LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1995, Page 62

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62 - REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

this part of the world the request was made of me and of

our Synod, “Pray for us.” Many of these emerging Lutheran .

churches struggled from years of persecution at the hands
of the Communists. As our Synod pursues cooperative ef-
forts in'this part of the world, we are grateful to God that
we can help and be of assistance to these churches. ~

Only very recently, a delegation from our Synod went to
St. Petersburg, Russia, to meet with the leaders of the In-
grian Lutheran Church. We have been working closely with
this church in the St. Petersburg area and have responded
to their request for church fellowship: Our discussions on
this issue are underway and will continue with a meeting
in St. Louis in the coming months.

As I make contact with various Lutheran leaders around
the world, what strikes me as particularly important for us
as a synodical family to hear is that our Synod’s emphasis
on strong, sound teaching is what attracts so many over-
seas church bodies to The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod. As we notice the World Council of Churches.and the
Lutheran World Federation slipping further and further
away from the historic truths of biblical Christianity and
confessional Lutheranism, it becomes even more important
for us as a synodical family, strongly and boldly, to say
without hesitation, “This we believe, teach, confess, and
practice.” We need to thank God for the opportunities He
is providing to our Synod to bear witness to our scriptural
and confessional theology.

I am particularly pleased that at our convention this
summer we will have the opportunity to declare that a
state of church fellowship exists between us and the
Lutheran Church of Paraguay and the Free Evangelical
Lutheran Synod in South Africa. How good it is to be able
to enter into these.-new relationships with fellow Luther-
ans! May God bless richly our new partnership in the
Gospel with these two church bodies.

One of the most significant opportunities and challenges
our Synod faces when it comes to fellowship with other
Lutherans is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA). We have strong ties of both friendship and family
with the ELCA. Predecessor bodies of the ELCA once were
in fellowship with us and we with them. However, because
of serious doctrinal differences which continue to divide us,
it is not possible for us to enjoy the blessings of church fel-
lowship with the ELCA. This poses difficult pastoral prob-
lems for our congregations that must deal with this situa-
tion on the local level.

Our goal is to continue to work with the ELCA where
possible without compromising our theological commit-
ments. Twice a year we meet with the leaders of the ELCA
in what is called the Committee for Lutheran Cooperation.
Under my administration, these meetings have devoted
considerable time to discussion about our differences, not
simply reports on activities within our two church bodies.
And we will continue to do so. We need to continue to share
our observations and concerns with the ELCA, just as they
should feel free to do the same with us. The issues involved
are very important, and we need as.a synodical family to
recognize that now is not the time for timidity about our
confessional commitments.

‘ important resource for our Synod in monitoring legislative

Office of Government Information
Our office in Washington, DC., continues to serve as an

activity that impacts our church directly, particularly in the .
area of our schools, as well as on other vital issues of our

day. The purpose of this office is not to lobby the federal

government, but rather to share information with various

governmental agencies and entities, when requested. The

most important function of our Office of Government Infor-

mation (OGI) is to provide additional information to the

congregations and church workers of our Synod. The OGI

report appears as an appendix to this report.

Funding Our Work Together

An important aspect of our synodical family’s life ‘to-
gether is how best to fund our work. At the District con-
ventions, I or my representative made a presentation on
this issue. There are trends that point toward an interest in
direct support of various aspects of the Synod’s work. This
type of direct support is a very vital part of funding our
work together. However, it cannot become the only way we,
as a Synod of congregations, support efforts like world mis-
sions, higher education, parish services, human care, and
necessary administrative costs. We must continue to hold
high before our Synod the goal of support from our congre-
gations, through our Districts, to the Synod.

Viewing support of synodical programs. as “foreign aid”
is not a healthy trend. Rather we need to recapture the
sense of ownership and family involvement that has so
strongly characterized our congregations’ support of the
work of the Synod through the years. Thus, while we must
say a clear yes to direct funding of synodical work, we must
also speak an equally clear yes to a unified approach. I call
this the yes/yes approach to funding our work together. We
must continue to emphasize this twofold approach.

President’s Commission
on the Sanctity of Life

At the beginning of March a special think tank meeting
was called involving representatives of a variety of disci-
plines—theological, medical, ethical, and legal—to discuss
how best our Synod can renew its commitment to human-
life concerns. This effort was the start of the President's
Commission on the Sanctity of Life. A generous benefactor.
made funds available to launch a major effort in this re-
gard. In addition to a focus on the unborn, this commission
will also deal with the broad range of sanctity-of-life issues:
which impact our culture and consequently influence the:
church.

The goal of this group is to provide adequate informa’.
tion and resources to the congregations of our Synod 80:
they in turn might equip our lay members to speak out as:
Christian citizens on these important issues. This commis:.
sion is being chaired by President Raymond Hartwig (SD.

President’s Commission on Women

During this triennium the President’s Commission:0
Women focused on issues that impact the women of out,
church by virtue of the fact that they are members of a