LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 345

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 345

What are we to make of these contrasting lines of thought as we
“reflect on the role of Christian care in the overall life of the Chris-
tian community”?

Some Scenarios

The following scenarios are described to help people reading
and studying this report to think about the issues in a concrete way.*
The goal is that, on the basis of the biblical, theological reflection
offered in this report, pastors and members of congregations will
be able to assess the questions raised by the scenarios in a helpful
way. At the end of this document the scenarios are once again pre-
sented along with further discussion questions and references to
previous relevant sections.

1. A Parish Nurse Program

A group of congregations is deliberating whether to make funds
available to hire a full-time registered nurse to implement health-re-
lated programs in the congregations. The proposed plan is that this
person would do the following: keep tabs on members of the con-
gregations whose health needs are perhaps not being met in a sat-
isfactory way; conduct wellness classes for interested members;
help members interact effectively with their physicians and hospi-
tals; and in a limited way, make available some basic health care to
people in need who live in range of the participating congregations.

Some persons in the congregations welcome this proposal as a
sign that the church will finally be living the Gospel in a concrete
and visible way. Others are critical of the proposal because they
fear that it will obscure the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins
through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They also
assert that the money involved would be better spent to support
missionary proclamation, either locally or in a part of the world lit-
tle touched by the Christian Gospel.

How should we think about these reactions to this proposal?

2. A Day Care Center Program

A medium-sized congregation is considering whether to estab-
lish and staff a day care center for preschool children. Many fami-
lies both inside and outside the congregation need day care. Mem-
bers are suggesting that the proposed center would meet a genuine
human need, put children in a better environment than might be
found in some secular centers, and provide a way that unbelievers
would become better acquainted with the Christian community.

Many in the congregation are enthusiastic about the plan, but
some are worried that people might become confused about the es-
sentials of the Christian mission.

What do you think? How is this proposal similar to or different
from a proposal to establish a Lutheran elementary or high school?

3. A Food Pantry

A small congregation maintains a food pantry for people unable
to secure sufficient resources for their own or their families’ meals.
Since the pastor is the only person present at the church on a regu-
lar basis, he is the primary contact person for people bringing food
and for those who volunteer to staff the pantry at designated hours.
He also usually receives food pantry inquiries outside the desig-
nated hours. Since most members of the congregation work full-
time, getting sufficient volunteers for the program is an ongoing
challenge.

For the most part, the congregation is glad to sponsor this pro-
gram, but some complain that it takes too much of the pastor’s time
away from his other tasks.

You have been asked to meet with the congregation and the pas-
tor to discuss the project. What will you bring to the discussion?

4. Faith and Works

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has brought together
persons committed to human care ministries from all of its Dis-
tricts. At the meeting one presenter offers some comments in light
of James 2:17—“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

The speaker reports: “A year-long study conducted by Search
Institute on ‘Congregations at Crossroads: A National study of
Adults and Youth in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’ con-
cluded that our church ‘needs to increase its efforts to help mem-
bers make the connection between the church’s teachings and the
way Lutherans live out their daily lives’ (Reporter, October 1995).
Out of approximately 1800 adults and 500 teens from 163 congre-
gations, the majority of those surveyed felt their congregations did
not show love and concern for people in their community. Only
22% of the adults and 19% of the youth believed that their congre-
gations demonstrated this Christian care. More believed their
churches helped their own members, 36% of adults and 35% of
youth, but these numbers reflect the sense that congregations are not
living out the call to “bear one another’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2).
Dr. Peter Benson of the Search Institute reported that ‘cerebral faith
in the LCMS strongly wins out over the faith of the heart... those
studied were strongest in trusting and believing, weak in acting,
serving, experiencing the fruits of faith’ (Reporter, March 1996).
He says further that most survey respondents indicate that their con-
gregations do not exhibit the characteristics that distinguish the
‘faith-enhancing congregation’ (Reporter, October 1995).”

The speaker concludes: “America’s secular welfare system is
collapsing, religious sponsorship of institutions is declining expo-
nentially, trust in the decisions of the political process is nearly
non-existent, the fastest growing industry is crime and crime con-
trol, family life has disintegrated, and poverty and hopelessness
exist in the midst of abundance. Ours is a world groaning for a
uniquely Christian response that incorporates the words of Christ
into tangible Christian care.”

You are one of the participants and are now in a small group in
which the speaker’s presentation is to be discussed. What would
you think important to bring to the discussion?

5. A Low-Income Housing Project

Several congregations in the heart of a large urban center are
proposing to work together with the federal government to build
and administer a system of housing aimed to encourage low-in-
come, but self-sufficient people in the city to take on the challenges
of home ownership. The congregations will not be undertaking
large financial obligations, but they are proposing that the pastors
of the several congregations work together with government offi-
cials to administer the program.

Many in the congregations are delighted to see the church ad-
dressing a significant social need, but some are warning that pastors
ought not be distracted from their central calling of preaching the
Gospel.

How should we think about this proposal?

6. Serve God at the Homeless Shelter

Several members of a congregation are vocal in their criticism
that the members are “too focused on themselves” and “not suffi-
ciently committed to addressing human need.” They propose that
one Sunday each month the congregation should suspend usual
worship and gather instead to staff the Sunday meals program at
the local homeless shelter.

How would you respond to these members’ concerns and pro-
posal?

7. Allocating the Congregational Budget

Several influential members of a congregation have agreed to-
gether to propose that. from now on, fifty percent of the congrega-

2001 Convention Workbook