LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 70

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

70

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

tricts. I believe you and many others share this concern.
Close and careful coordination of work currently accomplished at the District- and national Synod-level is necessary for faithful stewardship of the precious resources
entrusted to our care.
• Theology and Church Relations — I am not alone in
my concern for purity in our theology and progress in our
efforts at deepening church relations where agreement
exists in doctrine and practice. I believe you and many
others share this concern. Our first constitutional objective is, “The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions, shall—1. Conserve and promote the unity of
the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its
official structure toward fellowship with other Christian
church bodies, and provide a united defense against
schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy … ”
(LCMS Constitution Article III). This is no small task in a
pluralistic, postmodern, multicultural society. But the
enormity of the task makes it even more imperative that
we address it, seeking our God’s leading, guiding, and directing in this vital area of our life together in the Synod.
• Program and Finance — I am not alone in my concern
for adequate funding of the mission of the Synod. I believe you and many others share this concern. The people of the LCMS will support a church focused on faithful
Gospel proclamation through Word and Sacraments, with
a passion for mission. I believe there exists a spirit of
openness to creative ways and means for doing so. In recent decades, gifts designated for a specific mission field
or ministry endeavor have flourished while undesignated
gifts have languished. In times of economic difficulty,
both designated and undesignated gifts have decreased,
regrettably resulting in reductions in all areas of national
Synod ministry, including the mission field. We must address the questions of in what ways, to what extent, and
with what resources we will continue to ask the national
Synod to be involved in leadership in mission and ministry.
• Higher Education — I am not alone in my concern
about and support for the recruitment, retention, and
general health of our Synod’s professional church workers. I believe you and many others share this concern and
support. The pastors of our Synod are highly educated individuals who frequently face circumstances and situations for which they are neither trained nor experienced.
Our educators are faithful servants, two-thirds of whom
have received no formal theological education. Many of
our pastors and educators are inadequately compensated,
some living at or near poverty levels. They serve in the
midst of people who are richly blessed and, under most
circumstances, are eager to be of service and in mission
with their people in meaningful ways. The fields are ripe
for the harvest! We must continue to address the recruitment, retention, and care of our professional church
workers.
• Human Care — I am not alone in my concern for the expression of Christ’s love through human care and world
relief, especially in times of national or world catastrophe. I believe you and many others share this concern.
2004 Convention Proceedings

We must continue faithfully and generously to address
ways and means of sharing the love of Christ with those
in need, particularly in ways that clearly demonstrate the
source of such faithfulness and generosity. “The love of
Christ constrains us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
• Structure, Planning and Administration — I am not
alone in my concern for church structure, planning, and
administration that enhance and do not inhibit the mission of the church. I believe you and many others share
this concern. Sooner or later our Synod must address the
complex, complicated and even sometimes seemingly convoluted system of church governance with and under
which we operate in our lives together in the Synod. We
must do so with proper and diligent concern for biblical
principles, balance of power, reduction of bureaucracy,
and facilitation of mission and ministry.
• Ecclesiastical Supervision and Dispute Resolution
— I am not alone in my concern for ecclesiastical supervision and dispute resolution that honors, respects, and
preserves the rights of members of the Synod while holding one another accountable to Holy Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions in an evangelical and fraternal
fashion. I believe you and many others share this concern. Especially in the past three years we have seen and
experienced the weaknesses and deficiencies of our system of ecclesiastical supervision and dispute resolution.
We must address this important part of our work and
walk together as members of the LCMS.
Suggestions for Floor Committee Consideration
Having summarized my perspectives on the state of the
Synod and having articulated areas of concern that need to
be addressed, I believe it is appropriate to offer general recommendations for floor committee consideration. This has
been the precedent set by synodical Presidents in the past.
I follow this precedent with the assurance of my absolute
trust and complete confidence in you, the leaders and members of the floor committees entrusted with the responsibility of forming and fashioning the resolutions to be presented to the convention of our Synod in the weeks ahead.
Here are a few general comments and recommendations
for your consideration as you undertake this significant responsibility.
Floor Committee 1
Missions
As mentioned above, the congregations of our Synod
have experienced a loss of approximately 350,000 baptized
members over the past thirty or more years. A couple of the
factors in this decline were the formation of the Association
of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in the 1970s and The
Lutheran Church—Canada in the 1980s.
However, these account for only part of an alarming decrease during a 30-year period, when the population of the
United States grew by 77 million, from 203 million to over
280 million people (now over 293 million). This decrease is
difficult to understand and impossible to accept, especially
when total annual congregational offerings today amount
to $1.3 billion!