LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 100

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100

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

survey indicated that nearly 80 percent of congregations responding to the survey reported that less than half of those who regularly participated in worship also participated in shared Bible study
opportunities. Many leaders reported that participation in regular
Bible study was less than 20 percent of regular worshipers.
Responding to these opportunities, the district launched it’s In
The Word initiative, which challenged all congregations to develop
and enhance both Sunday and midweek Bible study offerings and
to find new ways to ensure that congregational and school leadership were attending one of these Bible studies. The district partnered with Ambassadors of Reconciliation to host two events, one
in person and one online, led by Ted Kober, the author of Built on
the Rock: The Healthy Congregation. Participants explored how
they might become leaders in their congregation who champion
Bible study throughout the life of the congregation.

Networking and Collaboration in Mission
and Ministry
The district continues to experience decline in the number, size,
and financial resources of congregations. More important than
ever is the need to encourage networking and cooperation between
congregations and other local and national ministries to more effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The convention
adopted many resolutions encouraging such efforts, especially
with new immigrant and refugee outreach, planting new churches,
new outreach efforts in existing congregations, evangelistic activity through campus ministries, and support for Lutheran education
from early childhood through high school and beyond.

New Immigrant and Refugee Outreach
Since 2018, it is reported that southern Minnesota is growing by
roughly 43,000 new people each year, 82 percent of whom are new
immigrants. Currently, first- and second-generation immigrants
make up 30 percent of the metro corridor. Southern Minnesota is
home to the largest U.S. populations of Hmong, Oromo (Ethiopian), Liberian, Karen (Burmese), Anuak (Sudanese), and Somali
people. Recent studies tell us that 90 percent of these new residents
do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. In response, the district has been active in supporting 18 new pastors who are being
trained through the Synod’s EIIT, CMC, DELTO, and SMP training
programs. The district also supported the Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Ministry Summit, held in St. Paul in 2021, and has assisted
in the launch of two new second-generation ethnic ministry church
plants. The district also provides partial financial support to pastors
serving first- and second-generation Hmong, Sudanese, and other
ethnic ministries, and we pray that this is only the beginning of our
response to these opportunities in God’s harvest field.

New Church Starts and Restarts
New ministries development, whether new church plants or
new efforts within existing congregations, proved to be the most
effective means of reaching new people for Jesus. During this past
triennium, the district worked to identify and train three pastors
with a specific focus on new church planting and was blessed to
participate in efforts to plant five new churches. In addition, five
congregations formed “two churches—one mission” partnerships
when small, struggling congregations each invited a sister congregation to provide coaching and other resources to strengthen and
guide their renewed mission and ministry efforts. In a similar effort, four congregations chose to merge with a sister congregation
to create single congregations with two or more physical locations
2023 Convention Workbook

for ministry, maintaining the physical presence in the community
for Word-and-Sacrament ministry while providing an invigorated
approach to community connection.

Collaboration and Lutheran Education Development
The district’s To All Generations (TAG) education-ministry focused fund appeal was celebrated at the 2018 district convention
and, although the intentional public campaign seeking donors ended
with that celebration, TAG continue to leave a lasting legacy in the
district throughout the past triennium. New donors have come forward to join those who pledged funds during the initial campaign.
These dedicated funds provide seed money for new education initiatives in the district, which include marketing Lutheran schools,
expanding preschools, launching after-school care programs, and
advocating for greater parental choice in education. During the COVID-19 shutdown, district staff worked closely with their Schools
and Commissioned Ministers Committee to coordinate virtual conferencing and email serve groups, provide communication of the
ever-changing state COVID-19 regulations and federal mandates,
administer a Synod grant of $2,000 for restorative wellness webinars for commissioned ministers, and sponsor a Concordia Plans
Wellness Workshop led by Darrell Zimmer.
Here are three significant statistical shifts taking place in Lutheran education that are expected to have lasting impact in the
district:
1. The changing nature of our education workforce. Only 38
percent of the teachers in MNS district schools are Synod
rostered. Teacher shortage is an ongoing reality that has
caused more than one early childhood center or preschool to
close its doors in the last year.
2. COVID-19 brought growing enrollment in most of our
schools. Many schools in the district reported that they had
turned away students due to full classrooms, lack of physical space to expand, or a lack of teachers or other staff.
Many of the district’s early childhood programs are experiencing staffing issues that prevent growth.
3. The impact of a changing demographic of students coming
into our Lutheran schools. Nearly one third of the students
in early childhood education programs of the district claim
no church connection. This is a growing challenge to school
teachers and leaders and a growing opportunity for outreach
for our churches and school. In the past triennium, district
schools reported 246 school-aged students were baptized
and 153 families joined district congregations as a direct
result of their affiliation with a partner school. Praise God.

Development of Congregation Partnerships
All through this past triennium, developing partnerships has
been critical for a growing number of congregations. Even in the
midst of physical distancing, Missional Learning Communities
continued to meet online. These small groups and their volunteer
leaders shared mission insights and provided some much-needed
support, encouragement, and mutual accountability to mission efforts in their congregations.
The district also partnered with 18 congregations to send teams
of pastors and lay leaders to either the Best Practices for Ministry
or the Rural and Small-Town Ministry conferences. These teams
joined hundreds of others from the district as they explored opportunities and developed plans for new ministry efforts to reach
into their local community. These shared learning experiences were
multiplied when other congregational leaders in the district heard