LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 90

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90 SYNOD REPORTS

* Funds remaining from the grant were used to provide a book enti-
tled, The Relationship Cure, to all of the principals of LCMS
schools.

— Continuing Education—remains a vital component in the
pursuit of the proclamation of the “One Message: Christ.” A great
number of LCMS professional ministers are participating in “Contin-
uing Education” at many different levels. The CMGS is working with
the Board for Pastoral Education and other departments to promote
development of an individual “Vocational Learning Plan” by every
professional minister. Ideally, this would involve concepts from

1, our doctrine of vocation;
2. insights from the worlds of vocational/career/education theory;
3. basic theory and best practices of adult education; and

4. the applicable concepts from current theories regarding “learning
phases.”

More can be learned about the importance of continuing
education for church workers through essays on the topic at
cmgs.lcms.org. Here you’ll also find the form for developing an in-
dividual Professional Growth Pian. It’s an instrument offered to help
church workers serve the Lord faithfully, competently, and joyfully.

Looking to the Future

Targets for the future have been identified in this report along
with the discussion of each action team, but two additional pilot
projects are worthy of specific attention.

— Equipping Congregations for Their Role with First-Call
Pastors—The CMGS is pursuing opportunities to work with the
Partners In Caring arm of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska
Inc., and the LCMS Nebraska District, as they develop techniques
for improving transition to ministry. The desire is to further equip
Nebraska congregations receiving “first-call” pastors for their
unique role in the inauguration of healthy pastoral careers. Re-
sources provided to congregational leaders will include a resource
manual and Bible Study discussing the challenges and opportuni-
ties facing “first-call” pastors and the congregations they serve, a
conference at which they will discuss expectations, learn commu-
nication skills and network with other lay leaders and district/
Synod officials, and ongoing consultation.

— Our Church Workers and Their Families: Enhancing Vo-
cational Development and Personal Well-Being— This is the name
of the pilot project being pursued in the Southern District (with po-
tential in one or two other districts). The purpose of this pilot min-
istry (projected to begin in November 2007) is to enhance the
provision of vocational development and personal well-being services
to church workers and their families. The project activities are carried
forth through the recruiting and equipping of regional vocational
“self-directed work teams” that will develop pertinent initiatives for
the support of church workers and their families. Through such re-
gional self-directed work teams, vocational needs are identified, effi-
cient models of support services are developed, unique resource
partnerships are created, and essential support services are better pro-
vided. The project serves to better leverage the creativity and resource
potential across the church, the communities, and families, in facili-
tating the fullness of life obtained through Jesus Christ, as unique
models of excellence are developed and implemented.

Final Note

This report identifies many programs, initiatives, and projects,
with proposals for still more in the cause of ministerial growth and
support. The efforts are primarily for one reason, namely so that
the “One Message: Christ’s Love” may be proclaimed. Of course,
we love and care for individual people who serve as professional
ministers. That’s what Christians do, but as a church body, we are
about the goal to proclaim Christ’s love, and the condition of well-
ness among professional ministers impacts that proclamation.

2007 Convention Workbook

If we are truly concerned about ministerial wellness, and, addi-
tionally, the condition of wellness in the body of Christ, we’re
going to have to start paying attention to the health of the relation-
ships. I’m speaking about the relationships among professional
ministers, and between professional ministers and the lay leader-
ship of congregations. The condition of these relationships will
have a definite impact on our proclamation of the “One Message:
Christ’s Love.” Some of the studies presented above identified the
prevalence of conflict in the parish lives of those ministers who left
parish positions. Conflict among members of the body of Christ
does not bear appropriate witness to Him who is the Resurrection
and the Life, and adversarial environments do not tend to produce
an urge to invite another to “Come and See” (John 1:46).

My prayer is that God will continue to bless the efforts of every-
one involved in any way with Ministerial Growth and Support, and
that He would particularly bless us as we pursue an environment
in our church body of “Relational Vitality” experienced in the spir-
itual wholeness, mental vigor, and exuberant strength of face-to-
face relationships characterized by mutual trust, kindness, and
loyalty; people in such relationships disapproving of and shedding
angry, arrogant, rude, and self-seeking, unforgiving behavior.

; Herbert C. Mueller Jr., Chairman
David A. Muench, Executive Director

Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support—
Convention Report
LCMS Convention 2007

Exhibit A

Common Threads in the Three Studies of Parish Professionals
Who Left Parish Ministry

1. Major conflict in their last congregation was cited by 30-40%
of each sample and accounted for most of the involuntary termi-
nations

Percentage of Respondents
Citing “Major Conflict” in
Last Congregation Served

Pastors (2002) 42
Teachers (2003) 33
DCEs (2004) 29

(The top two areas of conflict commonly cited were “pastoral lead-
ership style” and “finances.”’)

2. A variety of stressors, including boundary issues, were com-
mon to all three samples, though more pronounced for
teachers because of gender and family situations

Percentage of Each Sample Responding .. .

Pastors Teachers DCEs
Experienced stress because of
the challenges they faced in
that congregation/school. 57 59 61

Often felt lonely/isolated in their

work. 57 37 43
Felt their work in the

congregation often did not

permit them adequate time

with their family. 35 56 31