LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 143

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HUMAN CARE

Whereas, In response to that resolution, the first Synodwide prison and jail training retreat, “Catch the Vision,”
was held in 2005, a two-day event in which at least 25 of the
Synod’s 35 districts participated; and
Whereas, Those attending this event commented how
refreshing it was to see so many others in the Synod committed to bring the compassion of Christ and the Gospel to those
incarcerated and their families; and
Whereas, During this two-day event a brainstorming
session enthusiastically supported having these types of conferences in years to come and forming an online support
network in the Synod; and
Whereas, This two-day event was organized by LCMS
World Relief and Human Care and the LCMS Southern Illinois
District and was partially funded by the Lutheran Women’s
Missionary League (LWML); and
Whereas, The LWML at its 33rd biennial convention
voted to fund $50,000 for LCMS prison ministry in order to
provide 5,000 copies of Lutheran devotional materials to U .S .
prison inmates; and
WHEREAS, Each district of the Synod has within its region
some large prison institutions and many jail settings; and
Whereas, Prison and jail ministry addresses with God’s
Word not only prisoners, but also ex-prisoners, families, prison
staff, and victims of crime, directly affecting more and more of
the Synod’s congregations and church members; and
Whereas, Prison and jail ministry also offers many opportunities to share the Gospel with persons who do not yet know
Jesus Christ; and
Whereas, The Bible states that Jesus said, “As you did it to
the least of these, you did it to Me” (Matt . 25:40); and
Whereas, For the past 100 years, many LCMS districts
have sought to be faithful to our Lord’s mandate to visit those
in prison by their support of prison ministry; and
Whereas, Crime has touched virtually every congregation
of the Synod as members, relatives, or friends have experienced the crisis of imprisonment; and
Whereas, The Synod has a goal of reaching 100 million
unreached and uncommitted people with the Gospel by 2017,
the 500th anniversary of the Reformation; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod’s Board for Human Care
Ministries be charged with the task of developing resources
to recruit, train, and equip clergy, commissioned ministers,
and lay volunteers for prison and jail ministry; and be it further
Resolved, That these resources and training events be made
available to all clergy, commissioned ministers, and lay volunteers interested in all types of prison and jail ministry, and
that the Synod sponsor another Synod-wide prison and jail
ministry conference prior to the next LCMS convention; and
be it further
Resolved, That the Synod encourage all districts to have a
prison ministry coordinator, either volunteer or compensated,
for the purpose of networking, supporting, and encouraging
prison ministry among the districts of the Synod; and be it
further

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Resolved, That the Board for Human Care Ministries seek
funding specifically for prison ministry grants, to include
prison ministry, re-entry, and victim assistance programs for
various district and congregation prison ministries; and be it
finally
Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the increased
efforts of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and its districts and congregations to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ
with prisoners, ex-offenders, families of prisoners, prison staff,
and victims of crime .
Action: Adopted (12)
(During discussion, “commissioned ministers” was inserted
after “clergy” in the first and second resolves as friendly amendments . The resolution was adopted as changed [Yes: 1,075; No:
7] .)

To Continue the Work Initiated by the Domestic
Violence and Child Abuse Task Force
RESOLUTION 6-06
Report 6-01 (CW, p. 109)
Whereas, Domestic violence and child abuse continue at
epidemic proportions in our society; and
Whereas, The 2007 LCMS convention, via Res . 6-06 (“To
Develop Domestic and Child Abuse Education Materials and
Programs”), mandated the Board for Human Care Ministries
to appoint a committee to examine the issues of domestic
violence and child abuse; to provide materials and train individuals to assist LCMS districts, congregations, and schools
in addressing abuse and ministering to the spiritual needs of
those affected by abuse; to make these materials and training
available to seminary and professional church worker students;
and to consult with the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations and comment specifically on the topics of forgiveness, repentance, and reconciliation in the context of abuse
situations; and
Whereas, Such work would not be possible without generous funding from the Lutheran Community Foundation’s
Field of Interest Fund; and
Whereas, This effort would not have been possible without
the support of a diverse group of individuals from throughout the LCMS who comprised the Domestic Violence and
Child Abuse Task Force and representatives of parish ministry, school ministry, deaconess ministry, professional pastoral
counseling, psychology, forensic law, parish nursing, domestic
violence education, seminary education, university education,
the LWML, recognized service organizations providing direct
services to those affected by abuse, and individuals who have
experienced the effects of domestic violence and child abuse;
and
Whereas, The task force examined all of the secular and
faith-based materials currently available that address these
issues; created a Web site that contains resources appropriate
for these issues; developed an outline of theological issues to
be addressed regarding domestic violence and child abuse,
2010 Convention Proceedings