LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 136

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136 CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

2-09

To Preserve Our Pastors

WHEREAS, According to the Albuquerque Tribune (Oct. 19,
1996), in the United States, an average of 1,300 Christian pastors
are forced out of their churches each month, nearly 30 percent of
all Christian ministers in the United States have been
involuntarily terminated or “forced out” of their congregations,
and 40 percent of today’s ministers will someday be in another
line of work; and

WHEREAS, Though some have been reinstated, The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod had 485 pastors resign, removed,
and/or placed on CRM status in the triennium 1995-1997 (LCMS
Office of Statistics, April 24, 1998); and

WHEREAS, Some projections indicate that almost half of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregations will be vacant
within the next decade and almost 80 percent may be vacant in
less than 20 years; and

WHEREAS, The Michigan District has seen an average of 10
pastors each year resign, removed, and/or placed on CRM status
(Michigan District office); and

WHEREAS, It is known that there are congregations that are or
contain “clergy killers”; and

WHEREAS, Art. II 8-10 of the Constitution of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod states that the objective of the Synod is
to “Provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors
... Provide protection for ... pastors ... in the performance of their
official duties ... [and] Aid in providing for the welfare of
pastors”; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod set as
one of its goals the preservation and protection of pastors
involved in parish ministry; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod take note of those congregations that
seem to have conflicts with their pastors and work with those
congregations to assure that they are operating under the guidance
of the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions, especially in
their relationship to their pastor, and that any internal conflict be
resolved before these congregations are issued a call list; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod through its Districts remain in close
contact with pastors, particularly those called to conflicted
congregations, with a view to intervening before any problems
arise or before such problems grow to such a size that they would
lead a pastor to request a call or even resign from his ministry;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Districts, when required to intervene in a
conflict between pastor and parish, not approach the conflict with
a view only of the appearance of peace, but rather with a view to
correcting the problems; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod develop educational programs for
congregations, not to be administered by their pastors, to help the
people of God in the parishes understand God’s plan for the
pastoral ministry.

St. John
Midland, MI

2-10

To Address the Mistreatment of Pastors

WtereAS, Difficulties between pastors and their congregations
are becoming increasingly apparent to synodical and District lead-
ers; and

Wtereas, Mistreatment, even abuse, of pastors by individuals
intent on driving pastors from the holy ministry or from a parish
has been well defined and documented by such authorities as Dr.
Kenneth C. Haugk. Dr. G. Lloyd Rediger, and Dr. Bruce Hartung;
and

WHEREAS, Such mistreatment may even result from a pastor’s
sincere attempts to maintain a theologically and confessionally

2001 Convention Workbook

sound position in an increasingly morally and religiously pluralistic
culture; and

WHEREAS, The mistreatment of spiritual leaders is neither
God-pleasing nor healthy for the church (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12—13; Heb.
13:17; 2 Tim. 4:14-18; 2 Kings 5:20-27; Amos 7:10-17; Jer.
28:10, 12-16; 2 Kings 2:23-24); and

WHEREAS, Mutual love under the Gospel is the ideal for all re-
lationships in the church; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod’s leadership, i.e., the President and
District Presidents, who have already expressed their concern, con-
tinue to pursue a thorough investigation of difficulties surrounding
the relationship between pastors and congregations; and be it fur-
ther

Resolved, That the Synod encourage the same leaders to con-
tinue to implement ways to prevent mistreatment of pastors and
their families, to achieve peaceful resolutions, and to promote a
spirit of mutual love, respect, and understanding between pastors
and congregations; and be it finally

Resolved, That congregations who persist in the mistreatment
of their pastors be dealt with according to the appropriate scriptural
and confessional principles, which require honor and respect of
pastors for the sake of their calling and their labor in the Lord.

Faculty
Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, MO

2-11

To Support Pastors’ Continuing Education

WHEREAS, The Clergy Shortage Study (CSS) indicates that 40
percent of the clergy of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are
severely to moderately depressed and are experiencing burnout;
and

WHEREAS, CSS research suggests that related concerns are dis-
couraging to those being recruited to the pastoral ministry; and

WHEREAS, CSS offers as one possible solution to the “clergy
shortage” solution 21B: develop creative solutions to problems of
providing parish leadership training; therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS, in convention, voice support for con-
tinuing education for pastors, their spouses, and congregations as it
relates to the pastoral office; and be it further

Resolved, That the efforts of the Synod’s Board for Higher Ed-
ucation (BHE), its universities and seminaries, the Commission on
Ministerial Growth and Support, and Lutheran para-church orga-
nizations like Stephen Ministries and Pastoral Leadership Institute
be commended for their service in helping pastors develop in their
serving; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod be directed to encourage continuing
education programs through such agencies for the benefit of the
clergy of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Concordia, San Antonio, TX; Gloria Dei, Houston
(Nasssau Bay), TX; Holy Cross, Mahwah, NJ; Lord of
Life, Leawood, KS

2-12

To Affirm Content of District President
Letter re Removal of Pastors

WHEREAS, The scriptural reasons for removing a pastor are per-
sistent adherence to false doctrine; leading a manifest, scandalous
life of sin; willful dereliction of his duty; and prolonged physical or
mental disability; and

WHEREAS, In the “tolerant and choice-oriented” mentality of
secular society, pastors who are guilty of one or more of the scrip-
tural reasons for removal are unlovingly being permitted to remain
in the pastoral office; and