LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 136

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136

SYNOD REPORTS

state team leaders, who organize the training and disaster response
needs when appropriate.
God continues to lead and bless the Northwest District. We look
forward with anticipation to the places where He will lead our ministry in the years ahead.
Paul Linnemann, President
R7-02-24

Ohio District
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the “One
Message” we have been called to speak in “Many Contexts”!
We in the Ohio District are faced with many challenges not of
our making. Certainly the last three years have not shown dramatic
improvement in those areas of shrinking and aging populations and
economy. Pockets of prosperity and growth do exist, and we thank
God for His gracious hand of blessing in those areas. For the most
part, the states that comprise the Ohio District continue to age and the
majority of our congregations mirror that change. Being “in the heart
of it all” has also placed Ohio squarely in the middle of the national
economic downturn that began in the final quarter of 2008.
The board of directors has established three ends policies that I
will summarize as “healthy congregations,” “healthy professional
church workers,” and “a healthy relationship between our congregations, district, and the Synod.”
Healthy Congregations
We have seen some good progress as more congregations are stepping outside their four walls and bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to their unchurched surroundings. I pray that the Holy Spirit would
move other congregations to see themselves for what they are—the
living Body of Christ—and no longer behave as though they were
exclusive country clubs. If someone were to visit your church and
ask, “Would I learn to be a more faithful pray-er here?” “Would I
have opportunity to exercise myself in the faith that works through
love here through community outreach projects?” “Will my faith
grow more strong here through solid Bible studies and sermons?” or
“In this congregation would I learn how to give an answer about the
hope that lies within me?”—what would your congregation answer?
Numerous congregations face the challenges created by aging
members. As God blessed those congregations in the 1950s with
steady growth, now all of those people are at the opposite end of the
age spectrum. We are also hampered by significant numbers of pastors who have found themselves ill-equipped to bring the Gospel to
a post-Christian world. A few have ventured out and God has blessed
their courageous efforts; other pastors are overwhelmed and may
choose to tread water until retirement. Far better to partner with a
pastor who could help train and challenge that brother pastor for a
new page of ministry. Where that has happened, some pastors have
become excited about ministry once more.
Between 60 and 90 of our congregations are “at-risk” congregations. That means that if they continue as they have in the past, they
will close their doors or significantly change the way they operate in
the next five to ten years. While it is easy to live in a state of denial,
I would plead with such congregations not to wait until their numbers have dwindled to below 50 in Sunday worship before addressing
the problem.

Healthy Professional Church Workers
I have been pleased with the caliber of incoming candidates from
both seminaries during the past triennium. They have shown themselves to be dedicated to our Lutheran Confessions and evangelical
in practice. While the Synod’s demand for new pastors has not met
previous forecasts because many pastors are not retiring at age 65,
the numbers of candidates needed will not diminish. As costs continue to rise, I do suspect that an increasing number will need to be
bi-vocational, however.
Hard economic times have hit both our parishes and our schools.
Please do all in your power to show these professional church workers how much you value them. Because several congregations have
fallen into budgetary problems and have had to reduce their staffs, I
am looking carefully at all requests for new pastors. Congregations
cannot hope to call a pastor by saving money during their vacancies
and then using that to supplement their below-average weekly giving
once the new pastor is on-site. Ethically and morally that is not fair to
the worker when that money runs out. Calls for those church workers who have been let go are not forthcoming immediately. Some are
still without a call after three years.
Healthy Relationships
During the past three years your district has made rapid movement into the digital age. Our website has undergone dramatic change,
thanks in no small part to Mr. Glenn Richter. He has been a constant
encourager to your district staff to use this Web resource as the basis
for communication to you and we have responded. Furthermore, utilizing this electronic medium has been a blessing since economic
realities have forced us to continue to downsize our support staff.
Placing materials on the Web site has proven to be more economical
and timely than having to arrange large mailings. We will continue
to make further use of this communications tool, just as many of our
congregations are doing. Visit us at www.oh.lcms.org for news, views,
and ministry resources.
Terry Cripe, President
R7-02-25

Oklahoma District
The Oklahoma District is a fellowship of congregations committed to caring, sharing, teaching, preaching, and reaching people so as
to bring them into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Oklahoma District has an all-volunteer staff made up of laypeople, pastors, teachers, and directors of Christian education, all of
whom continue to serve in their specific full-time callings. Salaried
and stipend positions include the administrative assistant, the Outdoor
Ministries director, and the treasurer/business manager. Whether salaried or volunteer, the district staff is composed of gifted people who
freely and readily share their gifts and time in extending the work of
Christ’s kingdom.
It was with mixed emotions that at our April 2009 convention we
bid farewell to outgoing Oklahoma District President Paul Hartman,
who did not seek reelection but expressed his desire to retire. His
tireless efforts as well as those of so many other committed individuals brought great blessings to the congregations of the Oklahoma
District as the district went beyond its pledged goals to the Ablaze!
and Fan Into Flame outreach and funding endeavors of the LCMS.
The Oklahoma District continues to work toward the goal of planting
12 new congregations by 2017, the revitalization of 40 congregations,

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