LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 133

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1. MISSIONS

1-01

To Commend Emphasis on “One Message,
One Mission, One People”

Wuereas, President Kieschnick and other leaders in the Synod
have used the theme ‘“‘One Message, One Mission, One People” to
encourage our entire church body toward a stronger zeal for mis-
sion outreach, evangelical confession, and efforts to achieve peace
and concord in our midst; and

Whereas, This appeal expresses the heart of what it means to
be Christ’s people in mission; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention endorse and respond
enthusiastically to this appeal, encouraging our brothers and sisters
throughout the LCMS to do the same.

Christ Our Savior, Coppell, TX; Board of Directors, Texas
District, King of Kings, Omaha, NE; Family of Faith,
Houston, TX; Trinity, Roselle, IL; Gloria Dei, Houston, TX

1-02

To Endorse and Financially Support
“One Message, One Mission, One People”

WHEREAS, President Kieschnick and other Synod leaders have
used the theme “One Message, One Mission, One People” to en-
courage our entire Synod toward a stronger zeal for people, mis-
sion, outreach, evangelical confession, and efforts to achieve peace
and concord in our church body; and -

WHEREAS, This appeal expresses the heart of Christ’s ministry;
therefore be it

Resolved, That we endorse and financially support this ministry
direction for our church body ard respond enthusiastically to this
appeal, encouraging our brothers and sisters throughout the LCMS
to do the same.

Redeemer
Austin, TX

1-03

To Establish Ablaze! National Goals

Wuereas, LCMS World Mission has set a goal of working with
national and international partners to share the Gospel world-wide
with 100 million unreached and/or uncommitted people by the
500th anniversary of the Reformation (Luke 24:45—49); and

Wuereas, LCMS World Mission has set a national goal of shar-
ing the Gospel with 50 of the 100 million unreached and/or un-
committed people (Acts 1:8); and

Wuereas, LCMS World Mission has set the goal to begin 2,000
new congregations by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation;
and

WHEREAS, The Board for Mission Services has assigned to the
Associate Director for National Missions and his staff that task of
working with partners on the national level to implement the na-
tional goal of sharing the Gospel with 50 million unreached and/or
uncommitted people; and

WHEREAS, The Board for Mission Services has established an
Advisory Group for National Outreach to serve as “a catalyst and
advocate. for igniting mission movements on the national level
through partnerships at all levels”; and

Wrereas, A united effort from all levels of the Synod (individ-
uals, congregations, schools, Districts, colleges, universities, sem-
inaries, auxiliaries, RSOs, synodical boards, corporate entities, mis-
sion societies, and Synod departments) is needed to accomplish the
Ablaze! goals; and

WHEREAS, One of the best ways to reach new people and groups
is to start new congregations; and

Wuereas, One of the best ways to reach one person is through
what has been identified as the critical event; and

133

Wuereas, The critical event is when one Lutheran Christian gives
witness about Jesus of the hope that is within him or her to another
person so that person may encounter Christ; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod, in convention, affirm the national
goal of reaching 50 million unreached and/or uncommitted people
with the Gospel; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod, in convention, set a national goal to
begin 2,000 new congregations by the 500th anniversary of the Re-
formation; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod, in convention, requests of the Synod
(individuals, congregations, schools, Districts, colleges, universi-
ties, seminaries, auxiliaries, RSOs, synodical boards, corporate en-
tities, mission societies, and Synod departments) to work with the
national mission office to accomplish these goals.

Board of Directors, Iowa District West; Board of Directors,
Southeastern District

1-04

To Commit to $100 Million Ablaze! Fund-raising Effort

Whereas, God has brought to our shores large numbers of peo-
ple who have no saving faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ;
and

WHEREAS, Many of these people are asking for help, are asking
for opportunities to hear the Good News about Jesus; and

WHEREAS, Population shifts within our country place a heavy
responsibility on our Synod to find new and better ways of serving
our existing congregations as well as ways of opening new congre-
gations in areas where the population is growing; and

WHEREAS, The peoples of the world are crying out for a mes-
sage of freedom and hope, of peace and joy, of forgiveness and rec-
onciliation, and we know that this message can find fulfillment
only in Jesus; and

WHEREAS, The two-thirds of the world’s population that has no
faith in Christ lives in countries where active hostility to Christian-
ity is growing, and so action must be taken at once if people are to
hear the Gospel; and

WHEREAS, The Board for Mission Services of our Synod has put
before our congregations the Ablaze! challenge of celebrating the
500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 by sharing the Good
News of Jesus with 100 million people between now and then; and

WHEREAS, Lack of resources at the congregational, District, na-
tional, and international levels has limited our ability to respond to
the outreach opportunities that God has placed before us; and

WHEREAS, This convention has as its theme One Mission—
Ablaze!, emphasizing our Synod’s commitment to make evange-
listic outreach its first priority; and

WHEREAS, Trinity Lutheran Church, formed in 1839, and served
by Pastor C. F. W. Walther, the first President of our Synod and
himself an immigrant to America, has maintained Dr. Walther’s
emphasis on the need for all people to hear the Gospel and the re-
sponsibility of all members of the congregation to share the Gospel
themselves and to support those who share the Gospel in their be-
half; therefore be it

Resolved, That Trinity Lutheran Church, urge The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod in convention assembled to accept the
challenge of Ablaze! and commit itself under God’s guidance to
the task of working together to share the Good News of Jesus with
100 million people by the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in
2017; and be it further

Resolved, That the staff of the Board for Mission Services be
charged to work with the synodical Districts in North America and
with our partner churches around the world to urgently bring for-
ward plans to strengthen the evangelistic outreach of existing con-
gregations and to share the Good News of Jesus in areas and among
people where the name of Jesus is not yet known; and be it finally

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, in con-
vention assembled, commit itself to support the major fund-raising