LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1989, Page 62

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62 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

forts in this area have been very helpful, and will continue
to be encouraged in the future.

Recommendations

The President’s suggestions, comments, and recom-
mendations on a number of reports and overtures sub-
mitted to the convention will be shared directly with floor
committees. There are, however, two actions that I wish
to particularly recommend at this time:

1. Nominations. In the 1986 convention the Synod sub-

stituted the current Nominations Committee structure for
a previous model in which Districts chose their represen-
tatives. Because of the press of floor committee and general
convention business, alternatives to the present and for-
mer structure received very little consideration. In my
judgment the present structure is somewhat more efficient
than the previous structure, but is far less representative
of the general constituency of our church body.

I am therefore asking the appropriate floor committee
to review various possibilities and report its recommen-
dation to the plenary convention.

2. Faculty participation in boards and commissions. At
the last convention, an action was taken in Res. 5-05 that
would eliminate the service of our synodical faculty mem-
bers from commissions and boards of the Synod, except in

cases where specific permission is indicated. I believe this
action was a mistake, for it has contributed to the notion
held somewhat generally by faculty members that the
Synod is not making full use of their gifts and services.
Moreover, in certain specialized areas the new provision
has tended to deprive a number of our boards and com-
missions of the services of talented people. To be sure, it
would not be desirable to have faculty members serving
on boards where this would present a conflict of interest.
But I believe that such instances would be the exception
rather than the rule. I am therefore requesting the ap-
propriate floor committee to review this matter and bring
a suitable report and/or recommendation to the plenary
convention.

Conclusion

When we describe the activities of the Synod and its
administration, we are in effect telling what He has done
through us. How richly He has blessed our church body
throughout the years! What a privilege it has been for me,
again this past triennium, to serve the Synod and its many
Districts, boards, commissions, congregations, and indi-
vidual members in our mutual efforts to proclaim Christ!
May the Lord of the church continue to guide and sustain
us all as we continue to “tell everyone what He has done”!

Part II

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Every Sunday, throughout the congregations of our be-
loved Synod, thousands of fellow Christians come to the
altar to receive our Lord’s body and blood for the forgive-
ness of sins and the strengthening of faith and life. Then,
when all have communed, we lift our voices in praise to
our good and gracious Lord and sing: “Thank the Lord and
sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done.”

In those words, we celebrate with joyous hearts what
God has done: He has given us life and preserved it! He
has sent His Son to live and die and rise again for us while
we were yet in our sins! He has sent His Spirit into our
hearts to enable us to believe and live for our Lord! He
daily and richly forgives sins to me and all believers! He
feeds and leads me and all Christians with His precious
Word and His holy sacraments! And with hearts filled with
love and praise for our good and gracious Lord, we respond
in words based on the opening verses of Psalm 105, “Tell
everyone what He has done!”

What a magnificent theme for our 1989 synodical con-
vention, and indeed for our entire church body and every
one of its congregations during the next triennium! In cel-
ebrational response to God’s love for us and all humanity,
our theme points the church simply and clearly to our mis-
sion, our message, and our audience. Our mission? Some
outside the LCMS might say God wants us to change the
world through revolution or politics. Some within the
LCMS might focus on superior organizational skill or
strength to accomplish our goals. But, no, our theme re-
minds us that God has called us to the humble and difficult

and doable mission and ministry of telling, proclaiming,
preaching, witnessing, talking about, demonstrating, ex-
emplifying, getting the Word of God out in every way we
can, employing every means at our disposal to tell about
God—and to do so with word and deed, with life and lip.

Our theme reminds us, too, that our message is not
about ourselves and what we have accomplished, but about
God and His good and gracious action on behalf of hu-
manity. As the ancient Israelites praised God in the words
of Psalm 105, they focused on His wonderful works, His
miracles, and His judgments (v. 5). They recounted espe-
cially His deliverance of His people from Egypt and the
mighty deeds by which He accomplished that. “He led forth
His people with joy, His chosen ones with singing,” they
sang (v. 43). And we, with them, tell about a God who has
visited and redeemed us and all humanity through the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and who daily and
richly forgives sins to me and all believers. God Himself
is the substance of our song and the focus of our message.

How simply, too, our theme emphasizes that our mis-
sion with its message of God’s deeds on our behalf is in-
tended for everyone! No one is left out! Telling everyone
what He has done is the center of activity in every con-
gregation as we gather for worship and as we teach one
another. As we tell one another about God’s good and gra-
cious actions in Word and sacraments, God’s Spirit comes
again and again, daily and richly, to forgive our sins, to
renew our lives, and to give us power for the mission and
ministry He has given us to do. But our mission and mes-