LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 54

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54

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

Lutheran Church, which is based in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is emerging from years of Communist persecution
and has reached out to us for help and assistance. We have
been working with the Ingrian Church for quite some time
now and have sent delegations of representatives over
there to discuss the possibility of church fellowship. We
were also able to host them here as well. The meetings
have led to consensus among us that we are agreed in doctrine and church practice.
International Lutheran Council
Our Synod was privileged to host the International
Lutheran Council here in the St. Louis area for its meeting
in August of 1997. The ILC continues to be an important
way for us to work with other churches around the world
that share our commitment to the Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions. It is always a joy to be with the leaders of these churches, and our Synod is indeed fortunate to
be part of the ILC. Our partner churches, and other
churches that are involved, often express to me how important the ILC is for them. They often feel isolated from other
Lutherans and so genuinely do appreciate the blessings of
being a part of a larger Lutheran worldwide council.
150th Anniversary Theological Convocation
A special feature of our 150th anniversary celebration was
a theological convocation held in the fall of 1997. Each of our
partner churches, as well as those churches attending the
ILC’s meeting the week previous, were invited to come and
bring with them one theologian from their church. Our
Synod’s District Presidents and Praesidium, as well as our
seminary faculties, with the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations, gathered to discuss the topic of church and
ministry. The collected papers from that conference have been
published and distributed to the congregations and pastors of
our Synod, along with a study guide.
Ecclesiastical Supervision
As is the case in any of our congregations, there are
challenges that arise from time to time in our Synod. The
President of the Synod is charged with the duty of using all
means at his disposal to maintain unity of doctrine and
practice in the Districts of the Synod. When I am made
aware of a doctrinal concern with one of our congregations
or church workers, I make every effort to inform the District President and encourage him to take appropriate action to resolve the concern in a manner in keeping with our
scriptural and confessional positions. I have repeatedly underscored with our District Presidents how important it is
for all of us to uphold the Synod’s doctrinal positions. Not to
do so will only result in division among us and will detract
from our desire to reach out boldly with the Gospel.
There are some specific concerns our Synod does need
clearly to address. For instance, there are a few congregations in our Synod that hold membership both in The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. These situations have been
dealt with in an extremely loving and patient manner, and
our Synod has repeatedly urged and encouraged these congregations finally to reach a decision about their church affiliation. The time has now come for us to draw the few re-

maining cases of dual membership to a conclusion. My
counterpart in the ELCA also agrees that we definitely do
need to end these arrangements.
Another lingering situation in our Synod is the matter
of the Renewal in Missouri group. This group has long advocated for the charismatic movement in our circles. Here
too we have dealt with them in a loving and patient manner for quite some time. In spite of efforts to meet to discuss our differences during the past triennium, the leaders
of RIM decided not to move ahead with discussions. I believe it is time for our Synod to address this ongoing situation and bring it to a God-pleasing resolution, for the sake
of unity in doctrine and practice among us.
Communication Efforts
During the past triennium the President’s Office has
continued to place the President’s Newsletter in the Reporter, a publication designed to inform and discuss issues
with the church workers and lay leaders of our congregations and Synod. Three times a year, a letter of encouragement is being sent to all LCMS pastors titled “The Noble
Task.” This newsletter is intended to provide reflections on
the pastoral ministry with encouragement to our pastors.
Two books were also made available to the Synod, one devoted to the subject of catechesis and the other on the topic
of prayer and the devotional life.
The “What About” pamphlets have also been distributed
during the past triennium and made available widely across
the Synod. As this report is being written, we have been able
to make available pamphlets on eight topics: The Gospel, The
Bible, The Christian Family, Death and Dying, Homosexuality, The Ordination of Women, Fellowship in the Lord’s Supper, and the Differences Between the ELCA and the LCMS.
Many congregations find these to be a helpful way to introduce important doctrinal topics and other issues to their congregations and visitors to their congregations.
During the past triennium the President’s Office received a home page on the World Wide Web. That address
is: www.lcms.org/president. An e-mail address was also provided: president@lcms.org. These are both ways to use the
advantages of electronic communication to get the Synod’s
message out further.
The Blue Ribbon Committee on Structure
I want to express a genuine word of thanks to all the
members of the Blue Ribbon Committee who have spent
many long hours in a careful process of gathering information from the entities of the Synod. Their proposals will be
an important aspect of our convention’s decision making.
Delegates to the convention have received with this Workbook a copy of the committee’s final recommendations. I
recommend that the Synod adopt the proposals being offered to it by the Blue Ribbon Committee on Structure.
What has particularly impressed me about the process
followed by the Committee on Structure was how carefully
and thoroughly they sought the input of the various entities of the Synod. I very much appreciate the fine leadership this committee has given to our Synod on these important issues. They are truly to be commended, not only
for the recommendations they have made, but also for the
process they have followed in their work and study.