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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 552

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

552

RETENTION: SCHOOLS, FAMILY, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

Ov. 12-04

To Encourage Congregations to Help Parents in
their Duty to Pass on the Faith
WHEREAS, It is the duty of parents to pass on the faith to their
children, even as Paul says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children
to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the
Lord” (Eph. 6:4); and
WHEREAS, Moses writes in Deut. 6:6–7, “And these words that I
command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down,
and when you rise”; and
WHEREAS, The Large Catechism comments on the promise God
makes for those who keep this commandment in reference to Ex.
20:12 and Eph. 6:3 saying, “From this you can see for yourself how
serious God is about this commandment. He not only declares that
it is well pleasing to Him and that He has joy and delight in it, but
He also declares that it shall prosper us and promote our highest
good, so that we may have a pleasant and agreeable life, furnished
with every good thing” (LC I 131–2); and
WHEREAS, It is clear this command was not meant to be just for
the next generation but for succeeding generations as Moses says,
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules— that
the LORD your God commanded me to teach you...that you may
fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son”
(Deut. 6:1–2); and
WHEREAS, Our congregations have given the impression to
parents that they have met their parental duty simply by bringing
their children to church for instruction and catechesis; and
WHEREAS, Outward influences on children can’t be countered by
simply an hour to two hours of instruction a week; and
WHEREAS, To truly be able to pass on the faith, parents will need
to adopt the principles Moses had recommended; and
WHEREAS, In order to have the faith passed on to succeeding
generations, the parents must be concerned not only about their
children’s understanding of the faith but also their children’s future
spouse, not simply so the child will stay Lutheran, but even more
that they may continue to enjoy the blessings that come from being
in the Lutheran faith and see it passed to the next generation; and
WHEREAS, The beginning of this principle starts in the weekend
Divine Service, where the Lord comes to His people giving them
gifts of life and forgiveness, thereby allowing the parents
opportunity to speak about this with their children, reflecting on
what was said and anticipating what will be said in the next week;
and
WHEREAS, As a church, in general, we of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod have not considered the parents to be the
teachers of their children’s faith and therefore haven’t prepared
them very well for that task; and
WHEREAS, The system of “Home-Centered, Church-Supported
Christian Education,” as suggested by Dr. Ben Freudenburg and
also promoted by Dr. Peter Bender through his work with the
Concordia Catechetical Academy, captures the Mosaic principle of
parents being the teachers and churches helping them in that task;
and
WHEREAS, It may seem nearly impossible to follow these Mosaic
principles based on the schedules of today’s families and children
2019 Convention Workbook

and is likely to cause feelings of insufficiency and guilt for some
parents; therefore be it
Resolved, That pastors be ready to support these parents with a
pastoral word of forgiveness; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage our congregations of the
Minnesota South District, using current congregational programs
and developing new ones with the help of the district, to help parents
embrace this role of passing on the faith, being careful to point out
that the congregation only supplements the parents’ role, not
supplants it; or, to put another way, the Church supports the parents
as they work to form their children’s faith at home; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage pastors and/or other members of
congregational staff to increase visitation of young families, use
bulletins to suggest readings and topics for family devotions, and
introduce experienced families to help mentor young families in
areas of home catechesis; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage congregations to integrate into
their youth ministry, whatever forms they take including and
especially within the family, the critical matter that they one day
seek to find a spouse that will share in the same blessings of the
Lutheran faith; and be it finally
Resolved, That we memorialize the Synod as it gathers in
convention in 2019 to do similarly.
Minnesota South District
Ov. 12-05

To Support and Strengthen Marriage and Family
WHEREAS, The divine purposes for marriage are: 1) “for mutual
companionship, help, and support that each person ought to receive
from the other, both in prosperity and adversity”; 2) “that man and
woman may find delight in one another … (and) shall take a spouse
in holiness and purity, not in the passion of lust, for God has not
called us to impurity but in holiness”; and 3) “for the procreation of
children who are to be brought up in the fear and instruction of the
Lord so that they may offer Him their praise” (Lutheran Service
Book Agenda, p. 65 and Lutheran Service Book p. 275; see Gen.
2:23–24, Matt. 19:4–6); and
WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that marriage between one man
with one woman in life-long fidelity to each other is the very image
and representation of the Gospel; that is, of Christ’s eternal fidelity
and love for His bride, the Church (Eph. 5:22–33; Rev. 19:1–9); and
WHEREAS, The decline of marriage and the family in the Western
hemisphere, in general, and the United States, in particular, is
evidenced in the increased number of broken homes, divorce,
single-parent families, delayed marriage, high unwed birth rates, an
overall low birth rate in society, redefinitions of marriage and
family, the increased burden of society to care for abandoned
children via the foster care system, and the elderly abandoned in
nursing homes, etc.; and
WHEREAS, The decline of marriage and the family is adversely
affecting the health and vitality of the Christian church and local
congregations especially, as documented by The Journal of
Lutheran Mission, December 2016 Special Edition, p. 10, “The
connection between marriage, parenthood, and religiosity is well
established. This effect is particularly pronounced for men, who are
more likely to return to religion upon getting married or becoming
a father. … It is clear that early marriage, on average, tends to keep
young people involved in religion. On the other hand, cohabitation