LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 102

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102

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Our vision statement became this:
We see every ministry reaching the lost and discipling the found.

For the 2015 district convention, we chose the theme “O God,
Our Help in Ages Past, Our Hope for Years to Come.” The theme
provided the convention and the member congregations of the MidSouth District a means to encourage their members to be equipped as
the priesthood of all believers and make significant strides to touch
the lives in the communities we live in.
The Mid-South District was founded on the principle of mission and outreach to the lost for the mid-South area. The convention
encouraged delegates to think and consider means by which they
could touch the lives of those who are unchurched and dechurched
in their immediate area and around the world. We launched an effort
called “Each One—Reach One” that will equip, encourage, and
enable every member of our district to build up the kingdom of God
as He wills and provides.
During the past three years, the board of directors and executive staff have diligently worked to bring about a greater awareness
of what steps are needed to provide the necessary resources to assist
congregations to become stronger in their own context and assemble
use of precious resources. A stronger emphasis has been placed on
assisting congregational leadership to be faithful stewards of the gifts
God offers to reach further into our communities through meaningful
participation in the community by the congregation’s membership. In
order to keep a solid footing for the financial concerns of the district,
implementation of Impact Ministries began, raising $1.4 million in
funds to support missions and ministries.
The district has encouraged the smaller congregations to explore
cooperative relationships with community and other neighboring
LCMS congregations. Larger congregations have been encouraged
to foster “mother-daughter” relationships in their outreach and auxiliary efforts. More educational opportunities have been provided
by the district for specific ministry pastor and licensed lay deacon
program participants. Formal arrangements to formalize deacon and
continuing-education programs for all church workers have been
accomplished through the CUS, involving Portland, Wisconsin, New
York, and our Synod’s two seminaries.
Congregations have been encouraged to continue efforts in meaningful alliances with other congregations, whereby either new mission
opportunities can be explored and developed or the combining of
resources enables a way in which essential ministries may continue
in a more efficient fashion.
The 2015 district convention continued its support (by resolution) of church planting, the SELVD outreach in Tanzania, the
revised licensed lay deacon program, and Trinity Hope, Haiti. In
addition, the Mid-South District has participated in mission projects in Peru, Kenya, and Cambodia, as well as a special project for
the Lutheran Church in Madagascar. There, the Mid-South District
raised enough funds to purchase computers and Internet connections
for the Lutheran Institute headed by Pastor Joseph Randrianasolo.
The district renewed its fostering and support of its church
planting, including new church plants in Tennessee in Nashville,
Chattanooga, and Sharps Chapel; an Ethiopian immigrant mission with Faith Lutheran in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee; and a
Hispanic ministry in Springdale, Arkansas. Although a church-planting training site has been offered through the district, more emphasis
has been placed on training potential church planters for the MidSouth District with a greater possibility of calling these men to the
district.
There have been 18 congregations that have participated in the
district’s revitality project called COMPASS. In addition, the MidSouth District developed and received copyright on a congregational
assessment resource (C.A.R.) tool that measures more than 100 vital
2016 Convention Workbook

pieces of data for a congregation and compares the data and ratios to
a total number of other congregations in the registry. Both of those
products have been presented to the Council of Presidents, LCMS
leadership, Concordia Plan Services, and LCEF.
The Mid-South District will provide the leadership, resources,
and encouragement for congregations and schools to develop an outward-focused vision for mission and ministry. Several initiatives have
been prayerfully introduced, considered, or implemented for this next
triennium:
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Reestablish a Small and Rural Congregation Council
Annual Town Hall meetings to ascertain the needs and resource potentials of each congregation
Consolidate the offices of education and mission executive
Expand a district mission board with broad-spectrum representation,
including membership in US Center for Mission with Dr. Peter Meier
Conduct congregational surveys for demand of district’s “Essential
Services Resource”
Develop cooperative use of congregational and circuit-wide resources
for mission and ministry
Develop a tool for congregations to evaluate their schools and early
childhood centers (C.A.R.)
Develop efficiency and accountability in the church-planting program
to maximize use of limited and valuable resources
Provide significant funding for lay deacons to enter SMP programs
Establish a district-wide stewardship council to assist congregations,
schools, and auxiliaries with stewardship training
Establish “Funding the Ministry” project to assist congregations and
schools with stronger financial foundation
Assist congregations in our four-state make-up through a special ad
hoc committee to advise on policies in response to same-sex marriage
rulings
Convert board of director and auxiliary organizations of the district to
“paperless” documents using BoardEffect
Expand treasurers’ workshops and training on QuickBooks Accounting
Continue and expand fund-raising efforts to support the essential services of the district to its membership
Expand the Encourager for general use by all members of the congregation and provide “Mid-South Minute” as a communication tool for
church workers
Formalize support and training for pastors’ wives retreats
Celebrate the district’s 50th anniversary

The Mid-South District continues its focus on the mission and
ministry entrusted to us under the privilege and stewardship of workers for the kingdom of God and to His glory. To that end, the district
conducted an extensive evaluation of its viability, as directed by the
2013 LCMS convention Res. 7-04A. The evaluation discovered significant support in resources of personnel and systems. We further
recognize a declining trend in congregational membership, and, as a
result of national economics, a declining commitment support on the
part of member congregations. Another factor impacting our vision
of the future is the wide geographic and demographic nature of our
district. The geographic size and the relatively small number of congregations in the over 500,000 square miles we cover make logistical
coverage somewhat more difficult than other geographic districts.
The “high-water marks” for the district for number of congregations,
membership, and financial commitments occurred more than a decade
past. Our plan with “Each One—Reach One” is to bring a significant
upturn of our ability and privilege to serve our member congregations
and the kingdom of God.
Roger Paavola, President