Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 151
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 151

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
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an evangelistic ministry as His people seek to evangelize large numbers of people through their life of
witness and Gospel proclamation and bring them, by
God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s working, to faith in
Jesus Christ.

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a maturational ministry as His people grow up into
Christ in every way and become mature disciples of
Jesus, who are also His stewards, servants, priests,
witnesses, salt, light, living letters, etc.

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an organic ministry as His people are connected
to one another in relationships that live out the
“one another admonitions” of Scripture, with each
believer using his or her gifts, talents, and abilities
for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the
common good.

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an incarnational ministry as His people, wherever
they go and with whomever they come into contact,
are able to be His ambassadors and living letters,
mediating His mind and word and demonstrating His
love, concern, and compassion for others.

In order to equip His people for these essential ministry
endeavors, the …
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first major ministry focus will be to increase the biblical literacy of His people through the teaching ministry of the district’s Leaders and Learners program
and the leadership of the Congregational Services
Council, beginning with these core training events:
Divine Drama: The Biblical Narrative; Fifty Stories
that Every Christian Should Know; The Parables of
Jesus; and offering an annual pilgrimage to Israel.
second major ministry focus will be to equip His
people in how to share His story of salvation in Jesus
Christ with others through the teaching ministry of
the district’s Leaders and Learners program and the
leadership of the Outreach Council, beginning with
these core training events: Every One His Witness
(Rev. Mark Woods); How Did Jesus Do Evangelism;
and Life Is All about Stories: Helping People Make
Sense of Their Story in Light of His Story.
third major ministry focus will be to equip His people
to be missionaries in their daily lives and vocations
through a missionary formation process that has
content and training in these core subject areas: (1)
foundational: the mission of God; who I am in Christ
(identity) and why am I here (purpose); who we are in
Christ (identity) and why are we here (purpose); (2)
contextual: worldview; culture learning; (3) contextualization: the core narratives and ministry practices
of an apostolic church; and through the missionary
training ministry of Rev. Greg Finke: joining Jesus on
His mission.
fourth major ministry focus will be the establishment
of The Kairos Network (Rev. Matt Peeples, Director) and its ministry of forming mission leaders and
extending His kingdom through church planting
endeavors.

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fifth major ministry focus will be the development
of specialty workshop presentations based upon
these resources and ministry areas: worldview; celtic
evangelism; how to reach secular people; ALOA: Adult
Lutherans Organized for Action; Trinitarian apologetics; and adaptive leadership.

Special Report Items Asked for by the 2016
Synod Convention
The communion practice of the majority of New Jersey
District congregations is the biblical and evangelical ministry
practice of close communion; there are a few congregations,
however, that practice closed communion.
Informal conversations have been encouraged at the pastors’ conferences that have explored and discussed these issues
connected with the Koinonia Project: admission to communion;
pastoral authority; the mission of God; preaching; church and
ministry.
Consistent effort has been made to include, on call lists, the
names of pastors who have candidate status so that they might
have the opportunity to serve an LCMS congregation.
Commissioned minister Caren Vogt has been active in regularly visiting Lutheran preschools in the district so that they
may be strengthened in their Lutheran identity and Lutheran
ethos.
In mid-February 2019, two licensed lay deacons successfully passed their colloquy interview and will be installed at these
New Jersey District congregations: Rev. Tim Casaday serving
Immanuel, East Rutherford; and Rev. William Schmidt serving
Zion, Westwood.

Overtures Submitted by the District to the 2019
Synod Convention
As part of its convention business, the New Jersey District
approved and respectfully submits these overtures to the 2019
Synod Convention for its review and convention action:
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to overrule CCM Opinion 14-2724 … it is the contention of this overture that CCM Opinion 14-2724
incorrectly restricts the mission outreach ministry
of LCMS congregations in their efforts to give bold
witness by word and deed to the love and work of
the triune God. The primary resolve of this overture
is that LCMS congregations, auxiliaries, RSOs, and
districts be authorized and empowered to send missionaries and provide funding to those ministries, and
that CCM Opinion 14-2724 be overruled so that it is
declared null and void and of no effect.

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to engage in ministry to transgendered persons …
that the Synod in Convention request CTCR to study
this issue in more depth and provide Gospel-centered
resources on how to engage in ministry to transgendered persons.

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to adopt data privacy best practices … that the Synod
establish data privacy best practices, including the
protection of identity and contact information for its
synod convention delegates, and that the use or distribution of that information be only for official business and with the consent of the persons involved.
That is, that Synod adopt best practices that stop the
2019 Convention Workbook