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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 21

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
of OIM to achieve clarity and unity in priorities and operations,
all aimed at telling the world about Jesus.
Overseeing these transitions is our new associate executive
director of St. Louis Operations, Mr. Christian Boehlke, along
with the rest of our OIM executive staff: Rev. Jim Krikava (also
Eurasia Director) and Dr. Arthur Just (also CTSFW Professor of Exegetical Studies). Jim has lived and served in central
Europe for approximately 20 years. Arthur has lived in Latin
America and Spain since his youth, and traveled extensively in
partnership with OIM and as a renowned author and professor of Exegetical Theology of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Jim, while serving as director for the Eurasia
Region, also serves as associate executive director of Regional
Operations for both Eurasia and Asia. Art serves as associate
executive director of Regional Operations for Latin America
and the Caribbean.

The Challenge of Walking Together
OIM is keenly aware that much happens internationally
outside of our purview. We recognize that work done by individuals outside the OIM can bring great fruit. Sometimes we are
aware of the activity, at other times, we are not. I am reminded
of a pastor who proudly wrote one of our global directors that
he was going to begin work in a particular country through his
own efforts from his congregation in the northwest of the United States. The LCMS had not called him, nor had he inquired
of anyone regarding work in that country. Hence, he did not
know that we had a partner church body with about 30 congregations, mercy ministries, and schools already established, all
of which are the fruit of LCMS called missionaries who began
work there 70 years earlier. There are cases of seminaries being
built without our knowledge by well-intentioned supporters, in
countries where the LCMS and partner churches had a history
of presence and collaboration. Emerging church bodies will not
turn down generous offers from individual congregations, pastors, independent mission societies, etc. However, when such
work occurs without communication with our missionaries,
such surprises can negatively impact or undermine the LCMS
called workers’ strategy that might have been in progress for
years, not only with that particular church, but partners in the
area or region. Communication and collaboration can help us
avoid duplication of efforts, confusion among our partners, and
even expenditures that are simply not good stewardship of the
Lord’s gifts. Though LCMS activity is never without error, we
seek to avoid dependencies, entitlements, and even corruption.
In some of the worse cases, the multiple sources of U.S. “Lutheran” dollars, result in church bodies fighting over access to
the many different wellsprings freely offered and temptations
that divide the church and undermine the Gospel. Finally, unnecessary funding can also be detrimental to the development,
blessings, and joy of local firstfruits giving.
We rejoice in the support God provides through the wonderful members of the LCMS. Thanks to the generous outpouring of contributions from Synod donors within the Network
Supported Missionary model, we have a relatively large number
of missionaries (approximately 130 households) and dozens of
short-term missionaries and teams (over 250 individuals last
year), all working together within the OIM family. The decrease
in non-designated support leaves us administratively a little
thin, yet we are very grateful for those who strive to support

the efforts of LCMS called and sent missionaries and staff. In
thankfulness and in joy for all that has been commended to us,
we appeal to all to work with our church leaders in the LCMS to
align efforts in a godly way, and thereby strive to set an example
to other churches and young missions of what walking together
as a church body should embody.
Please also be assured that the OIM rejoices in the many
RSOs and efforts of our Synod’s agencies and auxiliaries.
We have wonderful support from Lutheran Hour Ministries,
LWML, our universities, seminaries etc. We recognize our own
shortcomings. We acknowledge that much good has occurred
globally outside our purview. We confess our inability to be sufficiently proactive in addressing our own need for enhanced collaboration. We can only promise to you our resolve to be faithful to our calling, strive toward improved communication, and
in turn ask you to support us in that to which you have called us
through the LCMS.
We encourage all to measure independent international
endeavors over the same criteria used in reaching the lost in
your own backyard. The world has come to your doorstep. Opportunities for outreach to the de-churched, youth of our nation, abandoned U.S. cities, universities, immigrant, and newlanguage groups abound. Weigh your engagement globally over
against the needs to tell others about Jesus and serve with mercy
in your own community, often for these same people groups and
more. Weigh your ability to sustain an autonomous overseas
ministry, via your own costly short-term travels, over against a
ministry in your own community, where you have expertise and
close proximity to resources, and where lifelong relationships
can be established by the Gospel.
As we discuss the challenge of improved working together,
we pledge to you that all our LCMS missionaries and administrative staff welcome partnerships. The nature of how those
partnerships are to be realized is not easy. Our staff is limited,
and we might not be able to do what you want and when you
want it. This we lament. Some aspects of these partnerships
the church must determine for us, and not OIM for the church.
Meanwhile, pray for your church and your congregation’s engagement. Pray for your district and national church leadership.
Pray that the Lord bless all those whom He has called for missionary service, that they might remain faithful to that which we
have accorded to them through our joint action as the LCMS,
and that He also keep them safe in their homes far away for
many years to come.

Latin America and the Caribbean Region—Rev.
Ted Krey, Regional Director
Celebrating 125 years of spreading the Gospel, planting
Lutheran churches, and showing mercy in Latin America Caribbean! At the time of this report, the Latin America Caribbean
(LAC) region of the OIM has 45 missionaries supporting 40
church plants in 10 countries. Thirteen are alliance missionary
pastors called by partner Lutheran churches working alongside
LCMS church-planting teams. The rest are LCMS missionaries,
both clergy and laity alike. In 2010, there were 5 LCMS missionaries serving in LAC.
All 10 LCMS church-planting countries have foros, partnership circles that come together in the spring and the fall
around the strategic plan of the church, which is ordering the
human and financial resources around church planting. Mission
2019 Convention Workbook