LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 53

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Lutheran Confessions. They have entered into altar and
pulpit fellowship with churches that do not teach God’s
Word correctly, that reject key truths of God’s Word, and
compromise many others. As I have repeatedly said to so
many people across our Synod, we are deeply saddened by
these events. They are for us a somber warning of what
happens when a church is tempted to move away from its
strong doctrinal foundations.
It is important that every pastor, church worker, and congregation of our Synod redouble their commitment to remaining faithful to the scriptural and confessional theology
of the Lutheran church. We rejoice in the blessings God gives
through unity in the faith. We need to do all we can to remain
united together around the standard of our Lutheran Confessions. This will continue to be a critical factor in the strength
and health of our Synod as we move into the days ahead.
Dedication to Unity in the Teaching of the Bible
and the Confessions
As we move forward to the ends of the earth and into a
new millenium with the Gospel, we must intensify our commitment to unity in the confession of the true faith. This
holds true both for our full-time church workers and every
one of our congregations. I find it very troubling when I hear
statements like this, “Yes, I am a member of the Synod, but I
don’t agree with our church’s doctrines and practices.” This
does not promote peace and unity in our Synod. It is incumbent on all pastors, teachers, church workers, and congregations, on all District and synodical leaders, to uphold and support the biblical and confessional positions of this church
body. Every church worker and congregation promises to do
this before the Lord when they join the Synod. The Synod has
every right to expect all of us to keep our promise.

III. Blessings of the Past Triennium
In the Convention Workbook you will be able to read
many things about the work being done by our Synod’s various entities and agencies. I strongly encourage you to carefully read through the many reports that are printed here
for you. At this point, I would like briefly to walk with you
through some of the highlights of the triennium in the work
of the President’s Office.
Office Administration
The President’s Office is indeed fortunate to have the skillful and talented service of Dr. Robert Kuhn, First Vice-President. He is a faithful friend, colleague, and co-worker who has
been a great blessing to me during the past triennium.
I am also grateful to God for the President’s Office staff
members, including Rev. Paul T. McCain, Assistant to the
President; Rev. Ken Schurb, Assistant to the President;
Mrs. Mary Renfer, Executive Assistant to the President;
Mrs. Diane Grimm, Administrative Assistant and Secretary to Dr. Robert Kuhn; Mrs. Brenda Schroeder, Secretary; and Miss Laura Strawn, Secretary and Receptionist.
Here I simply want to recognize these individuals for their
hard work and fine service to our beloved Synod.

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Praesidium

The LCMS Praesidium, consisting of the President and
our Synod’s five Vice-Presidents, met regularly during the
triennium to discuss the mission and ministry of our Synod
as we deal with various issues directed to the Praesidium.
A number of situations where the Synod’s doctrines and
practices have been compromised were addressed and in
some cases God-pleasing resolution was achieved. In other
cases, it was necessary for the Praesidium to speak a clear
word of clarification and caution.
Here I want to thank Dr. Robert Kuhn, Dr. Robert King,
Dr. Eugene Bunkowske, Dr. Dale Meyer, and Dr. Wallace
Schulz for their faithful service, support, and encouragement.
Council of Presidents
The Council of Presidents, consisting of the Presidents
of our Synod’s 35 Districts and the members of the Praesidium, held meetings four times each year of the triennium. I always appreciate the chance to be with these servants of our Synod. Few realize how difficult the job is that
our church gives to its District Presidents. They bear the
burden of providing supervision of each congregation and
church worker within their District. They also spend a
great deal of their time providing advice in the matter of
the calling of pastors and other church workers. Oftentimes, they must deal with the less than good aspects of our
congregational life together and this too is a particularly
difficult burden for them to bear. Our Synod owes them a
debt of appreciation and thanks.
Church Relations
Mailing to World Lutherans
During the past triennium, we have witnessed many additional opportunities for our Synod to be of assistance to
Christians throughout the world. We have received requests for help from Lutherans in eastern Asia, in northern and central Europe, in the Baltic nations, in Africa, and
in Central and South America. One important initiative
that was begun was an effort to communicate directly with
the Lutheran church bodies throughout the world. Many
churches have known of our Synod only through secondhand reports, and in some cases mere rumor. Needless to
say, such information is generally inadequate and often
tends to put our Synod in a less than positive light. We felt
it was important to reach out with clear statements of our
Synod’s doctrinal positions in order to introduce our Synod
to Lutherans around the world.
We have been sending regular mailings to all Lutheran
churches in the world. These mailings have featured statements and accompanying materials on the issues of justification, homosexuality, racism, and the service of women in
the church. In addition, we have been sending these
churches our Synod’s official publications, the Reporter and
The Lutheran Witness. We also are sending them the journals from each of our two seminaries. The response to these
mailings has been very positive.
Church Fellowship Opportunities
We will have before us during the convention a proposal
to enter into altar and pulpit fellowship with the Ingrian