LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1989, Page 92

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RESOLUTIONS

1. Witness and Outreach

Introduction

This year and at this convention we are celebrating the
150th anniversary of Lutheran immigrations and of Con-
cordia Seminary. Our convention theme, “Tell Everyone
What He Has Done,” is very fitting. During these 150
years, we certainly have had the treasure of the Gospel
while we have been a rapidly changing world in urgent
need of the pure Gospel—the Gospel of what Christ has
done.

In 1839 there were only about 1 billion people in the
whole world with only 17 million in the United States and
only five places in the United States of over 50,000 people.
In 1989, 150 years later, we almost have 5.3 billion people
in this global village with almost 250 million in the United
States and with 470 places in the United States of over
50,000 people. In just another 11 years we will have an-
other billion people in the world. In another 30-35 years,
one-fourth of the world will be Moslem. By the year 2000,
one-half of the world will be urban dwellers with 433 meg-
acities worldwide of over 1 million population each. A flood
of immigrants is coming to our own country today from
Asia, Latin America, and Africa where three-fourths of the
world’s people live. In the year 2000, Hispanics alone will
number 10 percent of our United States population. What
opportunities God is giving us in our 150th year since the
Saxon immigration!

In his Loci, Dr. Martin Chemnitz (a Lutheran reformer
following Luther) stated, “Without respect to or distinction
of places, nations, languages, peoples or persons, Christ
ordered the Gospel to be preached in the whole world,
among all nations, to every creature.” God is not only giv-
ing us opportunities today, but the matter of an aggressive
mission outreach is urgent.

In that context, your Committee on Witness and Out-
reach reviewed the work and areas of the Board for Mission
Services, the Board for Evangelism Services, the Commis-
sion on Black Ministry, and the Board for Communication
Services. We praise God for these boards and this com-
mission and all its members who are serving on our behalf.
We praise God for the dedicated staff persons who serve
these boards.

We especially want to single out some executive staff
persons who will be retiring: Dr. Ed Westcott of the Board
for Mission Services; Dr. Erv Kolb and Dr. Leroy Biesen-
thal of the Board for Evangelism Services; and Dr. Richard
Dickinson of the Commission on Black Ministry. The
Synod is grateful for the services these churchmen ren-
dered for the sake of the Gospel. We also thank these ser-
vants together with Rev. Paul Devantier, Mrs. Florence
Montz, Dr. King, and Dr. Schlecht for their assistance to
our floor committee.

We also recognize the tremendous mission impact our
auxiliaries have within our Synod and within our world—
the International Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
and the International Lutheran Laymen’s League and

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their respective presidents, Mrs. Betty Duda and Mr. Roy
Schmidt. The listed service agencies of the Lutheran Bible
Translators and the Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ also
deserve our mention for the mission work which they carry
out.

The Committee on Witness and Outreach brings before
you resolutions to intensify and prioritze mission, to review
and reaffirm the existing 10-year goals, to challenge con-
gregations in evangelism, to establish a Black Ministry
Task Force, to consider a study of the name identity of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, to have the Lutheran
Witness in every Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
household, and many other resolutions that reflect the ur-
gency of the day, the opportunities God is giving us, and
God’s plan that the church spread Christ’s kingdom in the
world for the salvation of the lost.

Our committee would urge the convention to take note
of two very important matters taking place that have a
bearing on and that temper the witness and outreach res-
olutions of this convention:

1. At the 1992 convention of the Synod, a theological
statement of mission is to be presented. This is reflected
in Resolution 3-01 of this convention as printed on page
49 of Today’s Business and in Resolution 3-02 of the 1986
convention of the Synod. This is the basic foundation to
any mission endeavor and thrust.

2. The Mission Blue Print for the 90s (and for that
matter the beginning of the 21st century) is underway as
indicated by the reports of Dr. Bohlmann and the Board
for Mission Services as printed in the Convention Work-
book. It is an analysis of all current world and North Amer-
ica mission activity, as well as a design and strategy for
our future efforts. This mission initiative will determine