LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 116

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116

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

R50

South Wisconsin District
The Lutheran Church was born of a call to repentance and a call
to confession. Repentance takes us out of the center of our lives
and places our Lord Jesus there. In repentance, we turn to our Lord
Jesus for forgiveness, which He readily supplies. Forgiven, we see
our lives differently from when we are ruled by sin. With the Lord
Jesus at the center of our lives, we confess His holy name.
Generations before us made that good confession, passing the
faith on from generation to generation; from fathers and mothers
to their children, and then on to their grandchildren, and then to
us. It is our time to pass that faith and our confession to those who
follow us.
Building on that truth, the tagline of the South Wisconsin District (SWD) is “Confessing Christ for the Next Generation.” Beneath that slogan, we have four strategic targets:
1. This is our time to be distinctly Lutheran.
2. This is our time to plant new congregations and schools.
3. This is our time to honor our Christ-centered vocations.
4. This is our time to embrace our communities.
First, “This is our time to be distinctly Lutheran.” We are
Lutheran Christians as defined by our catechism and our Lutheran
Confessions and as displayed in our historic liturgy. We are unique
in our confession, unique in our worship, unique in our identity as
the people of God in this time. We are Lutheran Christians. We are
not neo-evangelicals, not Reformed or Baptist. Our confession is
clear, and we need not be ashamed of who we are.
Second, “This is our time to plant new congregations and
schools.” Currently, the SWD will have a new classical high school
starting the fall of 2023, added to our seven other high schools, one
of which is a special-needs high school. Not long ago, our SWD
board of directors approved “Lutheran Neighborhood Schools” for
the city of Milwaukee. The plan is to plant Lutheran elementary
schools of 50 students or less in congregations that have the facilities for such a school. Rob Lunak has accepted the Divine Call to
serve as the Lutheran Neighborhood Schools superintendent. The
first school is in the planning stages. The congregation that will
host this school recently baptized 10 children on one Sunday. Other
areas are exploring schools, including Holmen/Onalaska, Northern
Ozaukee County. Regarding new congregations, we have established a “top ten list” of prime locations for a church plant. One
such plant is well on its way, with over a hundred in Divine Service
each week. Two others are in the planning stages. One is a preaching station. One is preparing to charter. There will be more.
Third, “This is our time to honor our Christ-centered vocations.” We are fathers and mothers, grandchildren and grandparents. We are laborers and farmers. We are supervisors and employees. We are civilian and military. We are rich and we are poor. We
are various colors and races. Regardless of our station in life, we are
the people of our God in this world. Peter defines what that means
for us: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once
you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the
passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your
2023 Convention Workbook

conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak
against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify
God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9–12).
Fourth, “This is our time to embrace our communities.”
South Wisconsin is historically German. Our oldest congregations
trace their ancestry back to Pomerania. Some came to America to
escape the Prussian Union. Others came because they had served in
the Prussian Army and were wearied by the fighting. However, in
recent times, the face of the SWD has changed. Our fastest-growing population is Latino. We have several congregations that work
exclusively with those of Hispanic descent, and even an elementary school with some 200 students. We also have extensive Gospel
witness among the African American community and among the
new immigrants from Africa such as Nigerians, French Congolese,
Ethiopians, and others.
John C. Wille, President
R51

Southeastern District
The Southeastern District (SED) includes York, Pennsylvania;
Maryland; Delaware; Washington, DC; Virginia; North and South
Carolina; and Bristol, Tennessee. Together we have 3 regions, 21
circuits, 214 churches, 59 early childhood/preschool components,
13 elementary school components, 11 middle school components,
3 high school components, and 8 service organizations.
The Southeastern District Mission: In grateful response to
God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Southeastern District connects people with Jesus.
The Southeastern District Vision: As we work together to
connect our neighbors to Jesus, lives are transformed, and
God’s Kingdom is growing.
Critical Targets of the Southeastern District: Mobilizing
Witness and Empowering Wellness: Multiplying individuals and faith communities to share the love of Christ.
Empowering individuals and faith communities to thrive
through growth and renewal.
The SED has over 33 million people living within the boundaries of the district. We seek to love our neighbors and engage our
communities with the Gospel of hope. Our congregations, schools,
and service organizations are mission stations where the priesthood
of believers are nourished and equipped to live their faith each day
and shine the light of Christ in every zip code in the district, seeking to fulfill the mission, vision, and critical targets.
At our 2022 convention, the delegates adopted several initiatives, including giving thanks for the faithful ministry of Concordia
College New York, addressing the Lutheran teacher shortage and
low salaries of LCMS commissioned workers, using the Koinonia
Project process to resolve conflict, and exploring nonresidential
opportunities for pastoral education.
The convention mandated that the district recruit and apply for
admission for 18 specific ministry pastors by the next Southeastern
District convention. Intentional and active recruitment of church
workers in the district is vital to mobilizing witness and empowering wellness.
The convention passed a resolution to advance racial equality
and the Great Commission where we ask the Synod in convention