LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1992, Page 56

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56 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

today faces unparalleled opportunities to bring confes-

sional Lutheranism to bear on numerous situations in.

Eastern Europe, China, the International Lutheran Con-
ference, dialogs with other Christians, and contacts with
other Lutherans. Such efforts call for a theological lead-
ership at all levels of the church that is not only well-
informed, but deeply committed, evangelical, and open.

5. Women’s Service in the Church

a. The Synod at every level will enhance and encourage.

all opportunities for the service of women that are in keep-
ing with the Word of God.

b. The President’s Commission on Women, the Council
of Presidents, and the CTCR wil! work together with our
seminaries, auxiliaries, and others to help our entire mem-
bership understand and apply the biblical teaching on the
service of men and women in the church.

c. Synodical and congregational leadership will encour-
age the faithful observance of the Synod’s position and
practice, while at the same time avoiding binding con-

sciences where Scripture is silent or leaves practical ques--

tions open.

Comment: The difficult and sensitive questions in this
area will not disappear either through silence or through
shrill debate. Increasingly, we are called on to recognize
what it means to be a church of sola Scriptura in this and
every other area, faithfully accepting and following every-
thing the Scriptures teach, but at the same time recog-
nizing that when Scripture is silent we must recognize and
tolerate differences of opinion within our fellowship. This
entails helping one another in our congregations to un-
derstand and accept that the Scriptures do not permit the
ordination of women to the pastoral office, but that they
do invite and encourage women, as part of the universal
priesthood of all believers, to share the gifts God has given
them to edify the entire body of Christ. In the meantime,
as we wrestle with a number of questions in this area, we
need to help each other maintain the highest level of re-
sponsibility and trust at all times.

6. New Family Initiatives

Comment: A major grant to the Synod has enabled the
recent appointment of a Family Initiatives Council to give
strong leadership to a new and exciting venture to support
families. The appointment of the council follows several
meetings and studies by a number of experts in the area
of family life and ministry. This program has the potential
of providing exciting new resources and support to all of
our congregations as they struggle to deal with the many
problems and opportunities facing the church in our min-
istry to and through families.

7. Strengthening Higher Education

Comment: A special Task Force on Higher Education
was appointed at the request of the Board of Directors to
find ways of administering and funding our Synod’s higher
education system in a more effective and efficient manner,
while, at the same time, helping the people of the Synod
to support the ministry of higher education as a key com-
ponent in the life and work of the Synod. Elsewhere in this

Workbook, the recommendations of this task force and of
the Board of Directors help us to focus on this exciting and
important venture, particularly at a time when financial
and demographic concerns have made the task of main-
taining our colleges and universities an especially difficult
one. The convention wil] have an opportunity not only to
reflect on this report and provide direction for the future,
but to express its appreciation in various ways to the won-
derful men and women of our colleges, universities, and
seminaries, who contribute so much to our carrying out of
the Lord’s mission. .

8. Funding the Mission

a. District and national leadership will join hands to
encourage and assist congregations in the improved stew-
ardship education of and by the congregations of the Synod.

b. Expanding the Circle (ETC), a major effort encour-
aged by the 1989 synodical convention to explore improved
ways of funding our total mission, will continue to be pi-
loted and refined throughout the Synod.

Comment: In many respects, the Synod’s financial sit-
uation is a story of good news. Not only have congrega-
tional receipts continued to climb, but the work of the
LCMS Foundation in planned giving as well as the in-
vestments of God’s people through Church Extension have
been truly blessed by our Lord. Nevertheless, as explained
elsewhere in the Workbook, the flow of dollars to the Dis-
trict and national offices has not been adequate to fund
the many projects and opportunities of the Synod, even.in
our areas of high priority. The convention will receive rec-
ommendations from the floor committees on this critical
issue. However, few would question the need for improved
stewardship education throughout the Synod if we truly
hope to achieve the many goals we have set for ourselves
as we seek to be faithful in responding to our Lord’s Great
Commission. Among the more exciting ventures currently
being tested and explored throughout the Synod is the so-
called “Expanding the Circle” model, which encourages
congregations to become better informed about the wide
range of opportunities available throughout the world,
while at the same time according participating congrega-
tions greater freedom to choose the specific projects or
areas they want to support with their mission dollars. This
effort, while recognizing that the giving patterns of nu-
merous individuals and congregations throughout the
Synod already reflect greater choice than years ago, re-
quires strong communication and relational efforts to
achieve maximum success.

9. Organizational Effectiveness

a. National and District leaders will continue to give
strong impetus to the vision, networking, and compatible
relationship approach endorsed by the 1989 Planning
Council and synodical convention (Res. 8-02).

b. Both because of the Synod’s organizational focus on
vision, networking, and compatible relationships, and be-
cause of diminished revenues from the congregations of
the Synod, District and national structures will make ev-
ery effort to streamline, “right size,” and employ effective
ad hoc approaches to carry out our priority activities.