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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 352

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

352

IX. 2016 RESOLUTION 13-01A TASK FORCE REPORT

The task force wishes to emphasize that the preceding examples are not representative of the great majority of LCMS congregations and laity. They are not. In general, the laity and congregations
of Synod hold their pastors and other called workers in high esteem,
affirm the authority of the Word, and sacrifice to support those they
call. The examples given simply illustrate some of the forms sin has
sometimes taken in a fallen world.
2.

Areas of Concern: Challenges to the Pastor-Priesthood Relationship
It is a truism to say that we live in a period of rapid change. We
face change in every area of life: in marriage, family, education, demographics, technology, values, culture, and on and on. The church
is not exempt. We will identify some areas of concern that affect
the relationship of the royal priesthood and the Office of Public
Ministry, but our listing is by no means exhaustive.
One source of challenges is current American culture and values. This is the subject of whole books. In this context, however,
we will briefly examine only changing understandings of the institutions of marriage and the family and religious participation patterns.
With regard to marriage and family, many recent changes
are obvious, but underlying them is a perspective that developed
slowly over several centuries, namely, that marriage is viewed primarily as a romantic bond between two individuals. That contrasts
with the biblical concept of marriage and family with its foundation in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and
his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one
flesh.” This view sees marriage as a permanent bond of loving and
sacrificial companionship (Eph. 5) that assumes, normally, the birth
of children and creation of a new family, and is supplemented, after
the Fall, with a realistic appreciation that marriage is a means of
restraining sin (1 Cor. 7).25
Where intimacy or romantic love becomes the central purpose
for marriage, rather than the creation of a new family unit,26 marriage itself is fatally wounded. For example, intimacy doesn’t need
marriage. Child-bearing doesn’t need marriage. Soon, marriage is a
mere option. Thus, a same-sex couple is as worthy of the option to
marry as an opposite sex one, an increasing percentage of adults are
unmarried,27 many think that marriage is obsolete (39 percent),28
and increasing percentages of children are born to unmarried mothers (40 percent).29
Christian churches have stood in opposition to today’s perspectives in various degrees. Many church members are grateful for
this steadfast resistance. Yet, as opinions have shifted, churches like
the LCMS are increasingly viewed negatively for that resistance.
This make the evangelism of the unchurched more challenging.
Moreover, increasing numbers of church members disagree with
biblical views on moral questions articulated by faithful pastors.30
This creates a climate for potential conflict and alienation between
pastors and the people they serve—or seek to serve.
Patterns of religious participation in North America are also
changing significantly. The Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study states: “The Christian share of the U.S. population is
declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify
with any organized religion is growing … .”31 The decline is most
pronounced among those adults who are 18–35 years of age. This
overall decline in Christian affiliation is mirrored in the LCMS. The
Synod’s baptized membership has declined about 25 percent since
1970 (from 2.8M to less than 2.1M).32 Moreover, like the rest of
the U.S., the overall LCMS membership makeup (its population)
2019 Convention Workbook

is aging. Our aging is more dramatic, however. In comparison to
the rest of the U.S. population, a greater percentage of our adult
membership is in older age groupings.33
Connected to the aging of the LCMS is the fact that a large
percentage of LCMS churches are declining in membership. As a
congregation’s members age, fewer are of child-bearing age. The
congregation experiences a consequent decline in infant Baptisms
and youth confirmations. And, where young families continue in
the church, priorities are changing. Declining participation in worship attendance, Sunday School, Christian education, and unwillingness to volunteer to support and enhance the church—all these
indicators suggest that many parents give less priority to catechesis
and the spiritual nurture of their children.34
Another significant societal change is in the demographic
makeup of North America. According to U.S. Census projections
(based on 2017 data), the U.S. population overall is aging, but the
group aging most rapidly is non-Hispanic whites, and by 2030
those over the age of 65 will outnumber children in the United
States. Additionally, the non-Hispanic white population will no
longer be a majority of the population by the year 2045.35 At the
present time the U.S. population is about 61 percent non-Hispanic
white, while 39 percent of the population is made up of various
minority groups including Hispanics, African Americans, Asians,
and others.36 This directly affects the LCMS because our church
body, together with all other Lutherans in North America, is about
95 percent non-Hispanic white.37
Thus, an increasing number of LCMS churches are experiencing decline. We give thanks that—by the power of the Holy
Spirit—some congregations are growing numerically. But most are
not growing and none of our 35 districts has grown in the past ten
years.38
Many of the congregations in numerical decline are also
struggling financially. As a result, an increasing number of LCMS
churches are unable to provide for a full-time pastor. In some cases,
pastors are serving churches that are compelled to reduce salaries
and benefits for housing and insurance. Other congregations are vacant but cannot call a pastor because of limited financial resources.
Increasing numbers of congregations which had their own pastor in
the past are now able to secure pastoral care only part-time, either
by participating in a dual-point (or multi-point) parish, by arranging for a long-term vacancy pastor, or by utilizing a district-trained
deacon or a layman to lead many or most services.
Compounding such concerns, the LCMS is also facing a growing shortage of well-prepared pastors. Aging is affecting not only
the congregations of the Synod, but also its pool of pastors. Many
rostered pastors are now retired or nearing retirement age: one-third
of all LCMS pastors are retired; 17 percent of active pastors are 65
or older; 34 percent of all active pastors are 10 years or less away
from retirement age. Other rostered pastors are either ineligible for
calls for a variety of reasons or have circumstances in their lives
or past service that make it unlikely that they will receive a call in
the future.39 Certain geographical areas of the Synod have few if
any pastors available or willing to serve. The Synod also faces a
shortage of pastors who are able to meet the challenge of specialized calls, such as calls to urban settings, to serve ethnic and racial
minorities or to serve non-English speaking congregations and mission starts.
The Synod is seeking, through various means, to provide pastors. In addition to its traditional residential seminary training, the
Synod also has programs for distance learning such as the Center