LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 55

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Part I

• “Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that
there be no schisms among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Introduction and Welcome to Delegates
to the 63rd Regular Convention
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

• Jesus prayed, “… also for those who will believe in Me
through their [the disciples’] message… That they may all
be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You…. That they
may be one just as We are one… May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and
have loved them even as You have loved Me.” (John
17:20–23)

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world
and Lord of the universe, through whom alone we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!
Welcome, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to the 63rd
Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod. It is my privilege to share with you this first portion of
the report of the President of the Synod to this very important Synod gathering.
The report of the President will be presented in four parts:
• Part I is the written report you are now reading, printed
in the 2007 Convention Workbook. Also included as a supplement to Part I is a Special Lawsuit Report.

One Mission—To Seek the Lost for Christ
• For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
(Luke 19:10)
• The Lord says: “It is too small a thing for you to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of
Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the
earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

• Part II will be presented orally at the initial meeting of the
convention floor committees, to be held in St. Louis, May
18–21, 2007. It will also be posted on the LCMS convention Web site following its actual presentation on May 18.

• You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

• Part III will be presented orally at the convention on Sunday, July 15, 2007.

One Message—Jesus Christ Is the Savior
of the World

• Part IV will consist of a question-and-answer session at the
convention, also on Sunday, July 15, 2007.

• There is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

It is my hope and prayer that your service as a delegate to
this triennial convention will be a blessing to you, to the congregations, and to the individual members of the Synod.

• There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among mortals by which we must be
saved. (Acts 4:12)

The Vision for The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod

• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who
reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, not counting mankind’s sins against them. And He has committed to
us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17–19)

It is also my hope and prayer that your involvement in
this convention will be instrumental in the accomplishment
of a vision for our Synod that the delegates to the 2004
convention resolved to “endorse and respond enthusiastically to … encouraging our brothers and sisters throughout
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to do the same.”
That vision is articulated as One Mission, One Message,
One People.
Holy Scripture is replete with biblical references regarding the Vision of ONE, especially our oneness in Christ:

One People—United by God’s Love in Christ Jesus
• Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy
of the gospel of Christ . . . stand firm in one spirit, with one
mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1:27)
• Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you
were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord,
one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3–6)

• And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure … to bring all things in heaven
and on earth together under ONE head, even Christ.
(Ephesians 1:9–10)
• Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you
were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord,
one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3–6)

• Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep
pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice,
and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)
Succinctly stated, this vision anticipates the congregations, pastors, and commissioned ministers, of our Synod
working together to achieve the One Mission given by God,
that of seeking people who without faith in Christ will be lost
eternally, by proclaiming the One Message given by God, that
Jesus Christ alone is the Savior of the world, as the One Peo-

• “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called with
all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing
with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–6)
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2007 Convention Proceedings