LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 104

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104

RESOLUTIONS

a part of celebrating the observance of the 500th anniversary
of the Reformation in 2017, growth that God has given to the
Lutheran Church; and
Whereas, The Ablaze! mission movement now stands at
the midpoint between its inception in 2004 and the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 and
it is now prudent to reassess the Ablaze! mission movement’s
goals and refocus our attention on the triune God’s mission
to reach the lost; and
Whereas, The Board for Mission Services is entrusted
with the task to “formulate, recommend, review, and supervise
the mission policies of the Synod and provide for an aggressive and united mission effort” (Bylaw 3 .8 .8 .2); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to the Lord of the
harvest for the bold witness of the Good News of Jesus Christ
by His church and for the gifts of new congregations given by
Him; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod encourage its congregations and
their members not to extinguish the Spirit’s fire, but to pray
that the Spirit of God will renew a right spirit within us, not
forsake us, restore to us the joy of His salvation, and uphold
us so that we may teach transgressors His ways (based on
1 Thess . 5:19; Ps . 51:10–13); and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod commend the Board for Mission
Services for its loving efforts to lead the church in God’s mission and the Ablaze! mission movement; and be it further
Resolved, That the Board for Mission Services, as it evaluates the Ablaze! mission movement and plans its future, be
guided by the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions;
and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention encourage every
baptized child of God to be a bold witness and a faithful confessor of the faith in these challenging times .
Action: Adopted (13)
(During discussion, a proposed amendment to substitute the
words “Resolved, That the Synod encourage its congregations and
their members not to extinguish the Spirit’s fire, but to pray that
the Spirit of God will renew a right spirit within us, not forsake
us, restore to us the joy of his salvation, and uphold us so that we
may teach transgressors His ways (based on 1 Thess . 5:19 and Ps .
51:10–13); and be it further” in place of the second resolve was accepted by the committee as a friendly amendment . Res . 1-02 was
adopted as changed [Yes: 626; No: 210] .)

To Increase Outreach to Immigrants
at Congregation Level
RESOLUTION 1-03
Overture 1-02 (CW, p. 149)
Whereas, Already in the nineteenth century, Dr . C . F . W .
Walther, the first president of the LCMS and himself an immigrant, recognized the needs of new immigrants to our country
and the responsibility of the Missouri Synod to reach out to
these new Americans as he spoke to the Synod in 1874, “In
the course of time millions immigrated to our new fatherland
2010 Convention Proceedings

overflowing with all of God’s wonderfully rich blessings .
Many are still landing on our coasts here to establish a life
for themselves … But not only has God gathered His church
out of the mass of lost and condemned humanity but He also,
as always, has cast His church into the midst of this lifeless
and decaying mass as the only purifying salt of the earth”
(“Glorious Challenge—Difficult Task”); and
Whereas, The most recent LCMS statistical report (2008)
contains the information that 219 congregations (less than
three percent) have reported that they have “specialized worship services” to address the needs of minority language and
other immigrant communities; and
Whereas, More than one million immigrants were naturalized as U .S . citizens in 2008 alone; and
Whereas, Many of these immigrants have come to our
country without faith in Jesus; and
Whereas, LCMS congregations, schools, and their members can play an important role in the incorporation of these
immigrants into the kingdom of God; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2010 LCMS convention thank God for
those congregations that have stepped out in faith to meet the
needs of the immigrants in our midst; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention urge the districts and the
National Ministry Office of LCMS World Mission to work
together to find ways to strengthen their commitment to and
increase the effectiveness of the work of LCMS congregations, schools, and their members among the new immigrants
in our midst; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention encourage our Concordia
universities to recruit, train, and send immigrants as indigenous
leaders and church workers to our immigrant communities;
and be it finally
Resolved, That the convention urge Concordia Seminary
and Concordia Theological Seminary to continue the expansion and development of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of
Theology (EIIT), the Center for Hispanic Studies (CHS), and
other such programs that provide education for ministry to
immigrants and ethnic groups via distance education .
Action: Adopted (11)
(As debate began, a proposal to replace the word “people” with
“immigrants” in the third, fourth, and fifth whereas paragraphs was
accepted by the committee as a friendly amendment . A motion advocating inserting “seminaries and” in place of “Concordia” in the
third resolve, and to delete the last four words of the third resolve
and all of the final resolve failed to carry [Yes: 352; No: 668] .
After further discussion, Res . 1-03 was adopted as changed [Yes:
979; No: 66] .)

To Respond to Opportunities for Outreach
to Muslims
RESOLUTION 1-04A
Overture 1-04 (CW, p. 150)
Whereas, The Scriptures teach that there is salvation in
no one other than Jesus, “for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12 ESV); and