LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 27

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SYNOD REPORTS

27

offered at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, during January and in the
summer. Students in the DMin program may receive credits from the
Command and Staff College of the military that contribute to the 54
credit hours required for the degree. Our first graduate, Chaplain Mark
Moreno, USNR (brother to Mike Moreno) graduated in May 2011.
Our second graduate, Ryan Rupe, USN, is due to graduate in May
2012. The director teaches the core course in the program (6 hours
credit) every other summer. The DMin program is supported by a
Military Chaplain Endowment Fund created by MAF, which holds a
current balance of around $65,000. Currently, there are 10 chaplain/
students active in the degree program, with six or more candidates in
process of matriculation.

liberal intolerance. Career missionaries and short-term professors
must be knowledgeable of and sensitive to church relations ramifications. In today’s world, mission work and church relations overlap.
Thus OIM must work very closely with the President of the Synod
and the Director of Church Relations.

Fidelity to Scripture and Ordination Vows

Relapse into Paganism

MAF has worked diligently in the public arena through the director
and assistant director, with numerous other endorsers seeking to influence committees in Congress regarding the negative impact if “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) is repealed and the constitutional rights of
all chaplains to preach and teach—as military chaplains representing
their denomination—in the military milieu. DADT was repealed in
September 2011 against the wisdom and counsel of the majority of
endorsers and chaplains. So far the chaplain’s constitutional right to
free speech and his religious rights have been protected. The “Defense
of Marriage Act” (DOMA) still stands, but the director predicts that
if it falls, the action of those seeking full recognition of marriage,
health care, and other benefits will dramatically increase, causing
ever greater difficulty to our chaplains who desire to remain faithful
to the Lord and the Word of God. MAF fully supports our chaplains
and their right to minister according to the Lutheran Confessions,
Holy Scripture, and their ordination vows. MAF has been very proactive in this arena and will continue to be so. We are proud that our
chaplains remain faithful to the Word of God in ministry to our brave
servicemen and women in the armed forces. Our chaplains, among
the many denominations that serve, are still recognized for their stellar reputation, commitment to duty, and distinguished service record.

The temptation to relapse into paganism, whether through the
complete renunciation of the Christian faith or by a partial selective
return to syncretistic rites and lifestyle, is an ongoing problem which
requires vigilant preaching, catechesis, and pastoral care. It can be
seen by the attraction of voodoo in Haiti, juju in West Africa, fertility festivals in Madagascar, and polygamy and libations in general.
This phenomenon is also growing in Europe and America as people
are dabbling with pagan religions and spirituality both within and
outside the church.

Theological Education Report

OIM’s Director of Theological Education works across all five
regions in the area of theological education. Number two on the list
of the Synod’s Six Mission Priorities is to “Support and Expand
Theological Education. This includes the support of foreign and
domestic seminaries, providing regional conferences, short-term
training, pastoral continuing education, and the recruiting and training of pastors, teachers …”
The goal of theological education within the OIM is to strengthen
newly established Lutheran Churches and Lutheran Churches resulting from the worldwide Lutheran mission movement during the past
century—confessional Lutheran Church bodies that are able to confess the pure Gospel within an increasingly hostile environment.
Carrying out these goals and priorities requires well-educated missionaries and indigenous clergy who are able to build up the churches
and to protect them from theological and cultural threats. It is an
exciting enterprise and cause for great joy and thanksgiving. It also
includes many challenges.
Liberalism, Secularism, and Non-Dogmatic Ecumenical Challenges

A major challenge for Lutheran missions comes from the powerful influence of the North American and European Lutheran churches
that are promoting vigorously an agenda that is more sociological than
theological: ordination of women and practicing homosexuals, same
sex marriage, confession-less ecumenism, a variety of political and
liberation ideologies, and so forth. Lutheran Missions must establish and support vigorously both partner and non-partner Lutheran
Churches around the world and, where possible, protect them from

Islam

We are living in a time of shrinking economic capacity, which will
diminish the ability of Christian churches in the West, including the
LCMS, to carry out vigorous mission work around the world. At the
same time Islam has increasing wealth at its disposal and is using it
to project its power around the world.

Pentecostalism

The revivalist/Pentecostal movement’s divisive anti-liturgical and
anti-sacrament worship and its miracle, health, and wealth teachings
have been troubling Lutheran mission churches around the world for
decades and continue to do so. Combating these threats requires pastors who are trained to preach and teach Lutheran doctrine clearly and
to faithfully lead their congregations in the Divine Service.
Lutheran Churches and Lutheran Mission Use the Lutheran Liturgy

Lutheran mission should lead to Lutheran churches with Lutheran
liturgies. Witness leads to catechesis. Catechesis leads to Baptism,
which leads to the Liturgy. The Lutheran order of service (Invocation,
Confession/Absolution, Word, Sacrament) makes people Lutheran
and keeps them Lutheran.
The challenge for all those involved in mission work is to train
indigenous pastors in both theology and prayer. This means planting
the liturgy in the local language and culture. This is no small task. It
requires the translation and composition of liturgical texts that are biblically faithful and theological correct and clear. It requires liturgical
texts and hymnody that are linguistically sound, poetic, and beautiful. It requires thoughtful attention to music, rite, and ceremony. It
also requires pastors and church musicians trained in the theology
and practice of worship. LCMS missionaries involved in theological
education are often called upon to assist by teaching Lutheran liturgy
and practice at partner seminaries and to assist with the development
of liturgy and hymnody.
In 2008, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK)
Archbishop Walter Obare approached the LCMS to assist with the
development of a Swahili hymnal. In its 55-year history, the ELCK
had never had its own liturgy and hymnal. With the help of liturgical scholars at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and
support from the office of the LCMS President, the book was published in January 2009 and dedicated in Nairobi on Feb. 17, 2009. The
Southern Asia and Oceania Region is also in the process of developing
Bahasa language liturgy and hymnody in Indonesia. Mission work in
Eurasia is in the process of liturgical translation work in Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.

2013 Convention Workbook