LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 144

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144 DISTRICT AND CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

Resolved, That the following revision of Bylaw 3.8.6.1 be
adopted:

PRESENF/PROPOSED WORDING
The Board for District and Congregational Services shall
consist of eight members to be elected by the Synod in conven-
tion:
1. Two ordained ministers (one of whom must be currently
serving as a parish pastor)
2. Two commissioned ministers (one of whom must be cur-
rently serving in a congregation or butheran-seheottearh-ehHd-

3. Feue Two laypersons
4. Two at-large members
and be it further

Resolved, That these changes be incorporated in the election
process of the 2007 convention.

Board for District and Congregational Services

2-17

To Celebrate Significant Synod Anniversaries

WHEREAS, Significant anniversaries for The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod will occur in the next triennium; and

WHEREAS, These include the 200th birthday of Wilhelm Loehe
in 2008 and the 200th birthday of Friedrich Wyneken in 2010; and

WHEREAS, Planning for the 200th birthday of C. F. W. Walther
in 2011 would need to be made in the next triennium; and

WHEREAS, These three men were, above all others, the most sig-
nificant individuals for the foundation of our Synod in 1847; there-
fore, in order to remember these men and give thanks to God for
their service and example, be it

Resolved, That the North American congregations served by
Walther, Wyneken, and the 100 pastors sent by Loehe are encour-
aged to remember these three founding fathers through appropri-
ate celebrations in the upcoming triennium; and be it further

Resolved, That Concordia Historical Institute shall prepare a
short monograph by late 2007 describing the history of Walther,
Wyneken, and Loehe, prepared especially for the educational in-
stitutions of the Synod (elementary, high school, college, semi-
hary), including suggestions to teachers and professors for incor-
porating teaching about the significance of these three men in their
coursework or classes; and be it further

Resolved, That Concordia Publishing House is requested by the
Synod to consider the production of an electronic (e-book) an-
niversary edition of Walther’s works, to be published with com-
puter CD-ROM technology, using all available English transla-
tions, as well as German printed texts and manuscripts for materials
not available in English; and be it finally

Resolved, That Concordia Historical Institute, in cooperation
with the Synod President, shall prepare and administer a national
conference to analyze the impact and relevance of Walther,
Wyneken, and Loehe for Lutheranism in the United States today;
and that this conference be coordinated with the opening of the new
museum at the Synod’s International Center, if at all possible.

Board of Governors
Concordia Historical Institute

2-18

To Initiate Planning for Reformation’s
$00th Anniversary

WHEREAS, The entire Christian Church was blessed by God
through the sixteenth-century Lutheran Reformation centered in
Wittenberg under the influence of Martin Luther; and

WHEREAS, The LCMS receives this gift from God with thanks-
giving; and

WueEREAS, The heritage of the Lutheran Reformation is nor-
mally celebrated in the LCMS on Oct. 31 in commemoration of the
posting of Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther in 1517 as the be-
ginning of the Reformation; and

Wuereas, The year 2017 will be the 500th anniversary of that
historic event in 1517, an anniversary that is only ten years hence;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod, under the auspices of the office of
the Synod President, initiate planning for a celebration of this an-
niversary; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod coordinate such plans with the acade-
mic initiatives and preparations for observing the anniversary by
the seminaries; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod also consult with its partner churches
throughout the world in the International Lutheran Conference,
especially the SELK, in order to enable a worldwide confessional
celebration of this historic anniversary.

Faculty
Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, MO

2-19

To Mandate National Youth Gatherings

WHEREAS, St. Paul told Timothy not to ‘let anyone look down
on [him] because [he was] young” (2 Tim. 4:12); and

WHEREAS, The writer of Proverbs mandates us to “train up a
child in the way that he should go” (Prov. 22:6); and

WHEREAS, The purpose statement for the National LCMS Youth
Gathering is to “provide opportunities for youth and adults to
boldly come together in the name of Jesus Christ, to proclaim, cel-
ebrate, and witness their salvation through Him, rejoice in the fel-
lowship of their church and be affirmed and nurtured in their lives
as God’s people through Word and Sacraments”; and

WHEREAS, Through servant events during the gatherings many
communities have been blessed and witnessed Christ’s love first-
hand; and

WHEREAS, The National LCMS Youth Gathering fully and pub-
licly supports the mission and vision of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod, submits its publications and resources to doctri-
nal review, submits its worship services and liturgies for review to
the LCMS Commission on Worship, and submits its speaker’s list
for review to the LCMS President’s Office; and

WHEREAS, Studies have shown that one of the thirty assets nec-
essary to keep youth from risky behavior is to be in community
with other young people who subscribe to the same truths as they
have been taught (as in the National LCMS Youth Gatherings); and

WHEREAS, Over 40 percent of all congregations in our Synod
send youth to the gatherings; and

WuerEAS, The gatherings have proved to be one of the more
positive witnesses in the church and the community at large; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS National Youth Gathering be recog-
nized as an official, mandated gathering through the Youth Min-
istry of the District and Congregational Services, to be held no less
frequently than every three years.

Board of Directors
Pacific Southwest District

2-20

To Support Synod National Youth Gatherings

WHEREAS, The mission statement of the LCMS states “In grate-
ful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit
through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of