Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 380
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 380

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

380 SOCIAL ACTION AND WELFARE

volumes of materials for District Boards of Social Min-
istry. Volume I, entitled “Policy Manual for District
Social Ministry,” includes the policies under which the
synodical and District Boards of Social Ministry carry
out their tasks, as well as the approved polity and ac-
creditation procedures for Lutheran health and welfare
agencies.

Volume II, entitled “Demonstration Kits for Boards
of Social Ministry,” includes resource material of all
phases of programs for which the board has been given
responsibility by the Synod, including institutional
chaplaincy services, agency and institution concerns,
housing concerns, and parish programs.

We are gratified that the District President in the
majority of instances was a full participant at the con-
sultations. The prestige of his office, as he voiced sup-
port for social ministry programs, made it apparent that
the church recognized social ministry as an integral
part of its total ministry. We are pleased that on the
suggestion of our department each District has as-
signed a staff or administrative person to its Board of
Social Ministry. This is indicative of fuller administra-
tive support for all areas of social ministry.

Workshops for circuit social ministry representa-
tives, as well as for parish boards of social ministry,
were held in a number of Districts with synodical staff
in attendance. Significant presentations were made on
such topics as “Racism,” “The Theology of Social Min-
istry,” and “Friendly Visiting” on a parish and a com-
munity basis.

It is becoming apparent that social ministry is gain-
ing more and more support from the pulpit and the pew.
We are convinced that where a teaching-preaching-
reaching ministry is centered in the redemptive act of
Jesus with its tremendous range of blessings and chal-
lenges, there the people of God motivated to accept this
act of love are also constrained to demonstrate on a con-
tinuing basis the fact that “faith works by love.” It is
our sincere desire that the District Boards of Social
Ministry be the instrument through which the energiz-
ing Word equips the total teaching-preaching-reaching
ministry of its constituency for a life of “faith that
works by love.” (Gal. 5:6)

The Word That Heals

A steady growth in the number of institutional chap-
lains in our church indicates recognition that the church
is deeply involved in the healing ministry to thousands
who are victims of illness, pain, and brokenness.

During the past biennium we have observed an up-
grading in quality as well as an outreach in quantity of
pastoral services to institutionalized people. Twenty
Districts have designated one of their chaplains to func-
tion as executive chaplain or liaison between our office
and the almost 150 chaplains throughout our land. Re-
gional workshops have been conducted in six areas of
our country so that our chaplains might sharpen their
skills and experience the encouragement of each other's
concern for deeply troubled people.

Through the generosity of Wheat Ridge Foundation
and Aid Association for Lutherans we have been able
to award scholarships for clinical pastoral education to
22 persons who are chaplains or plan to enter this spe-
cialized ministry; 17 others received scholarship help
through our department. National standards make it
mandatory that all chaplains be clinically trained. One
year of such training in addition to seminary is a re-
quirement for appointment to state and federal institu-
tions. Joint evaluation procedures for all Lutheran
chaplains by the Lutheran Council in the U.S. A. have
been helpful in upgrading chaplaincy programs as well
as providing a uniformity of competence among those
who communicate the healing Word.

We pay tribute to the hundreds of busy parish pas-
tors, retired veterans of the ministry, and thousands of
dedicated lay people who serve as an extension of the
chaplains’ ministry by their part-time service in many
of the 41,000 institutions in America. Thousands of
burdened people would not have the benefit of hearing
the “Word that heals” if it would not be for the service
of these volunteer part-time conveyors of compassion.

A filmstrip, “Eight Cases of Love,” which describes
the frustrations, the functions, and the fulfillments of
the chaplain's ministry, was produced by our depart-
ment together with the Department of Missionary Edu-
cation and Concordia Publishing House. We believe
that through the use of this filmstrip our people will
gain a greater understanding of the needs of people,
and one of the ways that the church is seeking to meet
the needs.

The ministry of the institutional chaplain has
changed considerably since the early days, when any
dedicated clergyman was a welcome visitor within an
institution. Today this is a specialized ministry in which
the chaplain finds himself in the midst of four vital rela-
tionships which are quite clearly defined: (1) He must
have a call and be responsible to the church that places
him in the field. (2) He must function as a professional
among the professionals on the institution staff. (3) He
must be able to competently minister to deeply troubled
people. (4) He must relate on an administrative level
to the superintendent of the institution which in an
increasing number of cases pays his salary. These de-
velopments in the chaplaincy field have affected the
pattern of services in which a chaplain who formerly
served very many institutions today works intensively
in a single institution. This change makes clear the
need for an increasing number of chaplains.

The expanding number of nursing homes which have
developed throughout our country must be the concern
of our chaplains as well as other clergy in the commu-
nities in which they are located. The number of these
homes has increased to more than 25,000. The members
of our congregations with some guidance by the parish
pastor and the congregation committee on social min-
istry should find these facilities a challenging opportu-
nity to share the concern and love of Christ with those
who travel down the sunset road of life.