LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 2

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2 SYNODICAL REPORTS

Bold Proclamation of the Biblical Gospel

Bold proclamation of the biblical Gospel must be another chief
hallmark of our beloved Synod. Even as in the past, so in the fu-
ture, this church will stand or fall on the most important truth given
to us by our Lord. This is the truth that we become children of God,
declared to be completely forgiven and righteous in His sight, by
the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ alone. We are
made free in Him, alone, entirely as a gift of His undeserved love
and mercy to us. His perfect righteousness covers our sin and
makes us free to be His people.

Boldly, we proclaim this fantastically good news to one and all
alike. We continue to bear witness to it in our daily lives, no matter
who we are and no matter what we do. This will continue to be our
great privilege in the Lord. Sadly, we must realize that so many
churches in this great nation of ours have moved away from the
biblical Gospel and substituted false and misleading gospels for it.
We must resist movements that would tempt us away from our firm
confidence and trust in the truth of the Lord’s Word. Our great mis-
sion and calling from the Lord is boldly, with great joy, to proclaim
the Gospel—to the ends of the earth.

Joyful Commitment to Teaching the Faith

This hallmark really goes along with the previous one. Our Lord
told us to go and make disciples by teaching them everything that
He has commanded. Here I want to make the point that teaching
the faith is a critical hallmark of a church that wishes to be and re-
main a genuinely Lutheran church. Today, more than ever before,
we must make every effort to provide high-quality ongoing in-
struction in the Christian faith. We call this process of Christian
education, “‘catechesis.” When we talk about mission work, this is
what it is all about: We are called by our Lord to lead people to an
ever increasing knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We teach those who do not have a saving faith in Christ and we
teach those who are lifelong Christians. From cradle to grave, our
Lord’s mission remains the same. We are to teach everything He
has commanded. "

I was listening to one of our Synod’s radio programs recently,
and the question was asked, ‘““Why is a Jehovah’s Witness able to
shake a Lutheran’s faith in fifteen minutes, when that Lutheran has
spent twenty years attending church?” That is a very good ques-
tion! We must resolve to redouble, yes, even triple our commit-
ment to teaching good, solid doctrinal truths to our people, helping
them to see that this is not abstract theory, but practical and life-
giving truth for their daily life. Our adults need to be educated in an
ongoing intensive and purposeful manner.

When people are brought into our congregations they need thor-
ough, careful instruction in the Lutheran faith. This careful process
of instruction needs to continue beyond the new-member classes
in our parishes. There needs to be ongoing, high-quality adult edu-
cation programs of all kinds in the parish, addressing all concerns
from the standpoint of the question, “What does God’s Word have
to say?” and “How do we as Lutherans respond to this or that
issue?” Our Synod’s commitment to high-quality education will
continue to be a great hallmark of our church. Thank God for the
work being done in this important area. Let us strengthen it and in-
crease it.

Strong Embrace of the Lutheran Confessions

We recognize more than ever before how important it is for our
Synod to remain completely committed to our Lutheran Confes-
sions. As we courageously, confidently, and boldly embrace the
doctrine of the Lutheran church, we are bearing witness to our con-
viction that the Lutheran Confessions are a true exposition of the
Word of God. We therefore resolve as a Synod to move forward
joyfully proclaiming to the world, “This is what we believe, teach,
confess, and practice.”

We have watched with great sadness and dismay as our friends
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have moved away
from a strong commitment to our 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 congrega-
tion of our Synod redouble their commitment to remaining faith-
ful 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, [ama
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 mem-
bers, 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, Adminis-
trative Assistant and Secretary to Dr. Robert Kuhn; Mrs. Brenda
Schroeder, Secretary; and Miss Laura Strawn, Secretary and Re-
ceptionist. Here I simply want to recognize these individuals for
their hard work and fine service to our beloved Synod.

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. Eu-
gene 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 congrega-
tion 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