LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 455

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ADDITIONAL THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS—OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 455

heard when this sort of tension arises: “Tend the flock that is your
charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but
eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge but being ex-
amples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). When the pastor conducts
himself in such a manner as to create the impression that he is su-
perior to the royal priesthood, it is often the case that his little flaws
and mistakes are seized upon by the congregation and soon major
problems develop from minor issues. As we maintain a proper dis-
tinction between the royal priesthood and the pastoral office, we
must not turn the pastoral office into an office of congregational
domination or into a spiritual dictatorship. We will avoid this temp-
tation if we recall our calling to model the Master’s serving atti-
tude. By such service, persuasive and effective leadership is cre-
ated and sustained in a congregation.

Finally, the pastor must be a man of God in his parish. As I told
men who were new to Jowa District East when I was privileged to
serve there as district president, “Do not be afraid to be spiritual
with your people!” Nor can I emphasize this fact enough. They are
looking to the pastor for that kind of spiritual wisdom and leader-
ship. The spiritual character of the pastor must be evident, and must
be genuine. St. Paul outlined the qualifications for the man who
holds this office: “The overseer must be above reproach, the hus-
band of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hos-
pitable ...” (1 Tim. 3:2). By God’s blessing you will exercise the
wisdom and discretion required of the shepherd in his relationships
with the sheep.

Practical advice for pastoral ministry

When I served as president of Iowa District East, | developed a
list of practical considerations for pastoral ministry that I shared
with new pastors in our district. They reflect my own experiences,
as well as the experiences of many, many other brother pastors who
have spent years in the parish ministry. Here I now I will be speak-
ing to our pastors.

In working with the people of our congregations, we need to
begin where they really are, not where we think they should be. To
do otherwise is only going to create needless tensions and frustra-
tions, both for yourself and for your people. We should not view
our people as the enemy. If you view your people as the enemy or
as “alligators,” they will become more and more what you perceive
them to be. Do show a genuine attitude of acceptance toward your
people. People know and can sense when they are being accepted.
They know when they are not. Let your peopte know that you have
accepted them and love them, and that you realize how important
they are both to you and to God. Look for places where you can
praise and thank your people. Instead of focussing on the negative,
concentrate on the positive when you deal with people. Do not ex-
pect change overnight in your congregation. Lasting and real
change takes Jots of time, patience and careful ministry on your
part. Do not think that every idea you have is divinely inspired.
This is what 1 call the “God complex.” Recognize that the laity too
have many good ideas that may even be considerably better than
your own.

Legitimize and encourage creative thinking. When you have
been wronged, forgive, forget and get on with your work. Show in
your words and actions that you are a man of forgiveness. Do not
carry grudges. Admit when you are wrong. If an apology is in
order, then apologize. Learn genuinely to say, “I was wrong. I am
sorry. I want to apologize.” You will not lose by doing this, but
you will actually grow in stature with others. Keep the lines of
communication open between you and your people. Learn to lis-
ten—really to listen! Where the lines of communication are poor,
or have been broken, then take the initiative to make them better
and restore them.

Finally, and I believe you have heard me emphasize this before,
be a man in the Word and a man of prayer. Do not deprive your-

selves of the personal strength derived only from the Word of God
and the Sacrament. Take time——ample time—prime time—daily to
be in the Word of God and in prayer.

These are just a few thoughts that | know many of you discov-
ered to be true in your own ministry. It is good for us to remind
ourselves of these things. Next we turn to the pastor’s vision and
goals for his congregation.

The pastor’s vision and goals for the congregation

When a pastor leads a congregation, it is important that he es-
tablish for himself and his ministry a very clear vision and some
precise goals for his work in the congregation. Now I recognize
that some among us are concerned that as our Synod adopts “mis-
sion statements” or “vision statements” that somehow these, and
not our Scriptural and Confessional theology, will take precedent.
By no means am I suggesting that it should be this way. No, not at
all. We do need to recognize that it is all too easy for a pastor to
drift from year to year without any specific goals in mind for what
he wishes to accomplish in his congregation. [t is precisely for this
reason that I have been holding high before our Synod a fivefold
vision of what our Synod is, can be, and must be under the blessing
of God: a church body that is strongly in the Word, Christ-centered
and people-sensitive, reaching out boldly with the Gospel, faithful
to the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions and, finally, living in
peace and unity in the Lord. How I wish we had the time here today
for me to elaborate further on each of these five vision statements.
Perhaps I can here refer you to the LCMS President’s Office web
site where this fivefold vision statement is presented in much
greater detail. | invite you to visit: http://www.lcms.org/presi-
dent/vision.asp

There is absolutely nothing wrong, and so much that is nght,
about adopting one or more goals for yourself each year. It is im-
portant in this process that the goal or vision reflects the Master’s
goal and vision for His church. We should, in a very deliberate
manner, plan purposefully for the ministry of the congregation.
What specific things can we do to facilitate the preaching of the
Gospel among the people to whom we have been called? What
concrete steps can be taken to increase outreach and evangelism
efforts in the parish? What specifically can we do with our board
of elders to involve more people in the Sunday morning worship?
What specifically can we do to increase in the congregation a
hunger and a desire for the Lord’s Supper? What specifically can
we do to teach the truths of the Small Catechism? What specifi-
cally can we do for young families, the older adults, the children,
the young, the single, the sick, the hurting, those in need and on
and on? These sorts of questions are asked always in light of our
need to plan activities that facilitate the teaching and preaching of
the Word of God and the administration of the Sacraments.

Now, I recognize that it is all too easy to turn a congregation
into nothing more than a large social club. | have seen that hap-
pen—and that indeed is a danger. On the other hand, we do want to
be innovative, creative and plan purposefully. to involve as many
people as possible in programs of sound catechesis and education
in the Christian Faith. This is a lifelong need of all of our people.
Our pastors need to establish clear goals for their ministry and hold
high before the parish a vision of what Word and Sacrament min-
istry in a parish is all about. Gentle, patient, persistent, evangeli-
cal, pastoral leadership is the key here. The shepherd leads his
sheep patiently and carefully, not forcefully and harshly.

The pastor’s faithfulness to his Master’s call

in the third epistle of St. John we read, “It gave me great joy to
have some brothers come and tell me about your faithfulness to the
truth and how you continue to walk in the truth” (3 John 3). Since
this verse was addressed to the entire congregation of believers,
how much greater a responsibility for faithfulness does our Lord
place on the pastors. Our Lord desires on our part faithfulness to
His Word and to our calling as shepherds of the Master’s sheep.

2001 Convention Workbook