LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 110

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110 SYNOD REPORTS

R7-05-05
English District

The English District will celebrate its 100th anniversary as an
LCMS district in 2011. “Igniting Christ’s Church in Mission,” the
English District seeks to be a servant, catalyst, partner, and missional
leader with our other 34 sister districts. By God’s grace and in the
strength of His Word, we want to help our Synod recapture our pas-
sion to grow in grace and number, seeking those who yet do not know
Jesus in our world. In the English District, our people worship the
Lord and have Bible study in 19 different languages across the
continent in 17 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario.

Rejoicing with our beloved LCMS, we are promoting our
Synod’s new Lutheran Service Book, its electronic hymnal, the de-
velopment of new hymns and spiritual songs, and our Synod’s
Ablaze! movement for finding and reaching the lost (Luke 15). Our
congregational members, pastors, teachers, and other professional
church workers are seeking to empower our congregations and
schools to cultivate relationships with those who yet are not part of
Christ’s family of grace and to intentionally lead them to our Lord
and His Church.

Our district has recently added a few new congregations and
celebrated the growth of many of our congregations and schools.
We are a highly eclectic district, having two very high churches,
liturgically, several of the finest congregations that use screens in
effective contemporary worship, and many that do both! The
largest congregation of our Synod, Hales Corners in Wisconsin, is
among our pacesetters. Another mega-church, Christ Church—
Lutheran, Phoenix, AZ, has been a leader in building our Synod’s
relationship with the Lutheran Church of Southern Africa and
Bishop David Tswaedi in the constructing of homes and churches
for families and children orphaned by the African AIDS/HIV pan-
demic. Another congregation, Christ, Lansing, MI, and our Toronto
area congregations have reached out mightily to immigrant
Africans with the Gospel of both words and mercy ministries. Still
another congregation, West Portal, San Francisco, has in the last
decade partnered with the planting of SF New Life Chinese
Lutheran Church and mentored the planting of a daughter school,
Hope Lutheran School of Daly City. And still another church and
school, Martin Luther Chapel and School in Pennsauken, New Jer-
sey, plants new ethnic and suburban missions and reaches out to
many financially poor children and families in neighboring Cam-
den. Our school enrollment in the 70 educational institutions of our
district (21 elementary, 48 early childhood, and 1 high school) has,
by God’s grace, grown in each of the past 6 years, even while total
Synod school enrollment has declined.

We praise and thank God for the faithful church workers of our
non-geographic district.

At the end of 2006, the English District numbered 161 congre-
gations and ministries, 277 rostered pastors, 70 schools with 371
teachers and administrators, 129 of which are rostered teachers. We
are blessed with outstanding deaconesses, DCEs, DCOs, church
musicians, and other church workers. We work hard at district
communication through bishop and staff, praesidium, and circuit
visitation; our English Channels newspaper; our Sycamorian
newsletter; Bishop-to-Bishop; and Lutheran School Portal and
Parish Services E-Note communiqués.

The 52nd convention of the English District in Schaumburg, IL
(June, 2006), was held under the theme “Hearts Ablaze—Sharing
the Savior’s Love.” The district gave thanks to God for the faithful
service of the Rev. Dr. David Ritt after nine years (term limits) at
the helm of the district. Dr. Ritt and wife, Carol, were honored and
toasted at the convention. Elected as president of the English Dis-
trict was the Rev. David P. Stechholz of San Francisco. The elected
praesidium includes First Vice-President John Stieve of Green Val-
ley, AZ; Second Vice-President Larry Vogel of Pennsauken, NJ,

2007 Convention Workbook

Third Vice-President Roger Ellis of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada;
Fourth Vice-President Martin Bangert of Muskego, WI; and Dis-
trict Secretary Robert Fitzpatrick of Elmhurst, IL.

The members of our board of directors span North America,
men and women of different backgrounds and ethnicity, but with a
beautifully collective heart for leading the lost to Christ. While the
district board operates with a policy-governance model, the laity
and professional church workers are empowered locally and con-
nected with the district staff and board.

The English District has committed itself to raising the bar in
our percentage of giving to the Synod for the overall mission of the
church, having increased over the past four years to 21%, as well as
blessing and empowering the local starting of new missions. A
stronger handle on revitalization of our urban congregations, in par-
ticular, is underway. Leadership, partnership, and strategic mission
and ministry plans are among the keys to resurrecting our previ-
ously declining congregations. School ministry and outreach are
also at the heart of our efforts.

New faces have appeared in the English District office in De-
troit, while recognizing that the English District consists of 161
mission outposts. In addition to President Stechholz, the executive
staff, all with great mission hearts, consists of Dale Lewis, LCEF
Vice President; Sally Naglich, Treasurer and Business Manager;
Tim Ewell, Parish Services/School Ministry; and, our new full-time
Missions Executive/Consultant, Rev. Dave Thiele. The support

. staff are four outstanding Christian women of huge dedication and

commitment!

Because we honor and uphold what we as a Synod believe,
teach, and confess as Evangelical Lutheran Christians, we pledge
ourselves to be faithful, focused, and fruitful. We pledge ourselves
to working “ablazedly” with our 34 sister districts in the LCMS,
with the LCC, and with the 97 agencies of the Synod and partner
work in Canada, the Czech Republic, Russia, South Africa, and
wherever the Lord of the harvest opens doors of opportunity. We
invite you to share our vision of not settling for plateaus in mem-
bership and ministry, raising up faithful, focused, and fruitful lead-
ers, and winsomely sharing the Good News even out of our comfort
zone in these early years of the twenty-first century.

David P. Stechholz, President

R7-05-06
Florida-Georgia District

“Striving side by side with one mind for the sake of the
Gospel.” Phil. 1:27

“Partnering in Christ to Ignite the World with Christ’s Love”
was the banner under which 800 church leaders gathered in three
outreach summits in February 2006. Bible study and worship
sought to emphasize how clergy and other professional church
workers were placed side by side with the laity to promote growth
in our congregations, both internally and externally. These three-
day summits provided multiple workshops to help us put our faith
into action more effectively.

The partnership theme has been central to the district staff’s
visitation program, which began in 2004. It has focused on one cir-
cuit at a time, with each congregation being visited by a district
staff member and followed by leaders from the circuit congrega-
tions gathering to share what congregations are doing well and
what they need help with. The circuit meetings seek to link con-
gregations and leaders with one another, that they may help one
another do a better job of mutual ministry. In conjunction with this
visitation program, professional workers gather to share with one
another and to study “The Barnabas Principle,” which helps them
discover ways to empower and encourage others for ministry. To