LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 125

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MISSIONS 125

search, initiate, and continually fund mission efforts to ethnic peo-
ple groups in the United States.

Cheyenne Circuit Forum
Wyoming District

1-09

To Affirm True Goal of Lutheran Mission Work

WHEREAS, The Board for Mission Services is entrusted with the
development of mission strategy and practice throughout the world;
and ,

Wuereas, The Synod has repeatedly affirmed the teaching of
Holy Scripture (Eph. 4; Rom. 10), and the Book of Concord (AC V
and XIV) that the public preaching of the Word and the adminis-
tration of the Sacraments are duties to be entrusted only to prop-
erly called and ordained men; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod in convention assembled identify the pri-
mary task of all mission work as provision for the administration of
the means of grace by regularly called and ordained men, which is
more than the development of “leaders” in the mission field; and be
it further

Resolved, That Synod clearly articulate the fact that all godly
mission work is directed toward the establishment of Christian con-
gregations in places where there have been none heretofore and that
a Christian congregation be plainly stated as one in which both
Christian laymen and their rightly called and ordained pastor gather
around God’s chosen means of grace.

Bethany
Fort Wayne, IN

1-10

To Set Goals

Wrereas, Our Lord Jesus held up for us the reality of the need
to weigh the cost; and

WHEREAS, When there is no goal or focus one is like a “wave
blown by the wind, to and fro”; and

WHEREAS, The need for direction is becoming greater and
greater in our busy world; and

WHEREAS, When there is no goal one will achieve it every time;
and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has had as
its only focus “to keep the Word pure”; and

WHEREAS, Jesus gave us the command to “make disciples,” i.e.,
to “get the Word out”; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention set some goals concerning “getting the Word out”; and be
it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention set a goal in the next biennium to begin 120 new congre-
gations, to enable 600 pastors to visit and perform a foreign mis-
sion trip; and to gain 50,000 new members.

Our Savior
Norfolk, NE

To Establish Local Congregations
as Part of Mission Work

Wue|reAS, Our Lord’s Great Commission states that we are to
“go and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to obey all I
have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19), and that teaching is one of
the functions of the local congregation; and

WHEREAS, St. Paul established local congregations in conjunc-
tion with his missionary journeys (Acts 14:21-23); and

WHEREAS, The writer of Hebrews exhorts all believers not to
“give up meeting together ... but let us encourage one another”
(Heb. 10:25); and

WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession teaches that the church is
the “congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught
and the sacraments are rightly administered” (AC VII); and

WHEREAS, One of the obligations of Synod, as it is defined in its
Constitution, is to “strengthen congregations” (Art. III); and

WHEREAS, The policy of our Synod’s Mission Board, as it re-
lates to converts, is to establish small groups instead of local con-
gregations in those parts of Asia where we are doing mission work;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the work of missions be seen as the making of
disciples, and that those disciples be gathered into local congrega-
tions in order to hear the Gospel rightly taught and to receive the
sacraments as rightly administered, and so to encourage and edify
the saints.

Fergus Falls Circuit
Minnesota North District

1-12

To Withdraw from Comity Arrangements with ELCA

WHEREAS, In the past The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
has entered into comity arrangements with other church denomi-
nations with the predecessor bodies of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA); and ;

WHEREAS, The ELCA has recently established fellowship with
churches which are not of our Lutheran faith, thus denying their
own right to be recognized as a fellow Lutheran church; therefore
be it

Resolved, That the Synod withdraw from and/or withhold from
entering into comity agreements with the ELCA or any other de-
nomination which does not faithfully uphold the Christian faith.

Our Redeemer
Forsyth, IL

1-13

To End Comity Arrangements with ELCA

WHEREAS, In the past The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
has entered into comity arrangements with other church denomi-
nations and with the antecedent bodies of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA); and

WHEREAS, The ELCA has recently established full fellowship
with churches which are not of the Lutheran faith; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention withdraw from and/or
withhold from entering into comity agreements with the ELCA or
any other confession with which our Synod is not in fellowship.

Bethany
Fort Wayne, IN
1-14
To Commend “Lutherans in Medical Mission”
Rationale

Lutherans in Medical Missions is an organization of health pro-
fessionals and others who are committed to the advancement and
support of medical missions and ministry, both at home and in
other countries, particularly through the identification and recruit-
ment of volunteers and through the evaluation of potential sites and
opportunities. It seeks to work closely with existing church boards
and agencies. It is a “Recognized Service Organization” of the
Synod.

Resolved, That the Synod commend Lutherans in Medical Mis-
sions for its vision and work and urge the members of the Synod’s