LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 7

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

SYNOD REPORTS
Office of the President
•	In 2011, the Office of the President received a grant of $150,000 from
Thrivent for the pilot phase of the project.
•	The Office of the President has engaged in Koinonia Project-type
discussions with representatives of the Pastoral Leadership Institute
regarding issues having to do with our Synod’s theology of missions.
This needs to continue, in my opinion.
•	Reports regarding Koinonia Project activities have appeared on the
wmltblog.org Web site and in Reporter.
Work for the Future

Please note that we have been taking the time necessary to develop
the Koinonia Project, first with the concept paper and more recently
with the pilot projects outlined above. We are trying several different
approaches to see what is most helpful. Our work in the next triennium to expand the project will benefit from our reflection on these
experiences. One of our important learnings is that the most effective way to start a koinonia study group appears to be with a focused
retreat involving all the participants. From the very modest beginning
we have made, we need to take the project to the next level. For this
we need to expand the advisory group, develop a Web site that can
be regularly updated with information about the Koinonia Project,
develop more resources (particularly Bible studies), develop ways
for study groups to share results across the Synod, and so forth. We
need to do more to involve the Council of Presidents as well as the
seminary and university theological faculties. More laypeople need
to be drawn in as well. Our purpose is to discuss and to teach the truth
of the Scriptures so that ultimately the Word of God has its way with
us. We pray for God-given courage to resist the danger of shrinking
back from the difficulty of the task.
In summary, the Koinonia Project cannot be a political process
but must be a spiritual effort centered in the Word of God, repentance and prayer, forgiveness, and charity. Resolutions of the Synod
passed by slim margins will not solve our difficulties. Nor do we need
a “new confession.” But we do pray for a deeper understanding of the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions as they apply to the issues
troubling us. God grant it for Jesus’ sake!
2010 Resolutions Assigned to the President

The following is a brief summary of the actions taken regarding several resolutions assigned to the President’s Office. Additional
information regarding some of these resolutions is provided elsewhere
in this report or this Convention Workbook.
Res. 1-03. To Increase Outreach to Immigrants at a Congregational Level

The delegates of the 2010 convention encouraged the Office of
National Mission (ONM) to find ways to strengthen the commitment
to and increase the effectiveness of working with immigrants in the
midst of our congregations and schools. The ONM is being organized
to work directly with congregations and districts to assist, enhance,
support, and encourage work among immigrants. The recent CTCR
document Immigrants Among Us (2013) will help give guidance to
this work. ONM’s work continues under the leadership of Rev. Bart
Day based on the office’s threefold foci of rural/small town, suburban, and urban/inner city.
Res. 1-08. To Encourage the “Wittenberg Project” as a Gospel Witness
Opportunity

This resolution commended LCMS leadership for initiating work
on the Wittenberg Project and encouraged the Synod to pursue opportunities in Wittenberg to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The
LCMS members of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg
(ILSW) Board, the President of the Synod, the LCMS Board of
Directors, and the Council of Presidents have kept the Synod informed

7

of the Wittenberg Project’s progress and opportunities for participation in and support of this project.
At the November 2011 LCMS Board of Directors meeting, the
President was given authority to oversee the Wittenberg Project. Since
then, a Wittenberg Advocacy Cabinet has been established to help
generate interest in the project and to promote fund development
for it. In addition, an education steering committee, chaired by Dr.
Jacob Preus III, has been established to set forth a plan for the use of
the facility to encourage visitation and use of the project. This team
has made a site visit and worked with our German partner church,
the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK). The site will
have primarily an educational emphasis, encouraging the expansion
of LCMS involvement in Luther studies in Germany. Additionally,
theological discussions/symposiums, servant events, workshops, and
conferences will be able to be held at the Wittenberg Project facility.
In January 2013, the ILSW board convened in St. Louis to bring
several things up-to-date and move the project forward. All members
of the board from the LCMS, CPH, and SELK were present. Under
the direction of Rev. Michael Kumm, chairman of the ILSW board,
and with the full support of President Harrison and SELK Bishop
Hans Jörg Voigt, momentum toward the goal of completion by 2017
took a great leap forward. The board approved a bridge loan with
LCEF to prepare detailed construction drawings while fund-raising
efforts were begun. Mr. Mark Hofman, executive director for LCMS
Mission Advancement, kicked off the fund-raising efforts with a gathering of donors at the International Center who were able to meet and
talk with all members of the ILSW board. Plans have been developed
and adopted to show donors the possibility for naming rights in different areas of the facility as well. This meeting played a huge role in
getting the wheels turning on the project. Quarterly board meetings
by telephone have been scheduled, while the Advocacy Cabinet will
meet via telephone on a monthly basis. The ILSW board has planned
another face-to-face meeting for January 2014. You can read more
about the progress of the Wittenberg Project at http://thewittenbergproject.org.
Res. 1-10. To Make a Concerted Effort to Reach Generation X (born in the
late ’60s through the late ’70s) and the Millennials in the U.S. (those born
after 1980 who are coming of age around 2000ff) with the Gospel of Jesus

The 2010 convention recognized the important mission field
among our young adults. This work has been carried out by ONM’s
Youth Ministry department. During the past triennium, the LCMS
young adult Web site has been refreshed and updated, providing
information about these generations and a forum for young adults to
express themselves around issues of faith and life. The Youth Ministry
2012 Symposium, which targets professional youth workers, focused
on intergenerational ministry, especially on how to integrate high
school and young adults in their early 30s into the life of a congregation. The 2011 symposium focused on developing a solid theological
foundation for youth ministry. The UnWrapped campus ministry conference in January 2013 provided an opportunity for more than 400
young adults and campus ministers to gather. ONM’s Youth Ministry
department also worked with LCMS Life Ministries on the March
for Life Conference in January 2013 and in helping young people to
be informed on life issues. This summer’s National Youth Gathering
will also address the needs and opportunities to work with young
adults of these two generations, especially regarding issues that will
nurture their faith and equip them to live their faith in their various
vocations. Totaling nearly 700 persons, the largest gathering of 20to 25-year-olds in the LCMS is the Young Adult Volunteer Corps at
the National Youth Gathering. In working with Millennials, Lutheran
Youth Fellowship has provided training for teens to train their peers
in leadership skills (2011), apologetics (2012), and outreach (2013).

2013 Convention Workbook