LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 43

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SYNOD REPORTS 43

Nationally, new missionaries were called to the United States,
one to campus students as a campus mission catalyst and one to
Atlanta to begin new missions among African Americans. A new
part-time national director of mission affiliates joined the National
Team to guide LCMS efforts in reaching new immigrants and peo-
ple with special needs. Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology is a
collaborative agreement with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and
LCMS World Mission. More than 120 leaders from new ethnic
groups in the United States have been involved in a process led by
both seminaries to become ordained pastors. In 2006, the two
worked together to place a new, full-time director to guide and lead
the EIIT program. Additionally, he coordinates the African Immi-
grant Ministry in the central region of the United States.

Balanced Focus Plan—Board Focus:

Develop vision and policies that stretch into the next generation and
reflect a worldview that acknowledges the unique challenges of the
twenty-first century and responds creatively.

The Board for Mission Services is tasked under the Bylaws of
the Synod with supervising the planning and implementation of
programs that will best utilize the Synod’s resources of people and
possessions. The board is constantly searching for information
from a variety of sources to creatively address the challenges of
mission work for the next decade. It is their desire to play an even
stronger role as advocates for world mission.

During the past triennium, the board initiated a request that led
to the Mission Support Unit of the LCMS Foundation coming
under LCMS World Mission as Development Services effective
July 2007.

Funding Trends for the 2004-2007 Triennium
2005 LCMS Giving to LCMS World Mission
Through Traditional Channels
(From the 2007 Lutheran Annual, p. 739.)
For every dollar put into an LCMS collection plate, LCMS World
Mission receives 0.3 cents for national and overseas mission work.

TO TOLCMS
OP vxon 2 worty MISSION
$23,055,031 po. $4,749,985
L7¢ O3¢

Over the past three years, annual support for LCMS World Mis-
sion has continued the shift toward individual, direct gifts. The tra-
ditional stream of support for LCMS World Mission through a
portion of congregational offerings is in a steep downward trend.
Funding strategies have shifted to address the change. The LCMS
World Mission Support team is increasingly working to solicit di-
rect gifts from individuals through personal contact, direct mail,
and telephone calling. Additional congregations are being recruited
for the Together In Mission (TIM) program, which enables them
to provide partial or full financial support of a missionary family.
An expanded mission projects emphasis is inviting schools, Sun-
day Schools and Vacation Bible Schools to provide specific field
support. Donor giving clubs are heavily promoted.

During the past triennium, donor response has grown an aver-
age of 7 percent each year. The majority of donors to LCMS World
Mission are age 70 and older. A continuing strategy addresses at-
tracting new and younger donors. Donor communications such as
electronic newsletters and new support opportunities such as on-
line giving connected to each international and national project are
proving attractive to more and more donors.

Fan into Flame

The worldwide goal of the Ablaze! movement is to reach 100
million unreached or uncommitted people with the Gospel by 2017.
How much money does it cost to share faith with someone else?
Truth be told, it doesn’t cost anything to tell others about Jesus and
to explain the Gospel hope that we have as Christians. It may take
some time. Occasionally, it may even take some courage. How-
ever, it generally doesn’t take any money.

New resources are required, however, in several areas that will
strengthen the Synod’s ability to share the Good News, such as
more missionaries in the field, new congregations throughout North
America, and creative Ablaze! projects in both congregations and
districts to encourage members to tell their friends and neighbors
about eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

History

The 2004 convention resolution that endorsed the $100 million
Fan Into Flame campaign, in its final “whereas” notes, “The op-
portunities that God has placed before us require additional re-
sources at the congregational, district, national, and international
levels.” What’s mote, the convention set additional goals—planting
2,000 new congregations in the United States, for example—that
do cost money.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is making an all-out ef-
fort to reach at least 100 million people with the Gospel by 2017.
We are reminding individuals of the privilege that they have to
“make disciples.” We are working through our districts and with
our partners worldwide to reach more people for God’s kingdom.
And we are raising $100 million over and above our annual mis-
sion budget to make a “quantum leap” for Ablaze!

Ablaze! and Fan Into Flame are not the same thing. Ablaze!, the
witnessing part, is a movement to reach 100 million people with
the Gospel. It is not neat, it is unprogrammed, it is Spirit-driven.
Fan Into Flame is programmatic. While we pray it may also be
Spirit-led and blessed, it is much more structured toward raising
funds in support of Ablaze!

Project Allocation

Just before He ascended, Jesus told his disciples that “you will
be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Using this model, Fan into
Flame is expected to make the following allocations:

¢

* “Jerusalem” (local)—Mission outreach through LCMS congre-
gations, $13.5 million.

* “Judea” (regional)——District mission outreach, $13.5 million.

« “Samaria” (national)—Help districts and congregations launch
new ministries, $5.5 million; missionary training in North Amer-
ica, $3.75 million; and revitalize existing congregations into “mis-
sion outposts,” $2.5 million.

New Ministries:

Jerusalem
Congregations 15

Judea
Districts 15

Samaria
National 20

Ends of the Earth
International 50

2007 Convention Workbook