LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 36

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36 SYNODICAL REPORTS

R2-04
Board for Black Ministry Services

Introduction

The Lord God, the Almighty, has commissioned the preaching
of the Gospel to all nations and has promised to be with messengers
“always to the end of the age.” This report highlights the role of
the Board for Black Ministry Services in sharing the Good News
about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Convention has charged the Board for Black Ministry
Services to
* develop policies that will assist congregations in reaching out
more effectively with the Gospel of Jesus Christ among African
Americans;
evaluate the effectiveness and administration of plans and pro-
grams designed to coordinate and expand Black Ministry in the
Synod in cooperation with the convocation of Black Lutheran
congregations, appropriate boards, and the president of the
Synod;
represent the concerns of Black Ministry before the boards, com-
missions, committees, and judicatories of the Synod.

Working off the visions to be “strongly in the Word, people-
sensitive and people-centered” and “reaching out boldly with the
Gospel” the board has these specific goals:

* Help Districts connect existing congregations that are interested
and willing to begin new congregations to serve African Ameri-
can communities

Help Congregational Services make culturally specific resources
available to African Americans and other ethnic groups

Assist in responding to the needs of urban communities

Assist in recruiting professional church workers and in support-
ing Concordia College, Selma, Ala.:

Increase the African American membership from 50,000 to
100,000 in the dawn of the new century

Briefly define the audience and the needs the activities at-
tempt to target.

Atrican Americans:

* 32 million in the United States
* 53,642 in the LCMS
¢ 24.506 White members in congregations in Black Ministry
* 16.262 students in Lutheran schools
* 300 congregations in Black Ministry in 26 of the 35 Districts
300 congregations are served by 100 White pastors and 100
Black pastors
* 20 students in the Concordia seminaries in St. Louis and Fort
Wayne and Fort Wayne extension at Concordia, Selma
$1 million dollars contributed through District and Synod annu-
ally

Describe, analyze, and evaluate any special research done
that directly affects Black Ministry.

Challenge in Black Ministry Focus Groups

The Board for Black Ministry Services engaged the Vari Mar-
ket Research & Training Services to conduct !1 focus groups with
pastors and lay leaders about Black Ministry issues/congregations.
Cities involved in the research were New York, New Orleans, De-
troit. Charlotte, and Los Angeles.

From the research, the board derived 6 implications for min-
istry:

- Reclaiming our heritage as Black Christians/abundant future

. Integrated lay and pastor leadership development

. Systems—improve communication/operations, and finance

- Move from subsidy mindset to abundance mindset, financial
security

. Reclaim the story through worship and education

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6. Networking with successful congregations which have an
urban history

This research empowered the board to partner with congrega-
tions and Districts with cutting-edge grants for cutting-edge proj-
ects. More than 60 congregations came forward with projects for
ministering through outreach, music, educational trips, drama, sum-
mer camp, historical experiences, telephone outreach, and many
more. The grants awarded totaled $146,000. The response of the
board can be summed up in one word: Amazement!

African American Hymnal Supplement Research

The board networked with the Commission on Worship to pro-
duce an African American hymnal supplement. The involvement
of Lutheran Brotherhood was a catalyst to broaden the research
project to include African Americans in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. The research project resulted in a proposed
supplement consisting of the following: a single comprehensive re-
source including front material, basic liturgical resources, liturgical
resources for Christian life in community, supplemental liturgical
texts, service music and psalms (approximately 60 selections),
hymns and spiritual songs (approximately 300 selections) incorpo-
rating prayers and other witness from the tradition, songs, and other
resources for national and cultural celebrations, and indexes.

Although the LCMS doctrinal review Process was an invalu-
able service in the shaping of the hymnal and although LCMS par-
ticipants desired and held out for a doctrinal review release, in the
end the steering committee resolved to let Augsburg publish the
hymnal supplement.

It will be a 6 x 9 book, 512 pages, hardbound for endurance, at
a cost between $9.50 and $12.50. The title is This Far by Faith.
Lutheran Brotherhood contributed $100,000; the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America contributed $60,000, and the LCMS
contributed $60,000.

The learning from this research project is that LCMS needs cul-
tural panels to do doctrinal review for culture-specific materials.

Non-Geographical Black Ministry District Study

The 1996 LCMS New Orleans Black Ministry Family Convo-
cation adopted Res. 1-03, to request the Board for Black Ministry
Services to petition the LCMS to create a non-geographical Dis-
trict so that African Americans can control their own destiny:

Resolved, that African Americans in the LCMS take a new bold ini-
tiative toward self-determination by creating a non-geographical dis-
trict; be it further

Resolved, that the President of the Synod be requested to gather the
necessary resources, information, and personnel needed to do a needs
assessment and feasibility study to determine the practical and spiritual
impact of formulating a non-geographical Black Mission and Ministry

District within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. This study

would include such areas as finances, new Ministry opportunities for

Black Ministry, the effect on the ministry of multi-racial and multi-cul-

tural congregations, and the continual mission opportunities of the

church-at-large and other areas needed; and be it finally

Resolved, that as the information becomes available it be shared
with the Board for Black Ministry Services, congregations in Black

Ministry and the church-at-large, with a preliminary report to be given

at the next convocation on Black Ministry, in order that the recommen-

dations can be made to the 1998 synodical convention.

The President of the Synod, Dr. A. L. Barry, after careful con-
sideration of the resolution gathered the requirements for creating a
District and assigned the feasibility study to the Board for Black
Ministry Services. The board appointed a “panel of experts” to sup-
port the research dimension of the project and a committee to do
the feasibility study.

After the core issues and financial viability were determined,
the committee surveyed the 270 congregations in Black Ministry
on the Non-Geographical Black Ministry District question. The re-
sponse of congregations formed the basis for the recommendation
of the study committee:

That the Board for Black Ministry Services not pursue the Non-
Geographical Black Ministry District at this time; and be it further
resolved