LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 20

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20 SYNODICAL REPORTS

¢ To be in mission is to recognize the magnitude of the task.
There are many risks—personal and corporate, physical and emo-
tional. To claim Christ’s Commission is also to claim His assur-
ance: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
... And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the
age.” We can be faithful in mission because God has been, is now,
and will be faithful to us.

Confessional and missional

The Task Force recognizes that being confessional and mis-
sional is a difficult responsibility. Being confessional is to present
the truth of the Gospel without compromise. Being missional is to
be willing to engage cultures that are different from us—not only
non-Christian, but potentially anti-Christian. To do so will chal-
lenge us to “give the reason for the hope that we have” with “gen-
tleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

* To be in mission is to use proven mission strategies. The
international mission and national multiethnic mission endeavors
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have been successful
through use of intentional strategies. These have revolved around
four components: Learn the culture ... learn the language ... train
the leaders ... grow the mission. The Task Force urges wider use of
these strategies in North America, not just among immigrants but
among the unchurched culture of our communities. They are strate-
gies for every congregation and every individual.

¢ To be in mission is to be aggressive. The urgency of the mis-
sion calls us to reach out to the unchurched, not just by opening the
doors of our sanctuaries, but by going out from our sanctuaries into
the marketplace. Awareness of the communities where we minister
will allow us to apply mission strategies. These strategies call for us
to speak of our faith among people who don’t believe in the Bible,
who distrust institutions, who regard time as more valuable than
money, who seek meaningful personal relationships, who have no
concept of sin or hell, and who have no sense of need for the Sav-
ior or the church.

* To be in mission is to be diverse. The faces of American so-
ciety will change dramatically in the next decade as populations of
Asian, Hispanic, African, and Middle Eastern descent grow. We
can no longer describe ourselves as German Lutherans but as
Lutheran Christians. Our congregations cannot be museums. In-
stead, they can thrive as centers where people are invited in and
welcomed to discover and love the relationship with God as people
adopted and justified through the Savior Jesus Christ, and then be
sent out again in mission.

* To be in mission is to be cooperative. We have no time to
study and recommend new organizational structures. The urgency
requires us to cooperate now in creative ways, tapping all the avail-
able energies and resources of our congregations, Districts, col-
leges, seminaries, and agencies. There also is strong evidence that
the people of the Synod believe that infighting and bickering, the
lack of cooperation, will hinder our mission.

Laity as missionaries

Mission is not someone else’s job. It is everyone’s responsibil-
ity. It is part of Christian vocation. “You show that you are a letter
from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with
the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of
human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:3). The Mission 21st Century Task Force
affirms that this Synod of congregations needs to free, empower,
encourage, and equip laity to live as missionaries both locally and
globally.

* To be in mission is to be creative. Small rural and urban con-
gregations are learning to form partnerships that reach across tra-

2004 Convention Workbook

ditional congregational, District, and geographical boundaries. We
are now experiencing many exciting examples of how this is hap-
pening. Theological education is taking innovative approaches
through efforts such as Distance Education Leading To Ordination
(DELTO), the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, and the His-
panic Institute of Theology. This is only the beginning as we call
on the Holy Spirit to lead us in discovering new strategies to tap
strengths, address needs, and provide mutual support for mission
in North America and around the world.

* To be in mission is to train lay missionaries. At least 18 syn-
odical Districts now provide lay leadership training programs to
broaden the ministries among their congregations. They tap the in-
structional expertise of our colleges and seminaries, along with “‘prac-
tical” mentoring experiences with professional workers. Some of
these lay leaders are immigrants who use their training to grow Word-
and-Sacrament ministries among their people. Other laity are helping
to plant congregations, visit the sick and shut-ins, and carry on certain
ministries where congregations do not have a pastor. The Task Force
encourages the expansion of these leadership training efforts.

* To be in mission is to work in partnerships. During the past
decade, the congregations, Districts, and national offices of the Synod
have formed new partnerships that transcend jurisdictional boundaries
to address emerging ministries. For example, FRONTERA is a part-
nership of four Districts and North American Mission to address min-
istry among people living along the Mexican border. The People of
the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO) missionary society, North
American Mission, and Districts are addressing ministry among Mus-
lim people. The Apple of His Eye organization works with North
American Mission and congregations to reach Jewish people. Har-
vesters for Christ are laity who travel to other congregations to assist
with community outreach. These and other partnerships stimulate us
to think in new ways about mission outreach.

Congregations as missionary outposts

Being in mission is not the task of the Synod, not even of the
Districts (although they are on the front in mission in North Amer-
ica). As the mission field expands, the mission begins at home, in
congregations. The Task Force strongly encourages every congre-
gation to see itself as a missionary outpost.

* To be in mission is to see our communities as mission
fields. This calls for congregations to intentionally look around
their communities with missionary eyes. It calls for awareness, the
vision that sees people who are without Jesus Christ in their daily
lives and who are without the communion of saints. It calls for
classes and Bible study that not only discover the tools for evan-
gelism but rediscover the very tenants of our faith. It calls for a
“can do!” attitude that identifies congregational and individual
strengths that can be tapped for Gospel outreach. As pastors and
laity work together, they cast a far wider vision and passion for
mission that utilizes time, talent, and treasure.

* To be in mission is to use resources. As missionary outposts,
congregations have a wide array of tools and resources. Among
them is the demographic information available from city depart-
ments, county offices, and school districts. District staff are avail-
able to help them revision their mission and ministry. Lutheran
Church Extension Fund offers demographic information and ser-
vices for strategic ministry planning. Social service agencies, par-
ticularly Lutheran agencies, are well aware of community needs
that can be addressed. The congregation is not alone in this mis-
sion; each is encouraged to build its own partnerships as a mission
outpost. As missionary outposts, they are free to partner with con-
gregations, Districts, national offices, colleges, seminaries, and
other LCMS agencies to explore and undertake mission in their
communities.