LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 23

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

MISSIONS, EVANGELISM. AND SOCIAL MINISTRY 23

responsibility for social programs into focus. Many of our
congregations have taken steps to identify people who are out
of work, out of money, bereaved, sick, depresesd, homeless,
hungry, and desperate. Our hands in service for our Lord make
a difference.

Project Compassion

One project started a dozen years ago is now more necessary
than ever. About 40,000 volunteers are active in “Project
Compassion,” the program to train volunteers to visit the
homebound, the frail elderly, and persons living in institutions.
Excellent leadership and training for volunteers are provided
by social workers, deaconesses, chaplains, and other profes-
sional church workers. A new film in the current “This Is the
Life” series, funded by the Lutheran Women’s Missionary
League, is called ‘‘Project Compassion.”

It follows the training, work, frustrations, mistakes, and
successes of one volunteer. Like ‘Project Compassion,” the
film stresses that the love God has for us and which we share
asks nothing in return. Most Districts own the film. In
addition, a preview can be arranged through Synod’s Board for
Social Ministry Services. Training kits for volunteers are also
available through the Synod's office.

\

_ > Much to Do

The list of issues needing attention continues to grow. Some
emerging from the recent District Social Ministry Executives
and Chairpersons Conference are:

—giving attention to ongoing studies of the theological
basis for Word and deed ministry in the light of Scripture
applied to situations in our culture today:

—redefining the relationships between congregations and
church-related agencies so as to use resources more
effectively in meeting human needs:

—reaffirming social ministry as an integral part of Chris-
tian life, the fruits of faith which grow and show through
individuals, church organizations, and structures;

—securing the resources necessary to accomplish objectives
in social ministry;

—stressing the importance for ministry to and with the
aged and aging:

—serving as advocates for those who are oppressed or
unable to secure the help they need: and

—studying, planning, and becoming involved in serving
people who are poor, jobless, oppressed. hooked on drugs
or alcohol, caught up in family problems.

No two congregations or Districts are alike. Each presents a

different challenge, a different need.

Aging and the Aged

The history of social] ministry services to the aging and aged
begins in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the 1960s.
Dr. J. F. Buenger is credited as a pioneer, especialy for founding
institutions in St. Louis now known as Lutheran Family and
Children’s Services of Missouri, Lutheran Medical Center, and
Lutheran Altenheim Society of Missouri.

Because many people today are healthier, live longer. and
have more time and opportunities for service than ever before.
we need to recognize, nurture. and use their talents in the
service of our Lord.

The role of older people today is being redefined in church
and society. The Board for Social Ministry Services holds
membership in several national organizations dealing with
concerns of aging, including participation in the White House
Conference on Aging in December 1981, where specal attention
was directed toward the spiritual well-being of the aged.

The Lutheran Laymen’s League's focus on aging during
1981 led to the production of a booklet entitled ‘‘The Miracle of
Aging.” Lutheran benevolent agencies have been leaders both
in research on aging, and in preparing program resources for
use by congregations. The 1978 study guide “Life Enrichment
for the Elderly: a Lutheran Handbook,’ is still very useful. The
1981 publication by Concordia Publishing House entitled
“Engaging the Aging in Ministry” is commended for congre-
gational use.

A broadly based synodical committee is currently develop-

ing proposals to help the church respond to the problems of
aging. In cooperation with other Lutheran Church bodies, a
major Symposium on Aging is planned for May 1984. We
expect more emphasis on aging in our church, beginning with
regional workshops and aging forums.

We Serve Him Through Agencies and Institutions

Since 1890 through efforts of individuals and congregations.
hospitals. nursing homes. homes for the aging, residences for
the retarded, child placement, and family counseling agencies
have been developed. Social agencies and institutions are now
a major component of mission and ministry. Beginning with
old folk’s homes, orphanages, and institutions for the retarded,
efforts to bring the healing ministry of Christ to people in
many walks of life have changed and have enlarged the scope .
of their service to meet changing needs. At present, 9,529 staff
of 62 affiliated agencies witness to and serve more than 36,000
clients each vear. Combined annual operating budgets exceed
$134 million. These organizations are now in the mainstream
of congregational structures. Agencies and institutions inter-
relate with other branches of the church.

Agency involvements in definition. funding, and licensing
through church, community, and government are increasingly
complex. Supervision and support of this huge field of ministry
is vital. The Board for Social Ministry Services program
offerings include fiscal monitoring; regular review of affiliation
using LCMS criteria; management and program evaluations:
expansion consultation, and monitoring; regional planning
and development: personnel recruitment and placement:
educational scholarships: theological training for agency staff:
and planning and coordinating of inter-Lutheran work.

New Methods

Over the years, institutional type care has been drastically
altered. In the field of aging. retirement complexes and various
levels of congregate care. including skilled nursing care, have
emerged. Agencies also serve the elderly and their families
through retirement planning. counseling for interpersonal
problems, home-delivered services. and mobilization of com-
munity resources, together with volunteers who serve the
lonely in institutions.

For some of the developmentally disabled. nursing care and
congregate care continue to serve a need. The emphasis in
education and treatment today is focused on independent
functioning, including group-home living. independent living.
and employment.

Orphanages for children no longer exist. However, some
agencies provide relatively brief and highly specialized
residential treatment for emotionally troubled children. Some
provide foster home care. adoption services, family and
individual counseling, and family life enrichment programs.
Emergency help, material aid, refugee resettlement, jail
ministry, and work with ex-offenders are other examples of the
broad scope of these ministries. Because all Lutheran agencies
serve families and reach into the broader community. they are
multiservice organizations even though some might focus ona
particular age group or one type of service.

Responsibly Lutheran

Agencies have become increasingly subject to local, state.
and federal regulation. Much of their funding is from govern-
mental sources. Yet the Synod has an ongoing responsibility to
preserve the firm link between church and agency. In the past,
as agencies became more involved with government and as
they developed a stronger professional base, close ties with
sponsoring congregations were sometimes diluted or lost. Work
with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, basic needs
due to the nation’s economy. and increased utilization of
volunteers have brought the work of agencies back into closer
relationship with our congregations. As aresult, congregations
are assuming increasing ownership of this ministry.

Strengthened Theologically

In recent years some concerns have been expressed about
the theological framework in which agencies function. To
strengthen the Scriptural basis of our ministry, the Commis-