LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 70

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Society.” This is something that we need to give very
serious consideration to in view of the vast increase in
older people, the cutback in government spending for
the poor, and the many other social needs with which
our own people live and in which millions of others of
our fellow citizens live. When we read on page 303 that
“a research project a few years ago reported that the
elderly make up the largest unchurched group in the
communities where the research was done,” we certainly
need to consider these people not only as social problems
but as people who have great spiritual need.

The report of the Commission on Ministerial! Health
requests a full-time director of this program. This is
imperative. We cannot neglect the problems of our
professional workers. I hope the convention will direct
the responsible parties to fund this position at once.

The ongoing need for the care of refugees is some-
thing that ought to concern us greatly.

Overture 8-19 “To Take Position Regarding Human
Rights,” raises some very difficult questions. This has
been an extremely divisive matter in the ALC and the
LCA, and I would strongly urge the committee to refer
this matter to the Board of Directors of the Synod for
careful study before injecting a great deal of hot and
fruitless contention on the floor of this convention.

9. Special and Sundry Matters

In addition to the report of the Armed Forces
Commission and the report of the Department of
Archives and History, Concordia Historical Institute,
as well as the very brief report of the Commission of
Adjudication, Committee No. 9 has some issues which
need the attention and careful study of the convention.

Certainly the Synod wants to make a proper and
worthwhile celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the
birth of Martin Luther. Likewise, Overture 9-07 regard-
ing circularizing of the Synod is something that could
occupy some careful discussion. There are pros and cons
to this matter, and we need to consider all aspects of it.
Perhaps the basic question is, “How well do we like
church politics?”

10 and il

I will make no comments on the matter of Committee
No. 10—Convention Nominations, or Committee No.
11—Elections. These committees are not present at the
May meeting of the floor committees.

12. Program Implementation

The Lord has placed some special challenges on the
Synod at this point in time. The last convention adopted
the Mission Challenges of the ’80s—1,800 new stations
to be opened in the decade, 10 countries to be entered,
600 missionaries to be recuited and so on. Committee
No. 12 had to consider how to implement this ambitious
program. Two especially significant resolutions came
from Committee No. 12 in 1979—(1) the Executive
Planning Group to take the separate plans of Missions,
Higher Education, and others and combine them into a
master plan for the Synod and its Districts, and (2)

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS x

Forward in Remembrance to provide funds for this
ambitious expansion program.

The Executive Planning Group has submitted a
master plan. Its plan is just a first step. It needs
expansion both as to scope and involvement of people at
the grassroots and more interaction between Districts
and Districts and the Synod. Also a plan, to be effective,
must be annually updated. The process started must be :
continued. I therefore urge you not only to adopt the -
report of the Executive Planning Group but to request
the continuation of this group and the process it has ;
started.

Committee No. 12 must also consider how to bes
capitalize on the momentum of Forward in Remem
brance. This program has been an outstanding success.
Aslam preparing this report, an update from the May
reports was given to me—$68.2 million with severaliq
more updates still to come before the convention. This#
with a goal of $40 million. Yes, the Lord has truly
blessed us. But this tremendous offering also brings
additional challenges which you must face. te

The big challenge is how do we support what we star
with Forward in Remembrance. We cannot and will ng|
divest these restricted funds and use them for norm
operating purposes. They must be used for the purp
given and in accordance with the formula in the Missidg
and Ministry Statement. The outstanding succ
means that much more mission expansion will ta
place than initialy envisioned. You must decide how:
continue what will be started. That is going to me
different ways of financing the work of the church
can’t continue the way we have been. During the last
years, our members have decreased by about one-t

the percent of their income they give to the Lord’s wi
through the congregation. That equates to over 4
million a year. So we must once again start growing
the grace of giving and also provide alternate aveu}
for giving for congregations, Districts, and the Syn
do the work the Lord has put before us.

Task Force II and the Board of Directors.
recognized these problems. Both recognized wet
continue to cut back on staff, missionaries, and‘
dies to colleges, seminaries, and partner churches¢
recognize that deficit spending can’t continue ang
some changes will have to be made to end it.:
reviewed the Task Force proposal for a new Depa
of Stewardship and Financial Support and a:
proposal by the Board of Directors. I have work
Community Counseling Serivces, Doctor Hyatt, 2
staff in developing a proposal I am bringing toy!
essentially a combination of the other two propos:
reflects some of the experiences of Forward in
brance. It combines all Stewardship and Fig
Support activities of the Synod into one new de
responsible to the President of the Synod for Pp
the giving of time, talents, and treasures, ing
normal Sunday morning giving, deferred gt u
special giving. It provides for a planning st
conducted during the rest of this year to detert™
detail of the structure and the programs. It