LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 192

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

192 PROGRAM AND FINANCE

Whereas, These overtures have never been implemented; and

Wuereas, Each of the seminaries has been forced by difficult
financial circumstances to significantly reduce its financial support
plans for students in recent years and to raise tuition toward actual,
rather than subsidized, costs of education; and

WueREAS, Despite increasingly challenging financial circum-
stances, the seminaries have responded to the changing needs of
the Synod by developing new programs for educating deaconesses
and ethnic minorities, and to support the distance-based education
of pastors; and

WHEREAS, One of the initial reasons for the formation of the
Synod was the need to support the work of preparing future clergy
and other church workers, a goal still reflected in Art. III of the
LCMS Constitution; and

WHEREAS, To expect the seminaries to contribute to the unre-
stricted budget of the Synod would not only reverse the purpose
expressed in the founding of the Synod, but would likely force fur-
ther reductions in-the financial support of future pastors-in-train-
ing and would make it increasingly difficult for the seminaries to
fulfill the mission with which they have been entrusted by the
Synod; and

Wuereas, The lack of clarity in the report about the status of
the seminaries could lead to confusion and misunderstanding in the
church related to these matters; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2007 LCMS convention commend the sem-
inaries of the Synod for their efforts to provide substantial financial
aid, together with a quality education, for their students; and be it
further .

Resolved, That the seminaries be encouraged to continue to de-
velop their financial-aid programs, and that the congregations of
the Synod and their members be encouraged to support the work
of the seminaries to the fullest extent possible; and be it finally

Resolved, That the seminaries shall be neither expected nor
required to contribute to the budget of the Synod, restricted or
unrestricted.

Faculty
Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, MO

To Work Diligently to Reconcile Divisions

Preamble

The Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding the Mission was con-
vened in response to the 2004 Synod convention Res. 4-07 and
submitted its report dated July 2006, which includes 11 recom-
mendations highlighting significant challenges facing our beloved
Synod in “funding the mission.” It is our desire to respond and
enter into dialogue regarding these recommendations and, in addi-
tion, to affirm some by resolving to action our Synod in conven-
tion. Such resolutions are as follows:

Wuereas, The Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding the Mis-
sion rightly observes in its assumptions the hindrances to any
model for funding the mission caused by internal “division in our
Synod and the resultant mistrust”; and

WHEREAS, The task force also rightly states that “no funding
plan we present is capable of fully succeeding in an organization
that is seriously divided and engaged in issues that divert energies

o99,

away from the ‘mission’”; and

Wuereas, God’s Word calls us to “unity in the Spirit through
the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3); and

WHEREAS, Synod structure provides the manner through which
differences might be settled; and

‘WHEREAS, Though agreed procedures have been followed, per-

sonal opinions and differences regarding practical application of
clearly stated doctrine have made for continued discord; and

WHEREAS, Such discord has and is hindering the mission and is
disheartening to God’s people to the point of withholding their sup-
port “for the common good”; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod leadership, individually and collectively,
seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they work diligently to rec-
oncile their divisions; and be it further

Resolved, That Synod leadership seek God’s grace to refocus
on the Great Commission our Lord has given to His Church to
“make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18—-20) as it is reflected in
our Synod’s mission statement: “In grateful response to God’s
grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacra-
ments, the mission of the LCMS is vigorously to make known the
love of Christ through word and deed within our churches, com-
munities, and world”; and be it finally

Resolved, That Synod leadership share wholeheartedly in this
refocusing effort.

Board of Directors
Michigan District

4-06

To Propose a Form of Dispute Resolution
to Resolve Divisions

~ WHEREAS, The 2004 Synod convention resolved that the Synod
President appoint a task force to look into the current funding
process for the Synod in order that they might report their funding
recommendations back to the 2007 convention; and

WHEREAS, The Blue Ribbon Task Force for “Funding the Mis-
sion” released this report in July 2006; and

WHEREAS, The report admits that one “significant roadblock”
was “the division in our Synod and the resultant mistrust that seems
to permeate and impact every level of funding decisions” (p. 7); and

WHEREAS, The report admits that the divisions in The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod are “serious matters of doctrine and prac-
tice that we need to define more clearly” (p. 13); and

WHEREAS, The report proposes that the current divisions in our
Synod, such as “worship practice, the role of laity, close communion,
the role of women and our interaction with fellow Christians” (p. 14)
should be decided and defined by the Council of Presidents and the
Board of Directors, saying, “Let them deal with current topics to de-
fine how narrow or wide the road we ‘walk together’ (Synod) must
be” (p. 14); and

WHEREAS, These divisions are also matters of doctrine, such as
the role of women in the church (1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 3:11-12) or
the teaching of closed Communion (Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:11; Titus
3:10-11); or these divisions are matters of conscience, due to the
fact that the Synod is greatly divided over these issues; and

WtereAS, The Council of Presidents, when they met together
with the Board of Directors and discussed the report (Joint Meet-
ing, Nov. 16-17, 2006, Orlando, Florida), did not come to a con-
sensus on the best way to address the disagreements in these mat-
ters of doctrine; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod clearly states that “all matters of doctrine and of conscience
shall be decided only by the Word of God” (Art. VIII C), which
means that the Word rather than the Council of Presidents and the
Board of Directors needs to decide these issues; and

WHEREAS, The current avenues available in the LCMS to re-
solve doctrinal disputes and divisions have not brought the needed
harmony the Synod needs to be unified; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2007 LCMS convention reject this proposal
from the “Report of the Blue Ribbon Task Force for ‘Funding the
Mission’”; and be it further

Resolved, That the task force be commended for publicly call-
ing attention to these serious doctrinal divisions in The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That the 2007 Synod convention authorize the Com-
mission on Structure to propose a form of dispute resolution as