LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 10

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10 SYNODICAL REPORTS

The celebration brought out the best in congregational ingenu-
ity. For example, parishes
* provided Bibles for public safety employees;
* established a Christian Resource Center;
* entered a float with the anniversary theme in community parade;
* provided funds to pastor to reduce his student loan debt;
* spent 150 hours of continuous prayer by members;

* purchased Jand and built membership center for a suburb retire-
ment community;

* began outreach to correction facilities;
* began radio Portals of Prayer program;
* established a community ministry to the Hmong:

* prepared and published insert on the beliefs and ministries of the
LCMS for local newspaper;

* planted trees in the community;

* enlisted members to travel to Mexico for mission and social relief
work;
* founded a food pantry for the poor;

and the list goes on and on, including many projects for local,
District and synodical missions undertaken with special offerings
during the anniversary year.

Several Districts, including California-Nevada-Hawaii, Iowa
East, Minnesota South, North Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, and
Northwest, conducted special fund-raising efforts for District min-
istries. Several included a portion for work on the national/interna-
tional level. Gifts designated in the latter category were divided on
a 30 percent, 30 percent and 40 percent basis for “serving one an-
other in Christ’s name, reaching our communities with Christ’s
love, and claiming the world for Christ’s kingdom.” Only eternity
will reveal how much was done in a very special way through the
consecrated gifts of God’s people during the past triennium.

Four special services were suggested during the past year on
local, Circuit and District levels: Jan. 6 (the first Sunday of the an-
niversary year), April 27 (weekend of the actual founding date),
July 6 (with a patriotic theme), and Reformation Day. In addition,
May 19, 1996, was designated by the President as a “Day of Re-
pentance, Prayer and Commitment.”

Among the byproducts of the celebration was the inauguration
of a national advertising program, conducted under the auspices of
the Board for Communications Services with the theme “HOPE—
There’s Plenty to Go Around.” This is another ministry requested
by many people throughout the Synod.

The anniversary was highlighted at several events in the Inter-
national Center. On April 26, 1996, the regular morning worship
served as a “kickoff” for the anniversary year and following wor-
ship a brilliant new lighted sign on the building identifying the In-
ternational Center was dedicated by President Barry. That same
week photos were taken throughout the church and ultimately pub-
lished in a beautiful book titled A Week in the Life of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. A pictorial directory of all employees of
the IC was also prepared as part of the Anniversary Celebration,
and on April 25 of last year a 15 x 22 foot piece of art, titled He Js
All in All, was dedicated and placed in the lobby of the IC. The
artist is Art Kirchhoff, a member of the LCMS. Miniatures of the
work have been presented to all the Districts of the Synod, as well
as to the colleges/universities and seminaries of the church.

On the Saturday evening of the Great Commission Convoca-
tion weekend, 15,000 gathered in the Kiel Center for an Anniver-
sary Extravaganza. Some 2,000 participants, under the direction of
Rev. Terry Dittmer, were directly involved in the evening program,
which featured a large brass ensemble, mass children’s choir,
videos, family vignettes, and a message from President Barry.

A three-level time capsule, visible through a glass exterior, has
been prepared, to include many historically relevant materials. The
capsule will be “sealed” at the convention and permanently dis-
played at Concordia Historical Institute.

Special thanks are due the following: The Aid Association for
Lutherans subsidized the history video, underwrote A Day in the

Life of... and provided a beautiful 4 x 10 foot banner for the more
than 6,000 congregations of the Synod. Lutheran Brotherhood was
the major sponsor of the August gala at the Kiel Center, also cov-
ering the cost of sending the program throughout the church via
satellite. The Lutheran Foundation, CPH, LCEF, and Lutheran
Charities were also major donors in many aspects of the celebra-
tion.

And now this triennium, which included several important an-
niversaries, including the sesquicentennial of Concordia Theologi-
cal Seminary in Fort Wayne, the centennial of foreign mission
work and our deaf ministry, 120 years of work in Black ministry
and the 75th anniversary of campus ministry and of Concordia Col-
lege in Selma, draws to a close. This convention will mark the
close with a special service on Sunday morning.

It is our prayer that the Gospel of God’s redeeming grace in our
Savior, the central focus of the celebration, will continue to be the
heart and center of our mission and ministry, and that our church,
faithful to His Word in both doctrine and practice, will use the past
three years as a springboard to an even more aggressive outreach
to our world. Truly we are a people SENT FORTH BY GOD'S
BLESSING.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!.
Karl L. Barth, Director

H. James Boldt, Associate Director

R1-8-04
Church Growth Study Committee

The 1995 convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod adopted Res. 3-09, “To Address the Church Growth Move-
ment,” which among other things resolved “that the President of
the Synod consider appointing a committee to study and address
how the truth of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions might
be clearly proclaimed in light of the Church Growth Movement and
the influences of American culture and pluralism.”

The President of Synod appointed a Church Growth Study com-
mittee in 1996. Since its first meeting in January 1997, the Com-
mittee has met on three occasions, receiving valuable information
from parish pastors, synodical and District staff, and other leaders
involved in the life of our congregations and the mission outreach
of our church both at home and abroad.

While the committee plans to submit a comprehensive report at
the next convention, at this time we report the following prelimi-
nary observations and recommendations to the Synod.

1. Observations: Much church-growth methodology is built upon
a theology foreign to our confession. Because many find our
church to be strong on doctrine and weak in practice, church-
growth methodology has found a ready and growing market
throughout Synod.

* We recommend that the Synod’s boards and agencies con-

sciously evaluate the doctrine implied in outreach practice.

* We recommend that our theological faculties develop part-
nerships with District and synodical evangelism and mission
staff to devise mission strategies which emphasize our dis-
tinctly Lutheran confession of the theology of the cross, the
efficacy of the means of grace, and the doctrine of the church
and ministry.

2. Observation: At a still deeper level, there is a general vacuum
of a workable practical piety stemming from our Lutheran doc-
trine. Thus many laity and clergy alike are fascinated by spiri-
tual models for Christian living incompatible with our confes-
sion.

° We recommend that parish pastors and teachers in our schools
redouble their efforts in effective catechesis, teaching and
modeling Christian life and worship as it is framed and
formed by the Word of God and the Sacraments.

3. Observation: We observe a growing parachurch influence in
affiliations, conferences, and seminars designed to appeal to a
limited segment of the Synod, threatening our unity in doctrine
and practice.

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