LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 138

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138 CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

could be a new church plant or the development of new mission
work within an existing congregation.

Board for Congregational Services

2-41

To Encourage District Rural/Small Town
Ministry Committees

WHEREAS. The national Rural/Smali Town Ministry Commit-
tee during the last three years has discovered that District Presi-
dents along with lay leaders and pastors from rural/small town set-
tings are seeking assistance with mission and ministry issues of
rural/small town congregations; and

Wuereas, The 2,100 (33 percent) rural/small town congrega-
tions spread throughout all the Districts have a unique cultural
makeup and outlook very different from suburban settings; and

WHEREAS, The 653,000 baptized members (25 percent of
Synod’s membership) live in geographic areas where agriculture,
leisure/tourism, and the extraction industries of mining, fishing, or
forestry are dominant means of making a living; and

WHEREAS, The congregations need to recognize the mission
fields God has placed around them or the LCMS could lose 20-25
percent of rural/small town congregations in the foreseeable future;
and

WHEREAS, The Board for Congregational Services has recog-
nized the importance of the ministry to rural/small town congrega-
tions by establishing a national Rural/Smail Town Ministry Com-
mittee; and ;

WHEREAS, The Board for Congregational Services’ Rural/Small
Town Ministry Committee properly serves as a linking and coordi-
nating center with the Districts by training pastors and other full-
time workers to understand rural cultures, effective outreach and
leadership styles; by assisting congregations with adult, child,
evangelism, family, leadership, schools, stewardship, youth de-
partment resources, by developing adult Bible studies through
CPH; by linking LCMS Human Care and government social wel-
fare agencies; by collating and sharing supportive resources with
District leaders and rural/small town committees and establishing
ongoing communication with Districts and congregations; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That Districts be encouraged to establish Rural/Small
Town Ministry Committees to work in partnership with the Board
for Congregational Services’ Rural/Small Town Ministry Commit-
tee to strengthen the mission and ministry of the LCMS congrega-
tions where farming, leisure/tourism, mining, fishing, or forestry
are the dominant means of making a living for the members.

Board for Congregational Services

2-42

To Encourage Congregations
to Work on Public Relations
WHEREAS, Our society has become visually oriented; and
WHEREAS, People are attracted only to those products and
causes which catch their attention; and
WHEREAS, Companies invest millions of dollars in advertising
to keep their products before their potential customers; and
WHEREAS, Polls indicate that people sense unmet spiritual
needs; therefore be it
Resolved, That the congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod, either separately or jointly, be encouraged to con-
sider the possibilities that are open to us to advertise the good news
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and be it further
Resolved, That we make better use of print media, television
commercials, radio, and computers with home pages and e-mail to
present the good news of Jesus Christ.

Our Savior
Norfolk, NE

2-43

To Produce Index to Synodical Conventions

WuereaS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod celebrates
its 150-year history; and

WuerEAS, The history of our church body at work in its con-
ventions is a rich source of intensive biblical research and atten-
tion to detail in the ministry, mission, and relationships of its mem-
bers; and

WHEREAS, The resolutions of previous synodical conventions
have not been referenced for ready access, which in some cases
means a reduplication of efforts in our own time; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct Concordia Pub-
lishing House, working in conjunction with the Concordia Histori-
cal Institute and under the auspices of the President, to provide an
index to the synodical overtures and resolutions which have been
formally proposed or passed in our 150-year history; and be it fur-
ther

Resolved, That this task be completed by June 25, 2000.

Zion
Fort Wayne, IN

2-44

To Commission Written History
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod during 1997
celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, There has been no written history of the Synod since
the 1947 centennial; and

WHEREAS, Previous written histories of the Synod are no longer
in print; and

WHEREAS, Such a history would be of tremendous value to our
pastors, seminary and college students, lay leaders, and the church
at large; and

WuereEAs, The Synod has a wealth of talented resources for
such a project in the Concordia Historical Institute, the historical
departments of our seminaries, and elsewhere; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention commission a written history of the first 150 years of the
Synod.

Concordia
Hillside, IL

2-45

To Honor Forefathers by Republication
of Books and Commentaries

WHEREAS, The Scriptures teach us to honor our elders (Ex.
20:12; Fourth Commandment); and

WuerEAS, Other religious traditions honor their theological
forefathers and elders by keeping their theological books and com-
mentaries in print long after they have been taken to heavenly
glory; and

WuhEREAS, In recent years the LCMS has allowed to go out of
print blessed orthodox biblical commentaries by William Arndt
(Luke), G. Stoeckhardt (Ephesians), Theodore Laetsch (Jeremiah
and the Minor Prophets), W. A. Maier, Sr. (Nahum), L. Poellot
(Revelation); P. E. Kretzmann (Popular Commentary); and

WHEREAS, Many other books have gone out of print and are
unavailable to current and future generations of Lutherans—e.g.,
L. W. Spitz, The Life of Dr. C. F. W. Walther; R. Preus, The
Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, vols. I and IH; T. Grae-
buer, Outlines of Doctrinal Theology; T. Laetsch, ed., The Abiding