LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 30

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30 MISSIONS, EVANGELISM, AND SOCIAL MINISTRY

June 1982. The commission will forever be grateful to our
gracious God for the energies and special journalistic expertise
of this dedicated servant and friend who served during the
“rebuilding” years of our publication. The Reverend John
Schroeder served ably as interim editor. Beginning with the
Fall 1982 edition, the Reverend Howard Mueller, commission
member, was appointed editor. Louise Mueller serves as an
assistant to the editor in layout and design.

It was hoped that we could report at this convention that a
full-time salaried executive had been approved for the CHH.
but instead we again share the frustration and disappoint-
ments that understaffing precipitates.

We prayerfully ask for affirmation and financial support
from our Svnod as the commission faces exciting challenges in
the ‘80s with renewed commitment and energies to achieve the
goal of helping our church to be that “church made up of caring
people involved in Christ's mission of health and healing in the
world.”

May Jesus, our perfect Healer, bless us and our efforts
carried out in His name!

Howard E. Mueller, Acting Chairman
Florence Montz. Staff Administrator

Report of Commission
on Ministerial Health

Your Commission on Ministerial Health met three times
since the 1981 convention of the Synod. Several other meetings
involving the commission’s staff person, William Barge, plus
other members of the commission were held with representa-
tives of the Board for Social Ministry Services and the Com-
mission on Health and Healing. These latter meetings were
held in an effort to carry out the 1981 convention resolution
directing our commission and the Board of Social Ministry and
World Relief(the name at that time) to pursue possible sharing
of staff and the Board of Directors resolutions to seek a similar
alliance with the Commission on Health and Healing.

The two commissions are presently working on job descrip-
tions and seeking names of people who qualify for the staff
position. With the possibility of the Commission on Structure
bringing a recommendation to the Synod to combine the two
commissions into a single unit, it appears the long anticipated
staffing need will be filled. We are grateful to Dr. Martin
Haendschke for the part-time services he has been rendering
the commission in an evaluating process and planning for the
future of the commission's work.

A major effort is being made to build a network of teams in
major cities to which referrals can be made, thus eliminating
much of the cost in time and dollars for travel, evaluation, and
therapy. Presently we are working with such teams in Wash-
ington, D.C.; Birmingham, Mich; Milwaukee: Chicago; Min-
neapolis; St. Louis: San Antonio: Denver: Portland Seattle:
and San Francisco. In some instances these are inter-Lutheran.

In addition the commission has studied the program of a
corporation called CompCare which operates evaluation and
counseling centers in 25 states. again enabling professional
church workers and their families to receive assistance closer
to home. CompCare has already designed a program for the
United Methodist Church and purchase of service arrange-
ments can also be made for our Synod.

The commission's overall responsibility continues to in-
clude a threefold thrust aimed at ministering to our church
workers and families: preventative, remedial. and redirective.
Present staffing limits us primarily to the remedial, crisis
intervention help, but with full-time staff we know we can do
much to face concerns before they become problems and assist
people to find a fuller and more enriched life.

Your commission is pleased to be able to serve the church in
this way. We are: Pastor John Deterding; Teacher Warren
Helming: Drs. Marilyn Rubin and Robert Heins:; Mr. William
Barge (staff). our Synod’s personnel director; and

Rev. Frederick A. Niedner, Chairman

1-11

To Support Only Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod Campus Pastors

WHEREAS, Every pastor and teacher of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod solemnly promises that he will up-
hold and abide by the Constitution and ByLaws of the Synod:
and

WHEREAS, The first objective of the LCMS is the conser-
vation and promotion of the true faith and a united defense
against schism and sectarianism (Art. III, 1); and

WHEREAS, One of the conditions for acquiring and holding
membership in the Synod is “the renunciation of unionism and
syncretism of every description” (Art. VI, 2); and

WHEREAS, The Board for Missions of the LCMS has prepared
and adopted (May 1977) a ‘‘Position and Directional Statement
for Campus Ministry”; and

WHEREAS, This statement was adopted by the Synod at the
52nd Regular Convention in Dallas, Tex. (Res. 2:21A); and

WHEREAS, The Campus Ministries in many Districts are
sponsored by various Lutheran denominations with which we
are not in fellowship and with which we have doctrinal
disagreements; and

WHEREAS, Many such Lutheran Campus Ministries cause
confusion and discord: and

WHEREAS, In Res. 1-33, the 1979 St. Louis LCMS convention
conveyed its concern regarding campus pastors back to the
Districts of the Svnod: therefore be it

Resolved, That we urge the Synod to withdraw from the
Lutheran Council] Campus Ministry and henceforth support
only those campus pastors who are members in good standing
of the LCMS and uphold and abide by the doctrines and
practices of the LCMS; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod utilize the money saved to fund
additional LCMS campus ministries.

St. Thomas Lutheran Church

Rocky River, Ohio

Richard Dorow, President

Kenneth Maver, Secretary

1-12

To Phase Out Participation in
Intersynodical Campus Ministry Programs

WHEREAS, Intersynodical campus ministries may fail to
provide a clear doctrinal witness (e..g., in areas of unionism
and women’s ordination) for the students who are from The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregations involved
and for the campus community as a whole; and

WHEREAS, Our synodical President, Dr. Bohlmann, has
indicated that since the ALC, LCA, and AELC have in their
1982 conventions decided to establish interim Eucharistic
sharing with the Episcopal Church, this ‘clearly demonstrates
that these bodies do not attach the same priority to theological
consensus that we do in the Missouri Synod’; and

WHEREAS, In its report to the 1981 synodical convention
(Workbook, p. 3). the Board for Missions spoke highly of the
benefits, blessings. and successes of LCMS campus ministry
programs; and

WHEREAs, The LCMS has decided to discontinue its support
of LCUSA Campus Ministry Communications (1981 Res. 1-
O9A) in favor of producing its own materials as a means of
maintaining its clear doctrinal direction and witness on
campuses; and

WHEREAS, Local congregations that have established their
own campus ministry programs have benefited through the
success of this type of outreach; and

WHEREAS, The LCMS college students have benefited from
affiliation with local congregations as a “home away from
home” through ministry and personal fellowship: and