LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 221

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LATE REPORTS AND OVERTURES

Bylaw 2.19 b provides that reports and overtures must be submitted not later than 16 weeks prior to the opening
day of the convention. March 28, 1986, was therefore the deadline for this information.

The same Bylaw goes on to state: “No report or overture received subsequent to that date shall be accepted for
convention consideration unless a committee consisting of the President, the First Vice-President, and the Secretary
adjudge it to be a matter of overriding importance and urgency which is not adequately covered by documents already

before the convention.”

After a careful evaluation of these documents the committee referred to in the Bylaw decided to approve the following
for consideration by the convention (the text of each of these is printed on these pages):

L1-34

To Appoint Task Force on Urban
Ministry

Wuereas, A significant population of our country lives
in urban centers; and

Wuereas, Significant mission opportunities are pre-
sented to us in these urban centers, which possess a wide
variety of cultures; and

Wuereas, District conventions have identified urban
mission as important; and

Wuereas, Church planners have identified the urban
church school as being one of the most effective tools for
mission; and

Wuereas, The needs are great, but no coordinated effort
has been made on the synodical level to identify the needs
and propose means for solutions; therefore be it

Resolved, That the synodical President appoint a task
force on urban ministry to meet with those in urban min-
istry and with the Urban Center at Bronxville for the pur-
pose of gathering information on the needs and possible
solutions of churches and urban Christian schools; and be
it further

Resolved, That this task force report to the 1989 syn-
odical convention as to the findings and recommendations.
Fort Lauderdale Circuit Pastoral Conference

The Florida-Georgia District

Walter D. Volz, Counselor

Ralph Schmidt, Secretary

L1-73

To Qualify Use of the Term Race
in Resolutions of the Church

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod de-
sires to maintain a sound scriptural norm in all its state-
ments, thereby speaking out against false concepts that
hinder sound Christian fellowship and God-granted hu-
man freedoms; and

Wuereas, The Holy Scriptures consistently use the
term race to mean a “contest of relative speed” while an-
other modern usage of that term seeks to define “a major
zoological subdivision of mankind stemming from a com-
mon ancestor”; and

Wuereas, The latter usage of the term race can and
does yield racist concepts falsely based on evolution (sur-
vival of the fittest), sociobiology (social status based upon
genetic heritage), and the like; and

221

Wuereas, Holy Scripture divinely uses the more proper
terms to define humankind’s differences, i.e., nation, gen-
eration, people, et al.; therefore be it

Resolved, That resolutions of the church affected by the
use of the term race to define individuals and/or groups be
amended to wording more befitting of the scriptural usage
(ethnic origin, cultural heritage, etc.); and be it further

Resolved, That the Indiana District of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod send such a resolution to the next
synodical convention.

Indiana District
D. V. Dubbelde, Secretary

L1-74
To Revise Bylaws Regarding Publishing

Wuereas, Concordia Publishing House and the Board
for Communication Services are working together to pro-
vide the membership of the Synod with the official peri-
odicals, namely, The Lutheran Witness, and the Reporter,
(Bylaw 11.21 a); and

Wuereas, The present synodical Handbook is some-
what ambiguous in describing the role and responsibility
of CPH and the Board for Communication Services in pub-
lishing the official periodicals of the Synod (Bylaw 2.403
c, 2.611 e and 11.21 c); therefore be it

Resolved, That Bylaw 2.403 c be revised to read as fol-
lows:

PRESENT WORDING
have editorial responsibility for and publish the of-
ficial periodicals of the general Synod;
PROPOSED WORDING
have responsibility for the official periodicals of the
general Synod;
and be it further

Resolved, That Bylaw 11.21 c be revised to read as fol-
lows:

PRESENT WORDING

The Board for Communication Services shall] super-
vise the editing and publication of the official period-
icals, utilizing the Standing Committee on Official
Periodicals as appropriate.

PROPOSED WORDING

The Board for Communication Services shall be re-
sponsible for the official periodicals, utilizing the Stand-
ing Committee on Official Periodicals as appropriate.