LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 24

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24

SYNOD REPORTS

Administrative groundwork is underway for the opening of a new
LCMS office in Singapore.
Other highlights include the ongoing fellowship talks with the
Indonesian Lutheran Christian Church (GKLI), which formally
requested fellowship in January 2012. Numerous engagements with
the GKLI resulted in their renouncing women’s ordination and their
preparing several amendments to their constitution in preparation for
their general convention in late 2013, at which time they expect to
formally endorse fellowship with LCMS.
We have also experienced a resurgence of contact and interest
between the LCMS and the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA),
with whom we are now communicating and coordinating more than
ever. LCA leaders seem very interested in developing improved collaboration with the LCMS.
In Sri Lanka, we have also managed to put an end to the longstanding corruption that had been afflicting the now-defunct partner
church there. Remaining pastors and vicars are now being reorganized into a new church body.
Opportunities

In Sri Lanka, opportunity exists to reorganize the remnants of our
defunct partner church into a new church body with better administration and accountability. Although the Sri Lankan government is not
allowing any new churches to be formed at this time, we are exploiting
a legal loophole that should allow us to reorganize the church legally.
Our deployment of one or two missionary families to Sri Lanka is
integral to teaching, encouraging, and leading our dear Lutheran
brothers and sisters there to better management and accountability.
In India, likewise, we have the opportunity to help the partner
India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) emerge from its decades
of corruption and theological drift, though we will need to deploy one
or more career missionaries to India to capitalize on this opportunity.
In Indonesia, we have the opportunity to negotiate fellowship
with the GKLI and then partner with them in the proclamation of the
Gospel throughout the country.
In Malaysia, we have the opportunity to deploy a long-term theological educator to the seminary there, enhancing Lutheran theological
education and building a closer relationship with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Malaysia (ELCM), a non-partner church body.
In Singapore, we have the opportunity to develop a new regional
office and plant a new LCMS mission in a new country.
In Australia, we have opportunity to renew relations with the LCA
and to collaborate and synergize with respect to Lutheran activity in
the region.
In Bangladesh and Burma, we have emerging opportunities to
partner with various Lutheran groups that have been long isolated,
though any significant partnership will require the deployment of
career missionaries.
Challenges

As Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the
laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out
workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:37–38). The single biggest challenge facing global mission in general and in this young region in
particular is recruitment. This is part of life in the Church under the
cross. The Lord has opened many doors and presented many opportunities. A challenge is how to meet the opportunities and the doors that
the Lord has opened to proclaim the Gospel. The apostles, the disciples, and the church through history have been confronted with the
challenge of finding laborers. The Lord allows this challenge to help
us see that everything comes by grace through faith. We find ourselves
unable to meet the opportunities presented, so the Lord teaches us to
pray to Him in faith, expecting that He will be faithful to His promise that He desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
2013 Convention Workbook

truth. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers. Pray that He
give the missionaries, field staff, and staff at the International Center
both courage and wisdom to seek to proclaim that Gospel where our
Lord Jesus has opened doors, in particular for SAO. Perhaps in your
prayer for laborers, the Lord may even send you.
Another challenge is the weakness that youth and the lack of
resources have presented to some of our partners. This is an area to
which the Lord has called the Missouri Synod at this moment—to
walk beside our partners, encourage them, help to strengthen them
where we have been given strength as a gift from our gracious Lord,
and to help them build capacity so that they may also strengthen us
in the weaknesses we have. It is a challenge of our life together as
the Body of Christ to be true partners that mutually encourage and
support one another. Areas where the Missouri Synod has strengths
for this moment are in theological education and in resources to help
build capacity in our partners for the future.
In summary, then, the story of this new SAO region so far is one
of great opportunities along with many challenges. Pray to the Lord
of the harvest for His blessing as we go forth, boldly seeking to proclaim the Gospel to a people who have not yet heard the precious
name of Jesus.
Missionary Services

The goal of Missionary Services is to provide care to our missionaries before, during, and after a missionary’s service. This care
also extends to a missionary’s immediate family. Below are several
items to better understand those goals, including areas for improvement in the coming year.
1. Career Process Flowchart

Based upon the requests from regional directors and missionary
candidates, Missionary Services has created a visual flowchart highlighting the process for career missionary applications (although very
similar, a chart will be created for GEOs as well). The intent is to provide transparency for the application process as well as to inform all
parties of their particular roles in the application process. The chart
will cover the following phases: (1) Application; (2) Assessment; (3)
Calling; (4) Mission Preparation.
During the application phase, candidates will pursue the following steps: submit formal application, three references, and
the applicant’s résumé. One of the references would be from an
applicant’s pastor, determining an applicant’s ability to serve as a
missionary.
During the assessment phase, candidates would begin with a
theological interview with the Director, Missionary Services. This
interview is determined to ascertain the ability of candidates to
express the central tenets of the Lutheran faith (justification by grace
through faith).
The calling phase would begin with a face-to-face interview with
the regional director, who would have in his hands the results of a
CMA (behavioral vocation index) and other portions of the candidate’s application (formal application, résumé, theological interview
results, vocational interview results, etc.).
During the mission preparation phase, a candidate would attend
the appropriate orientation training in St. Louis. Candidates would
not only learn about the particulars of communicating and fund-raising for their work, but they would also be engaged in a theological
discussion of missiology from a Lutheran perspective. Upon completion, the missionary would be deployed to the field.
2. Recruitment Needs / Plans

A constant challenge for the mission field is to find not only an
adequate number of new missionaries to fill positions in the mission field, but to also be prepared to replace those who are retiring