LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 114

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114

SYNOD REPORTS

administering claims, and assisting Synod entities with disaster
recovery and disaster response plans. The department utilizes various risk-management methods to treat, reduce, or address risk
exposure, including self-insurance, risk transfer, and insurance. The
department also promotes risk awareness and recommends actions
to protect the people and assets of the LCMS and its related entities; it also provides training to the Synod’s boards, commissions,
service departments, and agencies in the areas of loss control and
safety compliance and employment issues through consultation
and presentations to LCMS entities, districts, and congregations.
I marvel how we have truly been blessed by our Lord, whose
beloved Church we are. Our Lord has placed challenges before us,
but He also has opened up opportunities for us to glorify His name
in all the earth, so that every individual might be drawn toward His
great love for all the world in Christ Jesus.
May our work together be a blessing to those whom we serve and
bring glory and honor to our triune God.
Jerald C. Wulf, Chief Financial Officer
R6-03-01

Report on the Disposition of Funding the Mission
Recommendations
Resolution 4-02 of the 2010 convention resolved that each recommendation in the 2006 Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding the
Mission (BRTFFM) Report for increasing the Synod’s unrestricted
revenues be placed on the agenda of the Synod’s Board of Directors
for disposition by the next (2013) LCMS convention. This task was
accomplished by the board during 2011 and 2012.
The BRTFFM Report contained 11 areas of discussion with recommendations, each of which the board evaluated for further action:
Stewardship, Evangelism, Harmony in the LCMS, Communication,
Structure Concerns, Management Efficiency, Higher Education
Support, Support from Corporate Entities, Support from RSOs,
Synod/District Fiscal Conference, and Improved Congregational
Support.
The board found that many of the BRTFFM recommendations
were acted upon by either the 2007 or 2010 conventions or by the
initiative of corporate Synod staff. The decline in the Synod’s annual
unrestricted revenue continues, however, despite the report of the
BRTFFM and the actions taken by the 2007 and 2010 conventions.
The board concluded that stewardship is one aspect of discipleship.
Disciples (students) of Jesus Christ understand what it means to live
under God’s grace, freely given, and that a response of thankfulness
and joy is the Spirit-led outcome of discipleship.
St. Paul’s mission congregations used both stewardship and fundraising. Stewardship supported the operation of the congregation and
made possible gifts to support continued mission efforts, while fundraising tactics were used to raise funds to support the poor Christians
in Jerusalem, for example. The board believes that a balance between
stewardship and fund-raising must be realized. When too much focus
is placed upon stewardship for the support of our own congregations,
then they lose sight of the need to support global mission efforts and
mercy work. When too much focus is placed upon fund-raising for
global missions and mercy work, then the operations of individual
congregations are jeopardized.
Even though the number of congregation members is declining in
the Synod, total giving at the congregation level continues to increase.
The amount passed on by congregations to districts for district and
Synod financial needs, while not increasing, has remained nearly
flat, while the amount passed on to Synod Inc. by the districts has
been steadily declining for more than 20 years, at an average of $1
million per year.
2013 Convention Workbook

The board believes that growing in discipleship will bring
about a maturity of faith and thus enable responses in several areas
addressed by the BRTFFM, especially in the areas of stewardship
and evangelism.
Stewardship

The board found that, since 2008, the Synod’s stewardship training resources have been revised, refreshed, or replaced as necessary,
as recommended by the BRTFFM, in order to assist individual congregation members with growth and maturation in stewardship.
Stewardship resources and materials are available through the corporate Synod, the LCMS Foundation, and LCEF, each with a slightly
different focus. The Faith Aflame portal on the LCMS Web site contains many resources that can be used directly or adapted for regular
congregational stewardship emphases; LCEF’s Consecrated Stewards
and Capital Funding Services materials, the latter of which focuses
on congregational building programs; and the Foundation’s Gift
Planning Services are available to assist LCMS congregation members to provide for the Lord’s work today, tomorrow, and until the
Day of our Lord’s reappearing. Helping congregations to become
aware of and to use these resources remains the biggest challenge. The
Board of Directors recommends that the Praesidium and the Council
of Presidents lead our districts and congregations to grow in discipleship, which will also result in better management of the bountiful
resources bestowed upon us by our triune God.
Evangelism

Growing in discipleship will allow our congregation members to
share the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus with their neighbors
and friends, their associates and acquaintances, or anyone whom they
encounter during their sojourn on this earth. Evangelism, spreading
the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus through word and deed,
must be at the heart of everything we do, individually and corporately. The Board of Directors recommends that the Praesidium and
the Council of Presidents lead our districts and congregations to grow
in discipleship, which will lead to an increased proclamation of the
Gospel in our communities and throughout the world, that the Holy
Spirit may work in the hearts of those who hear the Good News of
salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Harmony

Harmony results when different parts blend together, sometimes
coming together in unison, at other times paralleling each other but
in different ranges, and still other times when embarking on what
seem to be divergent paths. At times, even discordant blends can
become eerily beautiful. Harmony, however, is not made up of random
notes on a musical score, nor is it solely unison. Creating harmony
requires precise communication between the composer and the choir
or orchestra. Getting the blend just right takes effort. This, essentially, is what the Task Force on Harmony, established by 2007 Res.
4-01A, reported to the 2010 convention. The Koinonia Project, coordinated by the Office of the First Vice President, has begun the practical
implementation of the work and recommendations of the Task Force
on Harmony. The Board of Directors encourages every Synod member to become involved in this worthwhile project.
Communication

Better, clearer, more frequent, open, and honest communication
was at the heart of the task force’s report and many of its recommendations. Finding the best and most effective ways to reach the different
generations comprising our congregation members is challenging at
best. Letters and magazines are not the most effective way to reach
our younger members, yet our mature congregation members prefer