LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 5

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Alive in Christ

That is what we are—people who have been brought to
life by the Spirit of God by means of Baptism and the Word
and in whom that new spiritual life, that faith in Christ
as Savior and Lord, is sustained through daily nourish-
ment with the Word of God and through the sacrament of
Holy Communion. The reality of this life in Christ was
demonstrated repeatedly throughout the sessions of the
1986 convention of the Synod held in the Convention Cen-
ter in Indianapolis, July 18-25, 1986. In worship and in
the resolutions which were adopted, delegates again and
again gave expression to their being Alive in Christ and
to their determination to provide direction for the Synod
in sharing that life with others.

In this 56th Regular Convention, a new feature, “Table
Talks,” was introduced with a number of hours devoted to
small group discussions for the purpose of helping the
Synod to establish guidelines in the areas of witness and
outreach, congregational ministries, church relations, use
of resources, leadership and organization, higher educa-
tion, and social ministry. Based on the results of these
discussions, floor committees developed resolutions which
were adopted, some after modifications, which established
goals for the Synod in the next triennium and beyond.
These are the Resolutions numbered 01, the first resolution
of each section, which report the legislative work of the
convention.

In addition to worship and work, delegates were given
the privilege of meeting representatives of many of the
Synod’s partner churches and hearing from them how,
through the preaching of the Gospel, those churches are
growing as people become Alive in Christ. The number of
such churches were increased when during the convention
the Argentine District and the three Canadian districts
were authorized to become independent partner churches.
An additional special feature was that of a “Lutheran
Night” reserved for receiving greetings from the leaders of
other Lutheran bodies in the United States, Canada, and
Australia.

Presentations and ceremonies, giving recognition to cer-
tain groups and individuals took place throughout the con-
vention and are noted in the minutes.

Many individuals were involved in the work that was
necessary to enable the convention to carry out its func-
tions. Among those deserving special mention are Dr. Or-
ville Walz who served as assistant secretary, those whose
combined efforts involved hundreds of hours of work in
providing copies of Today’s Business, Convention Manager
Marvin Siebels, and many others.

* * *

In order to enable readers to make fullest use of the
Proceedings, the following explanation is offered.

Some resolutions have an “A” attached to their identi-
fying number. This means that the resolution originally
prepared by the floor committee was later revised by the
committee, usually in answer to reactions received before
the opening of the convention.

The number in parentheses below each resolution in-
dicates the session in which final action was taken. In some
instances it might be advisable to consult the minutes of
that session for additional information. The comments in
small type within parentheses below some resolutions pro-
vide still more information from the notebooks of both sec-
retaries and from the minutes.

The abbreviation CW refers to the Convention Work-
book, the 448-page book of reports and overtures to the
convention. TB stands for Today’s Business, a publication
which brought the text of the proposed resolutions pre-
pared by the floor committees. The first issue (sections A
and B) was sent to all congregations and delegates prior
to the convention and contained practically all resolutions.
The daily issues distributed at the convention brought the
revised versions to the attention of the delegates.

* * *

Alive in Christ! Yes, The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod is alive in worship of Him, alive in witness to Him,
alive in service for Him and the world for which He died
and rose again so that all might have life in its fullness
now and forever. May God in His mercy continue to sustain
and strengthen that life in each member, individually and
in the Synod as a whole.