ongoing
stewardship program designed to lead God’s people into
- a study of His Word, strengthen their relationship to
' and involvement with the triune God, His church, His
world, and with the fullness of life as God intended it,
and provide them with opportunities to worship God
with their gifts; and be it further

Resolved, That this program be conducted on an
individual District basis but with leadership, objectives,
plans, and timetables provided or coordinated together
with the Department of Stewardship and Financial
Support and that the department utilize qualified re-
sources within the entire church body; and be it further
Resolved, That during the next triennium every
congregation in the LCMS be encouraged to contact
every member (individually or in a group setting) for
their stewardship commitment and response; and be it
further

Resolved, That, God willing, during the next trien-
nium all members of LCMS congregations be urged to
give proportionately, moving toward or beyond tithing,
by annually increasing their regular giving by at least
1% of their personal income, e.g., 2% to 3%, 10% to 11%;
and be it further

Resolved, That a goal of the treasure phase of the
intensive stewardship program be that every member
grow in the joy of giving and every congregation
experience significant increases in offerings, thereby
enabling God’s people to carry out the Great Com-
mission in the congregations, Districts, and the Synod,
trusting the Lord that through this program more
resources will be available; that every congregation be
asked to increase the percentage of its budget pledged to
District and national programs of the Synod for their
operating budgets, and commit to an annual dollar
objective, with a goal that by 1985 at least $12 million
more annually, over and above inflation, be made
available for District and national programs of the
Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That these increased funds be designated
for the work we do together through District and
national programs of the Synod in maintaining minis-
tries in North America and around the world initiated
through Forward in Remembrance, increasing college
and seminary support, providing additional supple-
mental retirement benefits for veterans of the cross, and
reducing operating and capital debt; and be it further

2. Synodwide Major Appeal

Resolved, That the convention approve a major
synodwide financial appeal to be conducted in the
congregations no earlier than 1986, and authorize the
Board of Directors to implement this resolution. The
minimum goal should be $60 million; these funds to be
utilized for continuing mission expansion in North
America and around the world, assisting in the capital
needs of colleges and seminaries, establishing endow-
ments for the training of full-time church workers, use of
new communication technologies, eliminating any re-

rr  SSS~S~S«Y

ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 165

maining operating deficit of the Synod, and such other
forward-moving projects as may be determined in the
development of the appeal’s Statement of Mission and
Ministry; and be it further

Resolved, That planning for the special appeal start
in 1983, and that an appeal director be engaged as soon
as possible to work with District and national leadership
in the development of the appeal’s mission and ministry
statement, major gift activity, and the recruitment and
training of the appeal volunteers; and be it further

3. Periodic Jubilee Celebrations

Resolved, That there be a periodic jubilee year of
celebration, a synodwide mission and ministry festival,
and that the leadership of our Synod at all levels provide
God’s people the opportunity to utilize in a sacrificial
manner all their blessings and gifts; and be it further

Resolved, That these synodwide mission and minis-

try festivals be conducted every six years beginning in
1986; and be it further

Resolved, That the resources received from God’s
people in subsequent jubilee years be designated to the
God-given opportunities that exist at that time as
identified by the Planning Council; and be it finally

Conclusion

Resolved, That remembering the injunction of St.
Paul to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), we ask
our heavenly Father to bless all our efforts in the
implementation of this stewardship strategy.

Action: Adopted as amended (9).

(The Chair indicated that the resolution would be discussed
in three parts individually, followed by a discussion of the
preamble and the whereases, and thereupon the entire resolu-
tion would receive action. The delegates adopted an amend-
ment inserting two resolves from Res. 12-05 of the 1981
convention, recognizing that “biennium” would need to be
changed to “triennium.” These two resolves appear as the third
and fourth resolves under point 1. A motion to refer the whole
resolution back to the committee failed. The delegates also
declined to cease debate on the main motion. Thereupon it was
resolved to divide the question. By a standing vote of 497 to 427
the delegates agreed to extend the orders of the day to 6:30 p.m.,
if necessary, to discuss the resolution and to carry out the
necessary final election process. The question was divided as
follows: The first part would include the first three whereases
and point 1; the second part would include the third whereas
and points 2 and 3 with their resolves. After further discussion,
part 1 of the divided question was adopted as previously
amended by the insertion of the two resolves. The delegates
declined an amendment to insert the words “with special
emphasis upon providing for ethnic ministries, such as the
Black Scholarship Endowment Fund to which we committed
ourselves in Res. 10-19A of the 1977 Dallas convention” after
the words “church workers” in the first resolve of point 2. Once
again the delegates declined: to cease debate on the main
resolution. Another amendment to strike all three resolves in
point 3 failed. After closure of debate, a motion to table the
entire matter until the 1986 convention of the Synod was made
but was declared out of order. Thereupon a motion to simply
table the matter was introduced. This failed. Thereupon the
delegates adopted the second part of the resolution, as outlined
above, by a standing vote of 463 to 355. Since the Chair had
already ruled that the preamble would apply to the entire
resolution and since both portions had now been approved,
Res. 4-02A was declared adopted as amended.)