LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 142

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142

RESOLUTIONS

To Encourage Evangelical Concern
for Issues of Welfare Reform
RESOLUTION 6-03
Report 6-01 (CW, pp. 88–93)
WHEREAS, God says in Deut. 15:11, “There will always
be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be
openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and
needy in your land.” And, in Psalm 12:5, “Because of the
oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will
now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those
who malign them,” and;
WHEREAS, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 virtually eliminated direct federal
cash assistance to needy families and decentralized those
programs to state jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, Compassion calls for the church to respond;
therefore be it
Resolved, That congregations of the LCMS be encouraged to research the effect of welfare reform within their
communities; and be it further
Resolved, That the Welfare Reform Task Force of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Board for Human Care
Ministries assist Districts and congregations by recommending strategies for helping those who are hurting; and
be it finally
Resolved, That congregations be encouraged to continue
to seek God’s will in ministry to the poor.
Action: Adopted (3)

To Encourage Ministry
to the Imprisoned, Ex-offenders, Their
Families, and to Victims of Crime
RESOLUTION 6-04A
Overture 6-24 (CW, p. 233)
WHEREAS, Crime is one of the chief problems of our present-day society; crime disrupts God’s peace in Christ
Jesus, the Prince of peace; and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, empowered by the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, is in a
vital position to offer comfort and hope to people affected
by crime so that they may share in reconciliation and the
abundant life; and
WHEREAS, The 1995 convention of our Synod resolved
(Res. 6-10) to emphasize prison ministry with the result
that the Board of Human Care Ministry empowered its specialized pastoral care director, Dorothy Prybylski, to enhance the Synod prison ministry endeavors and established
a prison ministry Justice Task Force which outlined goals
for emphasizing prison ministry; and
WHEREAS, The Task Force goals include to motivate the
church to seize Gospel opportunities and responsibilities to
the imprisoned, ex-offenders, their families, and to victims
of crime; and to enable efforts to recruit and train persons
for ministry with the above. In addition, a lending library
and training materials have been made available through
the Human Care Ministries Specialized Pastoral Care Department; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod through the Board for Human
Care Ministries provide encouragement and resources to
enable the implementation of a relevant Gospel ministry to
prisoners, ex-offenders, their families, prison staff, and victims of crime; and be it further
Resolved, That each District be encouraged to earnestly
seek information concerning the feasibility of beginning, or
enhancing, prison ministry within its own region.
Action: Adopted (10)

To Encourage and Guide Board
of Managers—Worker Benefit Plans
RESOLUTION 6-05
Overtures 6-09–12, 6-15–16 (CW, pp. 229–30)
WHEREAS, The Board of Managers—Worker Benefit
Plans is continuing a comprehensive study of all the Plans
and how to best serve the needs of synodical workers, retirees, dependents, surviving spouses, and the Synod’s entities; and
WHEREAS, The Board of Managers—Worker Benefit
Plans is working with the Board of Directors and the Board
for Higher Education regarding student health-care coverage (see Ov. 6-11); and
WHEREAS, Congregations are only required to pay the
cost of Concordia Health Plan coverage for enrolled workers
and have the option to pay for dependent health coverage,
and some congregations do require workers to pay all or
part of the cost for dependents out of their own pockets (see
Ov. 6-09); and
WHEREAS, The Board of Managers is announcing the addition of an Employee Assistance Program to the Concordia Health Plan which will provide counseling and referrals for a variety of work and family-life issues, including a
strong proactive emphasis on holistic and preventive health
and wellness in conjunction with District Human Care
Committees (see Ov. 6-12); and
WHEREAS, The Board of Directors of the Synod and the
Board of Managers—Worker Benefit Plans continue to
show concern for retired workers and surviving spouses, especially those experiencing economic hardship, most recently evidenced by a mailing to all District Presidents with
information about special assistance available (see Ov. 616); and
WHEREAS, Resolutions expressing concern about the impact that the cost of medical care has on retired workers
and surviving spouses have been considered in prior conventions (see Ov. 6-10); and
WHEREAS, Providing reduced or no-cost medical coverage
to retired workers and surviving spouses would require an
annual amount between $4.6 million and $17.5 million, depending on the level of subsidy (see Ov. 6-10); and
WHEREAS, The Board of Managers is conducting the necessary research and giving serious consideration to implementing a 1999 cost-of-living increase for retired workers
(see Ov. 6-16); and
WHEREAS, The Concordia Retirement Plan is a defined
benefit plan in which retirement plan contributions provided by LCMS employers on behalf of valuable workers