LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 208

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208

Human Care

the congregation’s needs] we may conclude that, in addition to regular Word and sacrament ministry within congregations, the church’s
need for particular gifts or specialized skills at times is best met by
something less than an open-ended call. We may proceed in this way
[and have already done so] as long as we do not undermine the divine
institution of the office or hinder in any way the proclamation of the
whole counsel of God. Such has been the case within The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod for much of its history with regard to theological professors, District and synodical officials, military chaplains,
campus pastors, missionaries, church planters, etc. Several examples
can illustrate such situations” [CTCR “The Divine Call,” February
2003, p. 39]); and
Whereas, LCMS institutional chaplains, pastoral counselors, and
teachers of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling do not serve outside
of the church’s healing ministry of Christ, but rather are an integral
part of a long tradition in the LCMS of providing specially trained
ministers to carry out the mission and ministry of the church in very
challenging and demanding settings in life; and
Whereas, The LCMS currently does not call ordained or commissioned ministers to serve as institutional chaplains, pastoral
counselors, and teachers of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, which
has resulted in ordained and commissioned ministers currently serving in ministries of chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, and clinical
education without a divine call for ministry; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.8.7.2 be amended to allow the Board
for Human Care Ministries to “function as a recruitment, liaison,
and endorsement agency with the various professional pastoral care
organizations, chaplaincy settings, pastoral counseling centers, and
training centers, and as a liaison between these units and the Synod’s
chaplains, pastoral counselors, and teachers of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling”; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.8.7.2 also be amended to allow the Board
for Human Care Ministries to “provide, through call, a ministry to
institutions, agencies, and districts that request chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, or teachers of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling”;
and be it finally
Resolved, That Bylaw 2.12.1.4, which provides for district membership and ecclesiastical supervision, be amended to read:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
2.12.1.4

A missionary or chaplain serving under a call by the Synod through
the Board for Mission Services, or an institutional chaplain, pastoral
counselor, or teacher of chaplaincy and pastoral counseling serving under a call by the Synod through the Board for Human Care Ministries
shall hold membership in the Synod through the district designated by
the missionary or chaplain if approved by the president of that district
after consultation with the Board for Mission Services respective calling board and the president of the district through which membership is
currently held.

Board for Human Care Ministries
6-05

To Report Promptly the Deaths of Faithfully
Departed Soldiers of the Cross
Whereas, The Scriptures encourage us to “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome
of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7) and “Rejoice
with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15),

also promising, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4); and
Whereas, From the inception of our Synod, it has recognized the
contributions of dedicated servants of the cross by publishing obituaries in official publications, listing areas of service and other gifts
that have benefited the life and mission of the church; and
Whereas, These obituaries serve the dual purpose of (1) honoring the gifts God has brought to the church through the lives of these
our sisters and brothers, and (2) informing the church of the deaths
of church workers so their families may be ministered to by the body
of Christ; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod, working through the Board for
Communication Services (or its successor), the Synod’s Department
of Human Resources, and the districts, disseminate this important
information promptly and electronically via The Lutheran Witness
Web site rather than waiting to have it printed in The Lutheran
Witness (a process that can take weeks), so that we, in more timely
fashion, can honor the departed workers and provide prayer and other
support for their mourning families; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2010 LCMS convention strongly encourage the
districts to report immediately the deaths of current and retired church
workers to the Synod in order to accomplish this work.
Board for Communication Services
6-06

To Support Efforts to End Human Trafficking/
Slavery
Whereas, The United Nations reports that human trafficking is
a thriving business today with a total annual market value of 32 billion dollars; and
Whereas, The United Nations reports that any given time between
2.5–2.7 million people throughout the world are “recruited, entrapped,
transported, and exploited” in a “process called human trafficking”;
and
Whereas, The United Nations reports that persons from 127 countries become exploited in 137 nations; and
Whereas, Trading in “bodies and souls of human beings” is specifically condemned by the Bible (Rev. 18:13); and
Whereas, Saint Paul lists slave traders in 1 Timothy 1:10 (“enslavers” in the ESV) in his list of heinous sinners who oppose God’s
Law and are contrary to the sound doctrine of the Gospel (1 Tim.
1:8–11); and
Whereas, Saint Paul in his letter to Philemon urged Philemon to
free the slave Onesimus, not under compulsion but as a free act of
Christian charity (Phm. 12–16, 21); and
Whereas, Saint Paul urges us, as we have opportunity, to “do
good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith”
(Gal. 6:10), freeing fellow men from human bondage certainly to be
considered “doing good”; and
Whereas, As Christians living in the United States we have a
history that enables us to understand the horrors and degradation
involved in human trafficking/slavery; and
Whereas, The Southeastern District at its 35th Regular Convention
in May 2009 adopted a resolution to petition the LCMS in convention
to state that the Synod is opposed to the ongoing practice of human
trafficking/slavery; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct the Synod’s
President to write a letter to the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime expressing the Synod’s prayerful support of that office’s

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