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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 91

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
The board also appreciates and thanks God for the theological leadership provided by the President of Synod, the Rev.
Matthew Harrison. His enthusiasm for and commitment to our
Lutheran doctrine and practice helps keep us focused on who
we are and what must be the focus of everything we do as a
board—to “conserve and promote the unity of the true faith …
[and] to strengthen congregations and their members in giving
bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Constitution, Art. III).
The BNM lost no members during this past triennium, for
which we thank God. This provided the board with a wonderful sense of mutual trust and camaraderie which contributed to
open, forthright discussions and debates so critical to the work
of a well-functioning board. We thank God that He always provides the men and women necessary to carry out the mission
and ministry of His Church.
As we enter another triennium of service to the saints gathered around Word and Sacrament in the congregations of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the members of the Board
for National Mission pray that God may continue to use us to
encourage and enable the congregations of the LCMS through
their districts to remain “Joy:fully Lutheran” as together with
one voice and one heart, we “rejoice, pray, and give thanks” to
the God and Father of our crucified and risen Lord Jesus.
Steven C. Briel, Chair

Board for International Mission
The theme of “Joy:fully Lutheran: Rejoice, Pray, Give
Thanks” is wonderful. The members of the Board for International Mission (BIM) are committed church men and women
dedicated to our Lord, and they rejoice in Christ’s blood-bought
gift of redemption. They are people of prayer, and every meeting is a time of giving thanks and working to see that the Gospel is proclaimed around the world. Current members include
Kristine Bruss, John Edson, Magdiel Fajardo, Terence Lung,
Carl Rockrohr, Roberto Rojas Jr., David Stechholz, Robert Van
Gundy, Allan Voss, James Wolf, and Bernhard Seter.
The board was graced with other wonderful servants of
Christ. After the 2016 elections, Lois Peacock, Juan Gonzalez,
Jeff Shearier, Jerry Frese, and Butch Almstedt left the board,
and in the triennium we lost Sam Cosby as he accepted a call to
another district and John Temple, who retired. We also bid farewell to Rev. John Fale, who stepped down as executive director
of the Office of International Mission (OIM) to serve in other
capacities. We thank God for all of them and their faithfulness.

PRIORITIES, 2016–2019
The BIM is fully aware of the responsibilities that we carry
on behalf of the Church, and we believe in accountability and
an accounting of our stewardship. The BIM develops policies
that implement and maintain the seven mission priorities of the
LCMS:
1.

Plant, sustain, and revitalize Lutheran churches

Support and expand theological education

Perform human care in close proximity to Word and
Sacrament ministries

Collaborate with the Synod’s members and partners
to enhance mission effectiveness

Promote and nurture the spiritual, emotional, and
physical well-being of pastors and professional
church workers.

Enhance early childhood, elementary, and secondary
education, and youth ministry

Strengthen and support the Lutheran family in living
out God’s design

In addition to these priorities, the BIM, guided by its ends
policies, is also responsible for strong missional leadership,
training of missionaries, safeguarding the rights of partner
churches, ministry for civilians and their dependents overseas,
international human care, and relationships with colleges, universities, seminaries, military chaplaincy, and international
schools.
The board is guided, as well, by convention directives, notably the four resolutions on international witness from the 2016
convention. Those resolutions addressed the topics of thankfulness and support for missionaries, support for our international
schools, and a reaffirmation of the free exercise of religion for
our military chaplains.
The board addressed all of these items during the 2016–
2019 triennium. We’ve included highlights here and refer you to
the reports of the Chief Mission Officer and Executive Director
of OIM for additional details.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
In the practice of good stewardship of finances, the BIM
limits itself to three face-to-face two-day meetings per year. We
also hold occasional Zoom video or phone conference meetings,
even as we use other forms of electronic communication. This
means that our meetings are jam-packed and quite demanding of the attention and full participation of all members. The
board has been exemplary in its dedication and participation in
debates and discussions at all levels. With that in mind, following are a few outstanding observations that are brought to the
church’s attention.

Workers
We on the board wholeheartedly agree with Res. 2-01 and
give thanks at every meeting for our faithful missionaries.
Call process. We spend a great deal of time on our primary
task of calling missionaries and chaplains and seeing to it that
they are trained, protected, and supported through every phase
of their engagement, from the day they are recruited until the
time they return home from the field. The OIM is constantly
working to make sure that those who go into the world to proclaim Christ are nourished by the same saving Word and Sacraments that they wish to share with the world. The emotional
and spiritual life and physical safety of “their” people is a high
priority of the OIM and a constant concern for the BIM. This
triennium, there was a special emphasis in board discussions on
understanding the role of CMA (Corelli Meyer Assessment)
results in call recommendations, including attention to factors
2019 Convention Workbook