LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 17

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

17

2020, just as the pandemic began. It must be remembered how
greatly corporate worship and the Church’s boldness were hindered
in that year, as much by human mitigation attempts as by disease. In
hindsight, the director would have given more voice simply to this:
Do not neglect to meet together (see Heb. 10:25). Lord, have mercy
on us! Now, God be praised, our songs are again being heard.

model and support faithful Lutheran theological education and the
church’s ecclesiastical offices in such endeavors.

The LCMS continues to call the director to serve also as chaplain for its International Center employees under the Office of the
President, indicating the resolve that faith in Christ should enliven
the work of corporate Synod. Chapel is now broadcast daily online
and through KFUO, allowing the Synod to see if and how her servants pray for her and live also from the same Word of God. This
capacity also serves our missionaries, especially as they prepare for
deployment.

OIM ensures that this work can continue around the world in a
manner that is consistent with the Word of God and the Lutheran
Confessions. Since the 2019 LCMS convention, the population
of missionaries has remained stable, and currently there are 105
U.S. missionaries serving in 28 countries around the world. Half of
these are pastors, and the other half are teachers, deaconesses, and
layworkers. In addition to these, there are 20 alliance missionaries
(rostered church workers called and sent from other international
church body partners) serving in 15 different countries alongside
LCMS-rostered OIM missionaries.

LCMS Worship produces a regular salvo of consistent guiding
resources, including the calendar and hymn suggestions for both
lectionaries; seasonal midweek services with sermon helps; and the
“LetUsPray” series (by subscription and at lcms.org), highlighting prayers for home discipleship (2019 Res. 12–07B). Efforts of
lasting, repeatable value are prioritized over projects of single or
time-sensitive use. In 2022, we also saw publication of the longawaited LSB: Companion to the Services, begun under the former
Commission on Worship. Celebrations were facilitated for LCMS’s
175th anniversary. Production of Thy Strong Word was returned to
KFUO, freeing the director for other service, including radio and
podcast appearances, visibility at church music conferences both
prominent and emerging, and accessibility to the workers of the
Synod. Rev. Daenzer also served as director of the worship team
for the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering.
LCMS Worship will continue to make and gather faithful resources for pastors, musicians, and congregations, with an eye toward making them more easily accessible. A children’s coloring
guide to the Easter Vigil and a new podcast serving church musicians are planned for release in spring 2023.
The shift from a continuing commission to a director also signals the Synod’s desire for greater collaboration. It is the ongoing
goal of LCMS Worship to bring together the many interested entities and people, especially the network of LCMS church musicians,
for the good of the Church. Finally, we wish to invite pastors, musicians, and the whole Church to join us at Concordia University, Nebraska, in July 2024 for the return of the LCMS Institute on Liturgy,
Preaching, and Church Music.
Tiffany M. Manor, Michael W. Meyer, and Mark A. Wood
Managing Directors
R1.2.2

Office of International Mission
The Office of International Mission (OIM)—in faithfulness
to the triennial mission and ministry emphasis and mission priorities of the LCMS—aims to Spread the Gospel, Plant Lutheran
Churches, and Show Mercy to the ends of the earth. OIM exists to
recruit, fully support, and care for LCMS missionaries and, under
the Office of the President of the LCMS, to serve as the Synod’s
primary collaborative working interface in all international mission endeavors and to be the primary mission interface with partner and emerging-partner church bodies worldwide in accordance
with Bylaw 3.8.3. OIM further exists to prepare pastors and other
church workers in international settings wherever possible, and to

Mission statement: The Office of International Mission plans,
coordinates, and executes LCMS international mission and mercy
work in order to expand and sustain the global confessional Lutheran community.

God has richly blessed the work of OIM with abundant gifts.
The gifts of laborers for the harvest cannot be overemphasized. As
the missionary population continues to grow, it also continues to
mature. More than 60 percent of missionaries have accumulated
more than five years of experience in the field. The blessing of this
maturity is the wisdom and understanding that is passed to new
missionaries on the field as they are mentored for the work to which
they have been called. The gifts of financial support for the mission
have supported faithful servants to Spread the Gospel, Plant Lutheran Churches, and Show Mercy. In fact, the gifts have not only
supported the work but have also laid a foundation to ensure its
continuation well into the future. As the of the prior convention, the
OIM had enough cash on hand for five to six months of missionary
expenses. Not only has God provided for the continued work since
then but this balance has also grown to 12 months of cash on hand.
Thanks be to God for his provision through his faithful servants in
the church.

A. Overview
The mission of the church is a multi-generational effort and
will not end until the Last Day. The church sees the fruit borne of
the efforts of missionaries, past and present. One of these fruits
is the alliance missionary project highlighted in the relationship
with Igreja Evangélica Luterana do Brasil (Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Brazil). The alliance missionary project has as its goal to
send pastors from partner churches to work alongside U.S. missionaries to Spread the Gospel, Plant Lutheran Churches, and Show
Mercy. This project has been a partnership in bringing benefit to
all involved.
The mission of the church is not without challenges. Over the
last decade, and in particular over the last few years as a result of the
global pandemic, it has been increasingly difficult to move people
and funding across borders. This impacts the ability of the OIM to
achieve its strategic goals and to support the needs of our partners
globally. This has been addressed with the addition of a Manager
for Global Safety and Security and a relationship with International
SOS, one of the premier entities in the world for providing proactive and reactive support for expats living abroad. Looking ahead,
we see that there are likely to be many geopolitical changes and
challenges that impact OIM’s strategic work. With these tools in
place, the OIM is already preparing for the challenges that can be
anticipated—and even those that can’t.
While God has richly blessed the mission of the church with
workers for the harvest, the need for more workers remains. Over
2023 Convention Workbook