LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 32

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32

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

there awarded in 2015 the Norman Nagel Award. He was a plenary
speaker and worship leader at the Association of Lutheran Church
Musicians gathering in Atlanta in July 2015, and his presentation was
recently published in their periodical, CrossAccents.
Worship provided numerous prayers and resources for the Synod’s
Facebook and social media, as well as for The Lutheran Witness.
Beginning in August 2015, Worship initiated the hosting of a daily
Bible study on KFUO, renamed Thy Strong Word. The show walks
through a chapter of Scripture each day, and features pastors from
around the Synod. It is readily available to be heard anywhere in
the world via live-streaming or podcast. Throughout the triennium,
Unwrapping the Gifts (www.lcms.org/worship/unwrappingthegifts)
has provided numerous free resources to the pastors and congregations
of the Synod: complete Propers to celebrate a Divine Service
remembering the Persecuted Church; hymn suggestions for both
the three-year and one-year lectionaries; and various resources to
strengthen family worship.
By far the biggest event for Worship was the 2014 Institute on
Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music held at Concordia University,
Nebraska, with over 400 attendees. The event was titled Comfort,
Comfort Ye My People and focused on the way God brings His comforting promises to His people in sermon, service, and song. The
attendees gave the conference a very high evaluation with over 98
percent rating it excellent or good. Worship is in process of updating the Kids in the Divine Service resource, rapidly wrapping up
a hymn-of-the-day Bible study PDF resource, and overseeing the
final work on two companion volumes for Lutheran Service Book.
Meanwhile, we still provide the weekly “LetUsPray” and lectionary
summary resources.
Stewardship Ministry—Rev. Heath Curtis, Coordinator

By working with the districts of the Synod, Stewardship Ministry
helps pastors and congregations teach the Word of God regarding one
aspect of Christian sanctification: imitating God in sacrificial generosity. “By the mercies of God: present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,” (Romans 12:1) for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
It’s been an exciting triennium of new ventures in Stewardship
Ministry. Right before the 2013 convention, the ONM brought on
Rev. Heath R. Curtis as Coordinator for Stewardship and Rev. Nathan
Meador as Assistant Coordinator (the previous director, Rev. Wayne
Knolhoff, had taken a position at Concordia Seminary, where he continues to be a valued voice for faithful stewardship in the Synod).
Both Rev. Curtis and Rev. Meador remain parish pastors, directly
connected to Word and Sacrament ministry and to the challenges of
funding that ministry in an ever-changing environment. When you
contact our office (email stewardship@lcms.org), you will reach
Mrs. Robbie Clasen, the Stewardship administrative assistant at the
International Center.
We seek to serve the districts of the Synod in four main ways.
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Resources. Production and dissemination of stewardship-, vocation-,
and sanctification-themed resources. These are all given away for free
at our website (lcms.org/stewardship) and range from book-length
treatments of active stewardship in the Lutheran parish to newsletter articles and bulletin blurbs. Periodic resources recur weekly and
monthly, and permanent resources are updated and added regularly.
Teaching and speaking. Rev. Curtis and Rev. Meador regularly travel
to present at pastors conferences, circuit meetings, district conventions,
etc. Our main teaching event, the Philippians Workshop, is aimed at
the circuit/bi-circuit/regional level, and we have been fielding a steady
stream of invitations from the districts for these events. To schedule an
event in your district, email us at stewardship@lcms.org. We are currently scheduling these events 9–12 months in advance. We are also

2016 Convention Workbook

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developing a partnership with DOXOLOGY to provide instruction in
stewardship at their Insight Conferences.
Training leaders. Some districts have effective and extensive stewardship staff and boards, and some make due with stewardship being
one of many tasks taken on by a sole full-time executive. But every
district can use more hands on deck. To this end, we hosted two training events for district-approved pastors we helped identify who have
agreed to step up into district-level service in the realm of stewardship. Each district will use them differently, but we are confident that
this training will be a blessing for whatever role they step into. We are
currently refining plans for a three-to-four-year cycle of conferences
and training events for future years.
Planning for the future. Our office has hired two demographers to
study, evaluate, and report on the demographic makeup and likely
future of the Synod. Under the theme of Generational Generosity,
our researchers (one from Bethany College and the other from the
University of Alabama) have presented us with bracing findings. A
summary of their findings has been produced, and we hope to fund
other research in the future based on the results of these studies.

Recognized Service Organizations—Deaconess Dorothy Krans, Director

“The granting of recognized service organization status by the
Synod signifies that a service organization, while independent of the
Synod, fosters the mission and ministry of the church, engages in program activity that is in harmony with the programs of the boards of
the Synod, and respects and does not act contrary to the doctrine and
practice of the Synod” (LCMS Bylaw 6.2.1).
We currently have 184 recognized service organizations (RSOs)
providing a diversity of services from beginning to end of life. These
organizations serve nationally and internationally and extend the mission and ministry of the LCMS by providing acts of mercy, witness,
and life together. Since the Synod’s 2013 convention, 64 RSOs have
received status, of which 22 were new organizations applying for
RSO status and 43 were renewing RSOs. These organizations have
continued to build up LCMS board membership and continue to look
for stronger relationships with our LCMS congregations. Twentynine RSOs were terminated, denied, or were asked to withdraw their
applications for RSO status. The ONM strives to promote the services
and programs of the RSOs, connect them with the other entities in
ONM, and network LCMS congregations, districts, and auxiliaries
to connect RSOs with resources. Small grants are given as scholarships to the CEOs to attend Lutheran conferences which enable them
to strengthen their board governance, organizational structure, and
leadership skills. Grants are also given to provide devotional material and offer assistance with programs.
Association school RSOs were moved from the area of School
Ministry to sit under the RSO department in October 2013. There
are 152 association schools that hold RSO status. Thirty association
schools had their RSO status renewed, one new school association
was granted RSO status, and one independent LCMS school received
RSO status.
As faith-based organizations, RSOs continue to face challenges
with changes in state and federal law that infringe upon their religious
rights of freedom. The Supreme Court decision regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage has and will continue to challenge how
our organizations live out our doctrinal belief in the area of adoption
and foster care. RSOs working in the area of aging services are also
concerned regarding the proposed laws dealing with the legalization
of self-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
RSOs continue to strive to live out their Lutheran identity showing the mercy of Christ to the least of these who are often seen as the
undesired among us. RSOs provide a diversity of opportunities for
LCMS members to express their love, compassion, and concern in
meeting the needs of their neighbors.