LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 22

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22

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Another way we strive to communicate timely resources is through
our RSTM newsletters. We publish a quarterly printed newsletter
which includes resources and information about the work of RSTM
congregations. We also publish a monthly e-newsletter, which continually provides information and ideas about particular themes related
to mission and ministry in rural and small town areas. We continue
to provide resources, updates, and archives of our materials through
the RSTM page on the LCMS website. This provides a place for us
to direct people for the calendar of events and archives of newsletters, webinars, and other forms of media. We also utilize the RSTM
Facebook page to facilitate the sharing of information regarding our
events, services, and other LCMS entities, as well as regarding pertinent information about RSTM, the LCMS, and our faith lives. Our
Facebook page is currently being followed by more than 1,500 users.
In an effort to promote continuity of support as well as provide
another avenue for training and resources, RSTM seeks to develop
and strengthen relationships with district rural and small town mission task forces. We are also providing training to districts which
currently do not have these groups to promote the support of RSTM
congregations.
RSTM, through its various training opportunities, continues to
assist congregations as they look at ways in which they can remain
viable and active in the ministry area they have been called to serve.
One way that we are accomplishing this is to provide resources and
leadership training to assist congregations in considering new models for ministry sensitive to the unique needs of staffing, distance,
properties, governance, scheduling, ministry priorities, relationships
of congregations, and changing demographics of rural and small
town America (ref. 2013 Res. 3-07A, “To Further Promote Mission
Awareness, Support, Collaboration, and Coordination for Rural and
Small Town, Urban and Inner City, and Suburban Ministry”).
Finally, the RSTM office regularly receives emails and phone calls
seeking various kinds of resources. We either supply the congregation or pastors with the information/resources they require or act as a
clearinghouse, connecting them with those who can best meet their
needs. We currently are assisting congregations in transitioning into
life with a new pastor as well as providing information and support
to all new seminary graduates placed in rural and small town settings.
This individual attention to the needs of our constituent congregations often proves to be invaluable as they seldom have another way
to access resources specifically geared toward the unique setting of
the rural and small town congregations. Because of this, RSTM frequently receives comments such as this email response “I don’t think
I properly said THANK YOU for the wonderful resources you made
available to us. I really appreciate your help, knowledge, and insight.
Our church is trying to improve our assimilation process, and we’re
looking at anything we can find. I may be in touch in the future as
our committee gets rolling.”
Urban and Inner City Mission—Rev. Steve Schave, Director

Urban and inner city congregations and mercy agencies find themselves in a unique ministry context. Cities are the fastest-growing
segment of our nation with the greatest opportunity for global mission and multiethnic ministry. Poverty, crime, and tension are marks
of the inner city. These complexities can cause our work to be frustrating and even dangerous. Working with the poor, homeless, and those
re-entering society will also challenge the conventional understanding of a congregation being completely self-supporting. To that end,
the Synod in convention has mandated us to be working to increase
significantly our support of congregations in urban and inner-city settings (2013 Res. 3-07A). The obvious reason for this mandate is that
we are losing ground in the city, and we must bring all of our resources
to bear to reverse this trend. The harvest is plenty, the needs are great,
2016 Convention Workbook

and we have the chance to joyfully meet the challenges ahead to reach
the lost in this wonderfully fulfilling mission. Christ alone, through
the Means of Grace, can lead us in the fight in the streets of our cities.
The cross then is the heart of this mission, centered on God’s Word
and Sacraments and anchored by our altars. Preaching Christ crucified is the very key to the city.
Because of the unique context, Urban and Inner City Mission
(UICM) is worthy of the definition of a new category for those who do
work in the city (ref. 2013 Res. 3-07A, “To Further Promote Mission
Awareness, Support, Collaboration, and Coordination for Rural and
Small Town, Urban and Inner City, and Suburban Ministry”). This
will include both clergy and laity. Needed for UICM are pastors, deaconesses, administrators, mission teams, youth, and the like. Many
UICM congregations and agencies are short staffed, and we must find
creative ways to build their capacity. While the core of UICM is Word
and Sacrament ministry, no congregation can be an island apart from
her community. Opportunities abound to play a vital role in partnerships with local government, corporations, development corporations,
and other agencies to rejuvenate communities and their economies.
Congregations must be intentional and diligent in that their outreach
is anchored by their altars, but through vocational and corporate acts
of mercy and witness they are given opportunities to seek the lost.
Certainly only by God’s Means of Grace can there be a transformative change in the lives of others.
Creative solutions are needed to meet these needs based on the
limited resources of UICM congregations and agencies. Through the
use of round tables, think tanks, and networks, we will find ways to
share ideas, provide mutual consolation, develop plans and strategies,
and build upon our fellowship. Nearly every department in the ONM
has something to offer in significantly increasing the support of our
urban congregations. This can be done through contributions of their
knowledge in which they are subject matter experts. Our districts and
congregations can offer their ideas and input as well. A wide variety of
seminars, conferences, and webinars can therefore be offered. So, too,
case studies and papers can be developed that are educational, practical, or simply encouraging. Through the use of the LCMS website
and social media, resources will be developed to create awareness and
promote the opportunity to serve and give. Just as with international
missionaries using the NSM model, we need to identify creative ways
to support urban missions. This will require an aggressive campaign
to identify those who will be supporters of this work. These supporters are needed to pray/give/go to keep Christ in our cities.
Funding is also critical for us to invest in our urban core. The
intention of the newly created “Save Our Cities” fund is to provide a perpetual source of income for neighborhood revitalization
and community development that would be attractive to benevolent
individuals, faith-based organizations, and corporations interested
in social responsibility. These funds will be used to support urban
missionaries and advocates, urban training centers, and assisting
those in need to move from poverty to wholeness. Projects that will
be considered for funding will include affordable aging services,
advocacy, community re-entry, housing/transitional housing/blight
improvement, asset-based community planning, social enterprise,
programming for at-risk youth, pregnancy resources, urban education, substance-abuse recovery, and basic needs. The advantage of
these services and programs is that not only will they be empowering, but also will they be truly transformative for communities and
individuals. The ultimate goal then is to transform chaos, death, and
decay in our cities in to peace, life, and renewal.
Campus Ministry: LCMS U—Rev. Marcus Zill, Director

One of the greatest tasks each generation has is handing over the
faith to the one that follows it. It’s no secret to anyone that we lose