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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 155

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
A bold initiative of former District President Dan Gilbert
was “New Starts…New Believers.” The goal was that congregations would start one new way of reaching out with the love
and forgiveness of Jesus to the community. The staff has provided consulting assistance, and congregations and individuals, through the NID, have provided Partnership Grants. These
grants have reached congregations in all demographics of the
NID.
Urban Ministry remains important, especially with the
struggles of many of our congregations and schools. The NID
is grateful for several initiatives which assist urban ministry including Lutheran schools. We also recognize our diversity, and
in that the challenges facing our rural congregations. In fact, all
our congregations are facing the challenges and opposition of
the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. Christ stands with us
and for us! As it has been said, “We don’t fight for victory, we
fight from victory.”
In March 2018, the 59th Convention of the LCMS Northern Illinois District was held at Concordia University Chicago.
The theme was “Chosen, Appointed, Sent” based on John
15:16. President Dan Gilbert completed his four terms of office and was granted the title, President Emeritus. Pastor Allan
Buss, Senior Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, was elected 14th president of the NID. He and the newly
elected officers were installed on June 3, 2018. A key resolution
adopted was Res. 2-07 “To Establish a Task Force on Stewardship District Resources.” A committee appointed by the board
of directors will present a report at least one year before the
2021 convention. Some of the questions to be studied include
but are not limited to: 1) The need for a full time or part time
District President 2) Ways in which volunteers and circuit visitors may be utilized to carry out the functions done by District
Staff. 3) The stewardship of maintaining the current District Office Building. 4) The potential partnership in sharing resources
with neighboring districts. The convention also reduced the
terms of district president from four to three.
Since taking office, the current president has focused on
visitation to congregations, ministries, schools, workers, and
laity of the NID. In his first few months, he visited most of
our urban Chicago congregations. He has also visited some of
our most rural congregations. Yes, he has also visited suburban
and small town congregations as well. A theme has emerged,
“We are in this together.” Our togetherness comes from Christ
and His reconciling work, our unity in the Body of Christ, and
our strong Lutheran Confession of the Gospel. The Mission of
Christ among us is stronger when we are working together and
our confession is clearer.
Our prayer and vision is that we “Flourish Together” in
three areas: Word, Wellness, and Witness. Empowered by the
Holy Spirit, we can be more deeply engaged with the Word of
God in all areas of our life together. The physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual wellness of our called workers,
congregations, schools, and ministries are of vital importance.
There is much struggle in this area in the NID and beyond. We
can be proactive rather than reactive. Witness, yes, vigorous witness, is our Lord’s will! We bear witness to Christ and His saving
gifts for us, people in our communities, and the world. It’s still
all about Jesus!
This spring (2019), the NID is engaging with Lutheran
Church Extension Fund Ministry Support as we go through a

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Vision Clarity process. Six regional gatherings will be held to
gain Spirit-led input for consideration of our life together in the
Northern Illinois District as we look forward—together. May
the good and gracious will of God be done among us! Yes, in
Jesus Christ, we are and remain, “Joy:fully Lutheran”!
Allan R. Buss, President

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Northwest District
The Northwest District is comprised of the 265 congregations, 86 preschools, 30 elementary schools, 4 high schools, and
one university in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and
Alaska with one congregation in Hong Kong (Church of All
Nations).
Our district continues to operate on the principle that the
role of the Synod and district is advisory to the congregations,
and that congregations have the freedom and the responsibility to discern and carry out their ministry to the community in
which they are located. We are committed to encouraging the
movement of the Gospel in a region of the country that is disconnected from the institutional church and needs to encounter
the love of God in Jesus Christ. The theme for the 2018 Northwest District convention was “Being a Blessing to a Changing
Culture.” This theme was chosen to acknowledge God’s call
to bring the Gospel to this increasingly unchurched culture
through the opportunities of service He provides to us in being
a blessing to them. The NOW District staff continues to invest
itself in strengthening local ministry leaders through coaching,
providing resources, connecting them with one another, and offering opportunities for continuing education.
A significant effort is our collaboration with the CaliforniaNevada-Hawaii and Pacific Southwest Districts in helping new
first-call pastors make the transition from being students to being practitioners with the Ministry Applied Practice (MAP)—
West Coast program. From there, pastors have the opportunity
to continue their professional development through a coaching/
collaborative process called GPS-Northwest (Grow, Practice,
Sent to Serve).
Resources include the Gospel DNA toolkit (based on
Texas District President Mike Newman’s presentation to the
2018 district convention), the Legacy toolkit, the Essential Participants toolkit (helping congregations build bridges into their
communities), the NOW Leading podcast, the NOW Start Network (helping congregations envision when and how they can
plant mission starts), and annual reports related to our activities
and finances. These resources are all available on the Northwest
District website—nowlcms.org. An important ministry for the
district is the Catalyst Grant effort which seeks to reinvest mission dollars in new ministry ventures across the district by applying a focused set of guidelines developed and administered
by the district executive staff. Congregations and workers continue to be supported personally and professionally through our
Consultation to Clergy effort. The President’s Office has a close
relationship with Concordia University Portland’s Center for
Applied Lutheran Leadership (C.A.L.L.) and Mission Training
Center (MTC). MTC provides online leadership training for Licensed Lay Deacons in our district and throughout the Synod.
2019 Convention Workbook