LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 146

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146 RESOLUTIONS

Wuersas, A “Polity Statement” was developed in
consultation with representatives of the various health
and welfare agencies that have developed in our Synod;
and

Wuereas, This Polity Statement, which describes the
character of programs, administration, adequate finan-
cial planning, and appropriate relationship with the Dis-
trict and the Synod, was approved by the synodical
Board of Directors in May 1967; and

Wuereas, The Lord of the church has blessed the
efforts of His people to establish health and welfare
agencies in the Synod through associations of individual
Christians, associations of congregations, and in recent
years through District action; and

Wuereas, The Synod has encouraged individual
Christian initiative and action by Lutheran Christians
in giving life to the maxim that “we are our brother’s
keeper”; and

Wuereas, We should be more concerned with stan-
dards and performance than with the structure of an
organization; and

Wuereas, The activities of all of the associations of
organized social ministry should be coordinated with
other Christians and with the District and synodical
Boards of Social Ministry; therefore be it

Resolved, That our congregations, Districts, and the
Synod demonstrate by increasing involvement, adequate
support, and continuing interest that our agencies are
truly channels of the church by which the love of Jesus
Christ is proclaimed and demonstrated; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod’s Board of Social Ministry
be instructed to allow a waiver of specific conditions of
accreditation relating to structure, with those agencies
now in existence or hereafter created that do not in the
agencies’ unilateral discretion and determination find it
feasible to meet this requirement; and be it finally

Resolved, That any existing welfare agencies or any
that are hereafter planned must seek the counsel and
advice of the District and synodical Boards of Social
Ministry in which they are resident, to seek compliance
with the Polity Statement.

Action: The convention decided to consider and then
adopted a substitute motion that Resolution 9-18 be re-
ferred for study and action to the Board of Directors
in consultation with the Board of Social Ministry and
the agencies involved (16).

To Develop Common Strategy for National
Crisis
RESOLUTION 9-19
Overtures 9-21 (CW, pp. 397—398); 4-28 (CW, p. 220)
Wuereas, We are living in difficult days which have
been marked by widespread rebellion, resistance to tra-
ditional practices, social revolution and general unrest,
and turmoil in which the dominant factor is change and
which has been defined as a “national crisis”; and
Wuereas, This “national crisis” includes racial prob-

lems, urban or rural difficulties, conditions of poverty
or plenty, problems of mental health, alcoholism, etc.;
and

Wuereas, Many of our Lutheran churches have been
endeavoring to respond to the “national crisis” with
insufficient coordination or ineffective planning; and

Wuereas, Long-term strategies must be devised on
national, regional, District, state, and local levels with
each pastor involved in the planning and each plan
a part of the total strategy; and

Wuereas, We would be in a better position to serve
each other by becoming actors rather than reactors to
a “national crisis”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Board of Social Ministry in con-
junction with the other boards and commissions of our
Synod that are involved (Missions, Stewardship, Parish
Education) and in consultation with the appropriate
boards of the other Lutheran bodies in the Lutheran
Council in the U.S. A. be charged to create a common
strategy so that a meaningful response might be made
over against the national crisis; and be it further

Resolved, That all service programs developed to
meet the national crisis be conducted wherever possible
by existing social-ministry and social-action agencies
and be assisted by the Synod in cooperation with the
Districts, associations of congregations, and associations
of individual Christians; and be it further

Resolved, That social-witness efforts and ministry
be conducted at personal, congregational, intercongre-
gational, county, state, District, and national levels, uti-
lizing the competence and expertise of our social-min-
istry agencies for the training and organization of work-
ers and personnel; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Board of Directors together with
the service boards of our church develop the process
whereby funds may be made available to the Board of
Social Ministry to respond to the approved social-min-
istry and social-action agencies of our church as they
develop programs to meet the national crisis.

Action: Referred to the Board of Social Ministry for
study and action (16).

To Give Attention to Plight of Migrant
Farm Workers
RESOLUTION 9-20

Overtures 9-25 (CW, p.399); 9-33U, 9-34U (URO, pp.
73—74)

Wuereas, The question of the grape strike and boy-
cott belongs to the secular kingdom, in which God exer-
cises His rule through political, social, and economic
forces often in opposition; and

WHEREAS, Strategies for action in the secular king-
dom derive not from the Word of God but from the falli-
ble wisdom of man, based on the limited perception
individuals may have of a given problem; and

Wuereas, In a situation as complex as that of migrant
workers it is not necessarily helpful to act on the

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