LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 68

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

68 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

Part II

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

St. Paul, and we with him, can describe the meaning
and purpose of life in one word. Writing to the Philippians,
he said: “For to me to live is Christ”(1:21). Indeed, the
overarching theme of his life and ministry was the cele-
bration and affirmation of the fact, as he wrote to the Ga-
latians, that, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:19-20).

Alive in Christ! How beautifully and simply the theme
of our coming convention captures who we are and what
we are about in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod!
How clearly it calls our convention, and indeed all of our
6,150 congregations to celebrate together the life that we
have in Christ by virtue of our baptism into the life, death,
and resurrection of our Lord! How eloquently and directly
those simple words encourage us to be lively Christians as
they shape the direction of our activities and goals on the
local, district, and national levels of our life and work in
the body of Christ. By God’s grace, Alive in Christ is what
we are and Alive in Christ describes what we strive to be.
In short, for us “to live is Christ.”

The conventions of our church body play a significant
role as we attempt, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
to live our lives in and through and for our Lord Jesus
Christ. Ifa convention is to be truly effective, its delegates,
leaders, and committees need to understand its primary
function. The synodical Bylaws state that very well:

2.01 Function of Convention

The general convention of the Synod shall afford an
opportunity for worship, nurture, inspiration, fellow-
ship, and the communication of vital information. It is
the principal legislative assembly, which amends the
Constitution and Bylaws, considers and takes action on
reports and overtures, and handles appropriate appeals.
It establishes general synodical direction and policies,
provides overall program direction and priorities, and
evaluates all such positions, programs, policies, direc-
tions, and priorities in order to provide responsible ser-
vice for and in behalf of its members. Only a delegate
convention of the Synod shall authorize affiliation or
association of the Synod with other church bodies, syn-
ods, or federations, and the discontinuance of such af-
filiation or association.

If a convention is to accomplish that formidable task,
and do so in a way that assists the mission and ministry
of all the people of this church body, we who serve the
convention as its officers and committees must appreciate
our past, understand our present, and celebrate our future.

How richly the Lord of the church has blessed this
Synod since its founding in 1847! By God’s grace, we have
been a church body with a strong commitment to the doc-
trinal heritage we have learned from the Word of God and
from the creeds and confessions of those who have preceded
us in the church. The confessional strength of this church
body is there for all to see. Again in this convention we
will have a marvelous opportunity to praise and thank God
especially for the blessings to this church and beyond it
through our first president Dr. C. F. W. Walther as we
prepare to commemorate the 175th anniversary of his
birth and the 100th anniversary of his death. As we frame

our resolutions in response to present questions and future
challenges, I pray that this convention will be guided by
the special emphases of this great churchman who has
taught us so much about the proper distinction between
the Law and the Gospel; whose commitment to the infal-
lible and powerful Word of God led him not only to contend
for the faith once delivered to the saints against all ab-
errations and compromises, but also fostered a deep com-
mitment to the importance of preaching and teaching that
Word as the basis and center of our life together; whose
understanding of the church, as being the spiritual body
of Christ gathered around Word and Sacrament in local
congregations, but embracing all true believers in Jesus
Christ, remains a vital theme for our day; whose appre-
ciation for the office of the pastor and whose deep com-
mitment to the ministry of all the laity, led him to write
and lecture eloquently on the coordinated ministries of pas-
tors and laity in the service of Jesus Christ.

How timely for us are the lessons of the past as we
respond to the questions of our times! Likewise, we learn
from our past to understand the organizational pattern of
our life together as another blessing we need to appreciate
as we prepare to do the work of the convention, for we have
been characterized by a strong affirmation of the central
role of the congregation and of the delegate Synod as the
best way to make decisions, avoiding both hierarchical as
well as anarchical tendencies which fail to appreciate the
corporate dimension of our multicongregational life to-
gether.

But if the convention is to fulfill its responsibilities and
assist the congregations in the celebration of our life in
Christ as effectively as we must, we must do more than
cherish the past; we must also understand our present.
That holds true both for the present state of the Synod, as
well as the present characteristics of the society served by
the Synod on this continent and indeed in all the world.
First, we must understand ourselves. I believe that the
reports presented to the Synod by its officers, boards, com-
missions, and perhaps above all by its districts, have given
us a wealth of information about the state of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. For the most part, those are very
positive expressions of both the state and the direction of
our dear church body. More than 400 new ministries have
been begun in the last four years. Our Sunday schools and
Bible classes, elementary and high schools, give us cause
for rejoicing. Deeds of love on behalf of the hungry and
hurting peoples of our world are being carried out with
quiet enthusiasm and vigor by our people. The new com-
munications technologies of our age are being utilized on
behalf of the Gospel. Young men and young women are
eager to serve the Lord as pastors, teachers, and church
workers. Throughout the Synod there are greater signs of
solidarity and enthusiasm for the mission of the church
than we experienced some years ago. Above all the Gospel
is being preached faithfully and clearly.

But understanding our present state in The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod means that we frankly acknowl-
edge that not all dimensions of our life together are posi-

2 aenene oten nee AER ERC: OMT Att te RE ene CARRERE Rte tet