LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 4

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4 SYNODICAL REPORTS

¢ Alternate dates—May 13-14, 2005.

* Pentecost 2000+—An effort to begin 1,000 new cross-cultural
ministries in the LCMS. As of the writing of this report, 906 such
ministries have been identified. The face and shape of our country
have changed radically in the past few decades, with the emigra-
tion to the United States of millions from Africa, Asia, South
America, Central America, and other parts of the world. God is
bringing the world to our doorstep, presenting a very real and
quite challenging opportunity to reach these people from many
parts of the world with the precious Gospel of our Lord and Sav-
ior.

What a Way!—Recruiting and retaining professional church
workers in the LCMS in response to the critical need for such
leaders for the future of the Synod. The first-year class enrollment
at both seminaries for the 2003-2004 academic year is the highest
in 30 years! God be praised! Many challenges in this regard face
our Synod in the years ahead, with 50 percent of the pastors of
the LCMS currently within 10 years of retirement age.

For the Sake of the Church—An initiative begun prior to the
beginning of this triennium to raise an endowment of $400 mil-
lion to support the training of professional church workers and to
double the number of LCMS students in our 10 colleges and uni-
versities. Recent reports indicate a significant increase in LCMS
students at the schools of our Concordia University System. En-
dowment receipts, pledges, and planned gifts now total more than
$100 million in this huge endeavor. God be praised!

Next Generation Task Force—Of the teachers in our LCMS
schools, one-third are synodically trained and rostered, one-third
are Lutheran but not synodically trained and rostered, and one-
third are not Lutheran and, obviously, not synodically trained or
rostered. The report of this very important task force, appointed to
assist in encouraging and facilitating the theological education of
non-LCMS trained teachers in LCMS schools, is included in this
Convention Workbook. Delegates will be considering specific rec-
ommendations of the task force, which will be presented by the
floor committee(s) to which this report has been assigned.

Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ecclesiastical Supervision and
Dispute Resolution—Reviewing and making recommendations
for revising and improving the provision of evangelical supervi-
sion, counsel, care, and protection for congregations, pastors,
teachers, and other professional church workers and resolving dis-
putes among them. The recommendations of this very important
task force are included in its report in this Convention Workbook.
Delegates will be considering specific recommendations of the
task force, which will be presented by the floor committee(s) to
which this report has been assigned.

Funding the Mission Task Force—A joint committee of the
Board of Directors and Council of Presidents held meetings over
a period of approximately 20 months to review and recommend to
the Synod a strategy for funding the national synodical mission
and ministry. The unanimous recommendation of this task force
was shared with a number of District Boards of Directors, where
it was received with less than unanimous enthusiasm.

Subsequently, the Board of Directors developed an alternate plan,
sought and received input regarding it from the Council of Presi-
dents, which offered less than enthusiastic response. As a result of
District convention resolutions, the floor committee to which spe-
cific resolutions regarding funding the mission have been as-
signed will consider a number of alternative approaches to secure
adequate funding for our national mission and ministry.

Theological Convocations—To address the difficulties and con-
flicts that have surfaced within the Synod in recent years, includ-
ing the past triennium, I asked the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations, in consultation with the Council of Presidents,
to plan and conduct a series of theological convocations through-
out the Synod. The purpose of these convocations is to address
matters of concern and disagreement in the Synod on the basis of
Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, in an atmosphere of
mutual respect and fraternal dialogue. Convocations have now
been held in all 35 Districts of the Synod, with a second round of
dialogues to be planned and conducted in the next triennium.

2004 Convention Workbook

It is my hope and prayer that these brief summaries of specific
initiatives of the past triennium, all designed to strengthen our
Synod, its congregations, and individual members and to address
the statistical decline of our Synod during the past 30 years, will
be informative and helpful to convention delegates and congrega-
tions back home. By God’s grace, I pray that His great blessings
may abound in our midst, as our faithfulness to God’s Word and
Sacraments results in fruitfulness for His kingdom and His church.

Synodical Solidarity in the Midst of Synodical Conflict

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod celebrated its 157th
birthday on April 26, 2004. Although this date went largely unno-
ticed in many, if not most, of the congregations of the Synod, it is a
matter of rejoicing that God has chosen to shower upon this “syn-
odical union” (LCMS Constitution Preamble) His grace, mercy,
and peace since 1847.

During its history, the Synod has experienced varying degrees
of harmony, concord, and peace. Throughout the past three
decades, those blessings of our gracious God have been tried and
tested. Many of us remember with great sadness the conflict and
division in the mid-1970s. We thank God that our Synod, in spite
of the challenges of those years, was able to affirm and uphold the
centrality of the written Word of God, the Holy Scripture, as the
inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, “the only rule and norm
of faith and of practice” (LCMS Constitution, Art. ID).

In the past several years, however, including the past triennium,
divisiveness of other kinds has become manifest among us. It has
been obvious that not all in the LCMS are in total agreement re-
garding some matters of doctrine and practice. In addition, it seems
obvious that not all in the Synod are of one mind and spirit regard-
ing the way in which the Synod can fulfill God’s mission in the
world in a faithful and fruitful way. The following commentary will
illustrate the specifics regarding some of these differences of mind
and spirit.

Close Communion

In my travels across the Synod, I have not encountered dis-
agreement in the doctrine of what the Lord’s Supper is. With una-
nimity, we believe, teach, and confess the Real Presence of the
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, received in, with, and
under the bread and wine of Holy Communion, for the forgiveness
of sin, the strengthening of faith, and the assurance of life eternal
through faith in Christ. I do not believe that fundamental doctrinal
disagreement concerning what the Lord’s Supper is exists in the
LCMS.

At the same time, significant disagreement exists in the Synod
regarding the policies of admission to Holy Communion, namely,
who should be allowed or even encouraged to receive the Sacra-
ment at the altars of our LCMS congregations. Some believe that
all baptized Christians who believe in Jesus Christ, who are peni-
tent, who accept the Real Presence of our Lord’s body and blood,
and who desire to amend their sinful lives should be welcome at
our altars. Others believe that only members of LCMS congrega-
tions and congregations of other church bodies with whom the
LCMS is in altar and pulpit fellowship should be communed at our
altars, with no exceptions.

The official position of our Synod, which welcomes members
of LCMS congregations and congregations of church bodies with
whom we are in altar and pulpit fellowship, also understands this
policy to include “the necessity of exercising responsible pastoral
care in extraordinary situations and circumstances” in the com-
muning of “Christians who are member of denominations not in
fellowship with the LCMS” (1986 LCMS Convention Resolution
3-08). There is significant disagreement about what constitutes “‘ex-
traordinary situations and circumstances,” which some pastors and
congregations interpret very broadly and others quite narrowly.