LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 217

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RESOLUTIONS 217

7.05 Deferred and Special Gifts

In the area of deferred and special gifts, the
department shall—

a. devise Synodwide programs of deferred giving,
including legacies, bequests, devises, endowments,
foundations, and other trusts for the advancement,
promotion, endowment, and maintenance of the
Synod and its Districts, colleges, seminaries, and
other agencies, and such other causes as may be
designated by The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod Foundation and the Board of Directors of the
Synod;

b. provide estate-planning services, materials,
and training events in accordance with applicable
policies established by The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod Foundation, to assist estate-planning
counselors throughout the Synod in consummating
gifts;

c. maintain a current catalog of North American
and worldwide missions, and social ministry, higher
education, and other projects, on a prioritized basis,
which could be funded by special gifts from indivi-
duals, congregations, and auxiliaries, and develop
prospectuses for use by special gift counselors in
making all calls;

d. provide materials and conduct training events
to assist both volunteer and salaried special-gift
counselors throughout the Synod.

Action: Adopted as amended (9).

(“Motivation” was added to the first resolved by common
consent. The delegates declined to delete the words “mission
education and promotion” from the first resolved and also
declined to consider a substitute resolution to continue the
present structure for funding. In Session 12 the delegates
declined to reconsider Res. 12-08A.)

Adopt Personalized
Missionary Support Program

RESOLUTION 12-09
Report 1-01 (CW, pp. 1—20)

WHEREAS, Our gracious God has saved us so that we
might serve Him and willingly use our talents and
abilities to pursue the Great Commission, “Go ye,
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost” (Matt. 28:19); and

’ WHEREAS, This is the mandate which members ofthe
LCMS accept as their mission command; and

WHEREAS, Seventy-one percent (71%) of the world is
non-Christian (U.S. Center for World Missions, Pasa-
dena, Calif.); and .

WHEREAS, The LCMS has pledged itself with the
mission challenge for the 1980s to open 600 new min-
istries and to increase mission money by 100% plus
inflation (Resolutions 1-20 and 1-27A, 1979 Proceed-
ings); therefore be it

Resolved, That those congregations.of the LCMS or
groups of congregations or Circuits which unite to give
‘financial support for missionaries be given the oppor-
tunity to pledge themselves to maintain a missionary
and his family under the policy of support of the Board
for Missions; and be it further

Resolved, That this personalized support for a mission-

ary be understood to be over and above the normal
annual support for the District and the Synod; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Board for Missions of the LCMS
be charged with the planning, direction, implementa-
tion, and administration of this mission outreach at
home and abroad; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Department of Stewardship and
Financial Support in cooperation with the Board for
Missions develop the financial structure and mechanics
for this program.

Action: Adopted (10).

(The committee substituted “structure and mechanics” for
“requirements” in final resolved.)

To Balance Budget
RESOLUTION 12-10
Overtures 12-02, 12-06 (CW, pp. 356, 364)

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
has experienced difficulty for a number of years in
meeting its mission opportunities due to financial short-
ages; and

WHEREAS, The Lord of the church continues to open
doors in old and new mission fields at home and abroad;
and

WHEREAS, A substantial deficit in the operating fund
of the Synod has been incurred and continues to affect
the Synod in its work for the Lord; and

WHEREAS, It is the desire of the Synod to conduct its
fiscal operations in a manner which will enable it to
carry out the work so that expenditures do not exceed
income; therefore be it

Resolved, That we request each congregation of the
Synod to urge its members to raise the giving level by at
least 1% of their personal income for the work of the
church; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge each congregation of the
Synod to remit all mission offerings contributed by the
members on a monthly basis to its District; and be it
further

Resolved, That we request the cooperation of all the
Districts to forward all mission gifts from the congre-
gations to the Synod on a monthly basis in keeping with
their percentage adopted for dividing the mission offer-
ings between the District and the Synod (Bylaw 9.02);
and be it further

Resolved, That we request the cooperation of all the
Districts to invest short-term interest-bearing invest-
ment money held in special and surplus funds with the
Synod for the financial benefit of both the Synod and
the Districts; and be it finally

Resolved, That we urge all synodical officials to
maintain a faithful and efficient application of all funds
given by members of congregations for the mission and
ministry program of the Synod sothat a continuance of
deficit spending, God willing, may be avoided.