LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 62

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62 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

ventions in 1985, and participated in approximately 20
district pastors’ or circuit counselors’ conferences. I have
been a regular participant in the meetings of the Council
of Administrators, Commission on Theology and Church
Relations, Council of Presidents, Board of Directors, and
numerous other synodical groups. It has been my privilege
to bring the greetings of the Synod to our Lutheran Lay-
men’s League and Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
conventions, to the conventions of other Lutheran church
bodies in the United States, to international conferences,
and to several other important gatherings. I have counted
it a special privilege to preach the Good News of Jesus
Christ to many congregations of the Synod observing spe-
cial events or anniversaries, although my schedule has not
permitted me to accept as many such invitations as I would
like.

Government Contacts. Again this triennium, it has been
my privilege to represent the Synod in a number of contacts
with national governmental leaders, particularly when
matters of interest and concern to the Synod have been
involved, such as pro-life questions, tax matters, chap-
laincy programs, the welfare of church workers serving
abroad, or human rights dimensions of national and in-
ternational events. In September 1983, Mrs. Bohlmann
and I had the special honor of attending a state dinner at
the White House hosted by President and Mrs. Reagan. In
November 1985, I was one of 18 religious leaders invited
to a luncheon meeting with President Reagan to discuss
plans for the pending summit meeting in Geneva with the
Soviet Union. Attorney General Edwin Meese and I were
privileged to host a reception in which The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod honored one of its members, Gen-
eral John C. Vessey, who was retiring as the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our Washington Office of Gov-
ernment Information has been particularly helpful in fol-
lowing developments in Washington that affect our church
body and keeping my office and others posted on important
developments.

International Visits. | had hoped to complete initial per-
sonal visits to all partner churches of the Synod between
1981 and the end of 1985. Although this plan could not be
fully realized, a number of international visits were com-
pleted during the triennium. In January 1984, I repre-
sented the Synod at the convention of our partner church
in Brazil and also visited with leaders of our Argentina
District. In November 1984, 25 church bodies in partner-
ship with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod partic-
ipated in the meeting of the International Lutheran
Conference in Obot Idim, Nigeria; it was a high privilege
for me to represent the Synod and to deliver an essay at
this important gathering (cf. 1983 Resolution 1-09). In Au-
gust 1984, I represented the Synod at the meeting of the
Lutheran World Federation in Budapest, Hungary, and
brought the greetings of the Synod to that gathering of 99
Lutheran churches from all] over the world; a copy of that
address is included as appendix A of this report.

One of the most unforgettable and potentially most im-
portant visits on the part of our synodical leadership took
place in late August and early September when six rep-
resentatives of the Synod and six representatives of our
Hong Kong partner church visited the People’s Republic

of China. Prior to that visit and following it, our LCMS
representatives also visited our partner churches in Hong
Kong and Taiwan. The existence of the Christian church
in China is a remarkable story, and its future is one that
we will want to know about, too. When one considers that
one-fourth of the world’s population speaks Chinese and
that many of them do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior, the tremendous opportunities for carrying out
the Great Commission are obvious. The visit opened many
doors for the evangelization of Chinese people which are
currently being explored under the leadership of our Board
for Mission Services. The visit also gave us an understand-
ing of the strong oppposition of our partner church in Hong
Kong, which will become a part of the People’s Republic of
China in the year 1997, to radio broadcasts into mainland
China or any other activities that might jeopardize their
opportunities for carrying out the Great Commission. More
information concerning this visit and its assistance to our
Synod in developing a Chinese mission strategy will be
provided through the Board for Mission Services.

In November 1985, I represented the Synod at the Con-
vention of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Germany and the installation of its new bishop, Dr.
Jobst Schoene, to succeed Bishop Gerhard Rost. In con-
nection with that visit, I also visited the pastors of our two
partner churches in East Germany, assuring them of the
bond of faith that continues to unite us and pledging our
prayers and support in every possible way.

Although we do not always realize it, The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod is the acknowledged leader
among confessional Lutheran churches worldwide. With
that leadership role also goes the responsibility for
strengthening, supporting, and expanding confessional
Lutheranism as much as possible. For that reason, we have
intensified our efforts to provide better communication
among our partner churches and have supported the trien-
nial meeting of an Association of Confessional Lutheran
Seminaries, as well. However, the Synod needs to provide
more money and manpower in this important area of our
responsibility.

Appointments. Although the number of presidential ap-
pointments was greatly reduced by the restructuring car-
ried out at the 1981 convention, a number of appointments
were made to fill vacancies on appointive synodical boards,
commissions, and committees. (Complete lists of such
members are published in the Lutheran Annual.) In con-
nection with the 1981 restructuring, a number of commit-
tees or commissions that had been independent became
standing committees of program or support services
boards. Prior to 1981, appointments to such groups were
ordinarily made by the synodical President. Between 1981
and 1983, the synodical Bylaws provided that boards
should make appointments to standing committees. The
1983 convention revised the Bylaws so that appointment
now takes place by the boards from a list mutually devel-
oped by the board, its unit executive, and the President of
Synod. Although this “mutual development” process of pro-
viding a slate of names from which the board appoints
sometimes entails the elimination of certain names who
are not acceptable to one or more parties, the net effect
has been to provide a more broadly representative slate of

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