LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 137

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MISSIONS , 137

Resolved, That the Board for Mission Services be directed to
promote as strongly as possible among all members of the Synod
(congregations and rostered members) the facts and implications
of this doctrine of Holy Scripture; and be it further

Resolved, That the Board of Directors be mandated to provide
funds for this purpose.

Shepherd by the Lakes, Syracuse, IN; St. John, Columbia
City, IN; Circuit 26 Forum, South Wisconsin District

1-16

To Affirm Mission 21st Century Response
to Great Commission

WHEREAS, God’s desire is that all be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) only
under the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12); and

WHEREAS, Our Lord has given to all baptized the opportunity
and responsibility to spread the Gospel (2 Cor. 3:2~—3) as part of the
priesthood of all believers, declaring the praises of Him who has
called us out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9); and

WHEREAS, The apostle Paul demonstrated both boldness and
compassion for those without Christ in a foreign culture (Acts
17:16ff); and

WHEREAS, from the time of the Reformation, Lutherans have
understood the Lord’s mission to “go,” “baptize,” and “teach” all
nations (Matt. 28:18—20), and as such, the Lutheran faith has been
a confessional faith in mission; and

WHEREAS, Our Lutheran forbearers in coming to the United
States, followed the example of Paul on Mars Hill (Acts 17:16ff)
and embraced the opportunity to be faithful in mission in a new
culture; and

WHEREAS, We in the LCMS “believe, teach and confess that the
primary mission of the church is to make disciples of every nation
by bearing witness to Jesus Christ” (Statement of Scriptural and
Confessional Principles, LCMS 50th Regular Convention, 1973),
as demonstrated not only in the 72 countries in which we have been
involved in mission outreach but also in the recent outreach efforts
of Pentecost 2000 resulting in 900-plus new cross-cultural min-
istries in North America; and

WHEREAS, Just as Paul and our Lutheran forbearers saw and re-
sponded to the culture of their day through faithfulness to God and
His mission, we too are presented today with opportunities to con-
tinue in faithfulness by witnessing in new cultures, among diverse
people/groups, and to a generation that embraces post-modern
thought; and

WHEREAS, Our convention theme, One Mission—Ablaze!, sets
before us God’s deep desire and passion to bring salvation to ail
people (Isaiah 49:6 b) calling us to act urgently in sharing the Good
News of Jesus Christ “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8); therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS, acting in convention, boldly affirm
that, in faithful response to the Great Commission and understand-
ing that our Lord has promised to always be with us (Matthew
28:20), we must be confessional and mission-minded in a world
that continues to change; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod, acting in convention, affirms the his-
torical Lutheran understanding of the priesthood of all believers
that God, through the work of His Son by the power of the Holy
Spirit, has made all believers “a royal priesthood to declare the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful
light” (1 Peter 2:5, 9); and be it further

Resolved, That each congregation and school within our Synod,
being led by the Holy Spirit through a determined study of the
Scriptures and prayer, understands that it is a mission outpost to all
the unchurched, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth;” (Acts 1:8); and be it further

Resolved, That fulfilling God’s mission today requires The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to expand the work we have
been doing in numerous cultures and among various people, to wit-

ness in various languages and to engage the post-modern culture;
and be it finally

Resolved, That fulfilling God’s mission today requires all enti-
ties of the church to prepare individuals to learn the cultures and
languages around us in order to equip all the saints (Eph. 4:12) for
mission and discipleship in a post-modern age, so that all honor
and glory is afforded our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who grows
His church (1 Cor. 3:6) as souls lost are won knowing that there is
only one name under heaven by which one may be saved and that
is the name of Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:9-11).

Board of Directors
Iowa District West

1-17

To Keep Mission and Doctrine Together

WHEREAS, There is a perceived division in our church body be-
tween those who are concerned about doctrine and those who are
concerned about missions; and

Whereas, A prominent publication in Synod (Jesus First) has
included articles distinguishing between “guardians” and “‘mis-
sionaries,” which may lead to the impression that these goals are
mutually exclusive; and :

Wuereas, The Eighth Commandment requires us to put the best
construction on the motives of others; and

WHEREAS, All Christian ministers and congregations are called
by Christ to keep His teachings pure (John 8:31; 1 Tim. 6:3-4), as
well as to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8);
and

WHEREAS, Just as devotion to medical knowledge makes a doc-
tor more effective at healing, so also devotion to doctrine makes
pastors and missionaries more effective at missions; and

WHEREAS, Many church/growth methods equate “missions”
with appealing to society with such practices as open Communion,
doctrinally deficient or man-centered music, unionistic and syn-
cretistic services, and women performing functions of the pastoral
office, all of which conflict with the teachings of Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention clarify that pure doc-
trine and mission outreach are not opposed to each other, but rather
go together hand in hand; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod reconfirm its commitment to the call
of Dr. A. L. Barry to both “keep the message straight” and “get the
message out”; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod encourage its members to avoid dis-
tinctions between concern for pure doctrine and concern for mis-
sions, but keep both in proper perspective and priority, realizing

- that teaching pure doctrine is the mission of Christ’s church.

Zion
Anderson, TX

1-18

To Affirm Unity of Mission and Pure Doctrine

WHEREAS, Our Lord teaches the close connection between pure
doctrine and making disciples in the last chapter of Matthew: “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you”; and

WHEREAS, Our Lord in Matt. 13 teaches that false doctrine, the
work of the devil, does not produce disciples: “The kingdom of
heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his
field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed
weeds among the wheat and went away . .. The weeds are the sons
of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil”; and

WHEREAS, Our Lord in John 8 teaches that His disciples are
those who abide in His Word of Truth: “If you abide in My word,