LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 209

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PROGRAM AND FINANCE 209

Resolved, That beginning in 2007, The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod require all of its Districts to forward at least 33 per-
cent of their unrestricted gifts to the Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That during the next triennium, the Synod’s Board of
Directors be authorized to work with all the Districts that are not
now forwarding at least 33 percent of their unrestricted gifts to the
Synod, in order to develop strategies that would enable them to
make these contributions to the Synod in the near future; and be it
finally

Resolved, That the Synod consolidate any contiguous Districts
which (by the end of the next triennium) fail to pass on to the
Synod at least one-third of the unrestricted offerings they receive,
thereby eliminating duplication of District staff, allowing more of
the people’s offerings to be sent on to the Synod, and freeing up
more church workers for ministry at home and abroad.

Quincy Circuit Forum
Central Illinois District

4-06

To Continue Current Procedure for Synodical Funding

WHEREAS, The Minutes of the May 15-17, 2003, meeting of the
Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
state: “The Synod’s Board needs to be proactive in protecting the
Synod’s assets, fulfilling its commitments to others, and meeting
of the objective of the Synod according to its Constitution” [Min-
utes, p. 168]; and

WHEREAS, The Board resolved to “prepare a plan for reallocat-
ing the assets of the Synod to meet future needs and to manage its
liabilities more wisely” [ibid., p. 169]; and

WuerEAS, The Board of Directors has discussed the “option of
having money come directly to the Synod and [be] allocated to the
Districts” [ibid., p. 157]; and

WHEREAS, The determination of allocations by a central office,
far from the area directly affected, such as a District, would have
the potential of centralized control and a failure to react promptly to
perceived opportunities for ministry in the various Districts of the
Synod; and

WHEREAS, Synod by design was fashioned along lines which
were intended to provide a safeguard against centralization of
power and domination by ecclesiastical authority (cf. Moving Fron-
tiers, edited by Carl S. Meyer, 1854 Constitution, Art. IV C, p.
152); and

WHEREAS, The Districts of the Synod recognize and honor the
objectives for which the Synod was founded; and

WteREAS, The various Districts of the Synod also recognize the
necessity to support the work which the Synod carries out in their
behalf; and

WHEREAS, The various Districts of the Synod are more aware
of the opportunities that God has provided for ministry in their
areas than any group in the synodical office might be and thus are
in a better position than the synodical headquarters in St. Louis to
determine how funds should be allocated; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.163 states: “The Chief Financial Officer
shall administer the financial affairs of the Synod, excluding (em-
phasis added) the synodwide corporate entities, the Districts (em-
phasis added), and Worker Benefit Plans”; therefore be it

Resolved, To call the attention of the Board of Directors to the
exclusionary clause of Bylaw 3.163, which explicitly excludes the
option of the BOD allocating funds to the Districts from a central-
ized synodical treasury; and be it further

Resolved, That the Florida-Georgia District BOD express itself as
decisively opposed to any proposal to have funds first sent directly to
the synodical treasury and then be allocated to the Districts.

Board of Directors
Florida-Georgia District

4-07

To Direct Board of Directors re Funding the Mission

WHEREAS, A serious funding crisis exists within the Synod, the
causes of which are varied; and

WuereAS, Funding in the LCMS has always been controlled
from the “bottom up” (i.e., congregations fund their mission first
and the Synod funds its mission last); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention instruct the Board of
Directors as it seeks to resolve this funding crisis to honor and re-
spect such ministries as have been established at the congrega-
tional, District, and national level; and be it further

Resolved, That the Board of Directors develop policies which
limit our Synod’s dependence upon third-source funding in vari-
ous areas of ministry.

Trinity
Walnut Creek, CA

4-08

To Abandon Consideration of Efforts
to Centralize Finances

WHEREAS, The minutes of the May 15-17, 2003, meeting of the
Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod state,
“The Synod’s Board needs to be proactive in protecting the
Synod’s assets, fulfilling its commitments to others, and meeting
the objectives of the Synod according to its Constitution” (Minutes,
p. 168); and

WHEREAS, The Board resolved to “prepare a plan for reallocat-
ing the assets of the Synod to meet future needs and to manage its
liabilities more wisely” (ibid.); and

Wuereas, The Board has asked Vice-President—Finance Kuchta
to bring to its August meeting “a funding proposal that would result
in all money contributed by congregations being deposited with the
national Synod and then allocated to the Districts and other min-
istries of the Synod” (ibid., p. 157); resulting in having money
“come directly to the Synod and then allocated to the Districts”
(ibid., p. 157); and

WHEREAS, The Synod by design was fashioned along lines that
were intended to provide a safeguard against centralization of power
and domination by ecclesiastical authority (“Convention Proceedings
1847,” Heritage in Motion, ed. by August R. Suelflow, p. 6); and

WHEREAS, The individual Districts of the Synod are more aware
of the opportunities that God has provided for ministry in their area
and thus are in a better position to determine how funds should be
allocated; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Florida-Georgia District in convention ur-
gently request the Synod Board of Directors to abandon considera-
tion of efforts to centralize finances.

Florida-Georgia District

4-09

To Make Mission Emphasis
Number One Financial Priority

Wuereas, Christ commanded His disciples: “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fa-
ther and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-19);
and

WHEREAS, The 2001 national convention of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) passed Res. 1-01: “To ‘Tell the
Good News about Jesus’ ” that reaffirmed “the continuation of the
unprecedented outreach emphasis” (2001 Proceedings, p. 119); and

WHEREAS, The 2001 LCMS national convention of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod passed Res. 1-02: “To Be Pas-
sionate for Great Commission” (2001 Proceedings, pp. 119-20);
and