LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 124

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124 SYNODICAL REPORTS

the Gospel message through relationships that have built relation-

ship opportunities to respond to Christ’s love for them.

Another area of growth has been in the number of licensed Dea-
cons. The Northwest District currently has 43 licensed Deacons
serving. Some serve as an assistant to a pastor in a congregation
but others serve, under the supervision of a nearby clergy, at a
small congregation that could not afford an ordained clergy. This
has contributed to the lowest number of vacant congregations in
the recent history of the Northwest District!

Other blessings include:

* a record number of students from the Northwest District at resi-
dential seminaries. We have 39 men training for the pastoral min-
istry this year.

*a monthly Circuit Counselors’ Conference call. Funds were not
available to bring all the Circuit Counselors together for a yearly
retreat. In light of that fact the Circuit Counselors (and Vice-Pres-
idents) “meet” with President Schumacher via the conference call
the last Tuesday of every month. The monthly hour-long confer-
ence call is a marvelous time of sharing information, support, en-
couragement, and open communication.

Foundational to all of these blessing is that people throughout
the District are praying. We began Prayer Partners in 2002 and now
have over 500 partners regularly praying for their District, the
Synod, those who do not know Christ, and other concerns. Prayer
retreats have begun through the efforts of CPR—Center for Prayer
Renewal—led by several District pastors.

Recent statistics are showing that there is growth in religious
activity in the West; specifically Christianity. From our perspec-
tive, we agree. People are discovering the Holy Spirit’s power in
their lives on a daily basis and being empowered to share the
Gospel message in natural, relational ways. The Lord has certainly
worked what could have been considered cutbacks and challenges
and used them for good and we pray His continued blessings.

Warren W. Schumacher, President

R7-05-24
Ohio District

Reclaiming The Mission: A Journey Of Miraculous Expectation

The focus in the Ohio District is mission and outreach. Re-
claiming The Mission: A Journey Of Miraculous Expectation is a
three-year theme launched at the 2003 District convention. The
congregation’s ministry is to nurture its own people and to reach
out to the lost and hurting. Every congregation is a mission out-
post—every congregation is the front line from which God’s peo-
ple reach out to the unchurched and “dechurched.” Raising up and
affirming congregations, members, and pastors with a passion for
the lost is the District priority.

African immigrant ministries in the Ohio District were launched
when Rev. Berhannu Ofgaa, an exiled Lutheran bishop from
Ethiopia, was received as an LCMS pastor through colloquy.
Working out of Columbus, Ohio, and Peniel congregation, he and
his flock have started new ministries in a number of Ohio cities:and
beyond. A renewed focus on church planting began when the Dis-
trict convention set this as a priority. This includes new mission
Starts, daughter congregations, and second campuses.

The Ohio District serves nine metropolitan areas in three states.
At the same time, rural ministries also make up a meaningful seg-
ment of the District. Rural ministries are especially unique because
so many of the next generation move out of their home area (and
congregation) in their search for jobs.

God’s people are generous in their support for the mission of
our Synod with their unrestricted gifts through Sunday morning of-
ferings, direct gifts by congregations and individuals to the semi-
naries and world missions and human care, and deferred gifts for
seminary training and world missions. In FY 2002, the people of
the Ohio District gave over $467,000 in direct gifts to our seminar-

2004 Convention Workbook

ies, world missions, and human care; another $497,000 for the
same causes was contributed as deferred gifts. In addition, the un-
restricted mission offering to the Synod was $367,290. At the same
time $166,000 has been absorbed annually in the District budget
as expenses which National Synod has transferred to the District
over the past 30 years.

The Code of Regulations (District Bylaws) have remained virtu-
ally unchanged since the District’s founding in 1965, but times have
changed, new needs have been identified, and demand for services
has increased. The 2003 District convention authorized a restructuring
and Bylaw revision which will simplify the structure, meet needs out
in the field more quickly, and increase accountability.

How a District staffs itself is also a concern for us. Moving
from a program model to a servicing, networking, and coaching
model requires staffing flexibility. While setting a ceiling on the
number of executive staff, the 2003 District convention authorized
a move towards more flexibility in staffing assignments and ac-
countability and the development of a mission and ministry facili-
tator model, which allows for more hands-on support with part- or
full-time deployed workers in the various geographical regions.
Rev. Jim Herndon, a retired navy chaplain, became our first MMF
serving congregations and workers in northwest Ohio.

Urban ministry remains a challenge. City schools are struggling
as they seek adequate funding and qualified teachers. Urban con-
gregations have been in decline as their numbers drop and costs in-
crease—and yet they are often situated in densely populated areas
with many unchurched people. But new beacons of hope have
arisen in the form of Building Hope In The City under the leader-
ship of Rev. Jeff Johnson of Trinity (on the west side of Cleve-
land), and in an older congregation as Rev. Richard Kurth under-
takes a transformational ministry at St. Mark (on Pearl Road in
Cleveland). Urban schools are dear to the heart of our education
director, Gordon Stuckert, as he finds resources and models for
schools to develop their own annual financial appeals, works with
school boards and administrators on functional school board gov-
ernance, and guides congregations in paying adequate compensa-
tion to their teachers. He also recently launched a support network
for urban principals. Ministerial health also remains a priority—
healthy, functioning church workers and their families are an es-
sential part of effective ministry in a world affected by terrorism,
high anxiety, and joblessness.

The Ohio District Church Extension Fund has grown to a $41
million endeavor, offering loans to congregations, schools, and pro-
fessional church workers. Deferred gift planning is carried out
through a partnership with the LCMS Foundation. Since the pro-
gram began under Pat Bilow, 149 new donors have made over $10
million in irrevocable gifts and $20 million in revocable gifts des-
ignated for congregations, educational institutions, world mission,
world relief, social ministry, the Synod, and our District.

The District office building was an old funeral home which was
acquired in 1965. The building was not handicapped accessible, the
roof leaked, and the heating and air conditioning system was falling
apart. In April, the newly renovated building was dedicated. The
$1.3 million cost was donated by congregations and individuals in
over-and-above gifts over a three-to-five year period.

“Hello, Ohio District Mission Support Center!” is the recep-
tionist’s telephone greeting at the District office. Those who work
out of the office support and serve the congregations, schools, and
professional church workers as they reach out with one another into
their communities. The shift has taken place: the District is not the
source of endless programs which do not work, but it is there to
strengthen and support God’s people in their tasks.

Ronald L. Bergen, President