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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 137

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Witness
1-06

137

1-07

To Encourage Continued Emphasis on Prison
Ministry

To Urge District Administrations to Foster Pastoral
Visits to Correctional Facilities

Whereas, The importance of ministering to those who are in
prison has been stressed by our Lord Jesus in Matthew 25:36, “I was
in prison and you visited Me,” and by the example of the Early Church
as reflected in Hebrews 10:34, “For you had compassion for those
who were in prison”; and
Whereas, The 2010 LCMS convention resolved, by the next triennium, to sponsor a prison and jail ministry training and equipping
retreat for clergy and lay volunteers; and
Whereas, The 2012 Prison and Jail Ministry Conference will be
organized by the Southern Illinois District and LCMS Human Care
(Board for National Mission), and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary
League at its 35th Biennial LWML Convention voted to fund this
Prison and Jail Ministry Conference ($27,500); and
Whereas, In response to the first Synod-wide prison and jail
training retreat, “Catch the Vision,” held in 2005, in which at least
25 of the Synod’s 35 districts participated, those attending this event
commented how “refreshing it was to see so many others in the Synod
who are committed to bring the compassion of Christ and the Gospel
to those who are incarcerated” and to their families; and
Whereas, During this two-day event, a brainstorming session
enthusiastically supported having these types of conferences in years
to come and forming an online support network in the Synod; and
Whereas, Each district of the Synod has within its region some
large prison institutions and many jail settings; and
Whereas, Prison and jail ministry addresses God’s Word not only
to prisoners but also to ex-prisoners, their families, prison staff, and
victims of crime, and prison ministry directly affects more and more
of our congregations and church members; and
Whereas, Prison and jail ministry also offers many opportunities to share the Gospel with persons who do not yet know Jesus
Christ; and
Whereas, The Bible states that Jesus said, “As you did it to the
least of these, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40); and
Whereas, Many of our districts are seeking to be faithful to our
Lord’s mandate to visit those in prison by their support of prison ministry for over 100 years; and
Whereas, Crime has touched virtually every congregation of the
Synod by way of membership, relatives, or friends experiencing the
crisis of imprisonment; and
Whereas, The LCMS has a goal of mercy for the unreached and
uncommitted peoples with the Gospel; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2013 LCMS convention encourage all districts
to have a prison ministry coordinator for each respective district,
either volunteer or compensated, for the purpose of networking, supporting, and encouraging prison ministry among the districts of the
LCMS; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention give thanks to God for the increased
efforts of the Synod, its districts, and its congregations to share the
Gospel of Jesus Christ with prisoners, ex-offenders, families of prisoners, prison staff, and victims of crime; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Southern Illinois District in convention (2012)
submit this resolution as an overture to the 2013 LCMS convention.
Southern Illinois District

Whereas, There exists an acute and ongoing need for Lutheran
pastors to minister to persons incarcerated for crimes they have committed; and
Whereas, All Christians are saints by God’s grace, but by nature
they are sinners who could find themselves behind bars and in need
of visitation; and
Whereas, Gaining access to correctional facilities in order to provide pastoral care can be a daunting task, especially to pastors without
experience in such work; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention urge its district administrations to research the correctional systems and facilities in the
states where they operate and to provide pastors with guidelines and
resources to help them serve in this way; and be it further
Resolved, That all congregations of the Synod encourage and support their pastors in this vital work.
Circuit 11 Forum
Kansas District
1-08

To Help Prepare LCMS Congregations
and Pastors for Persecution
Whereas, Members of LCMS congregations in the U.S. have not
been persecuted on a broad scale in the past; and
Whereas, Members of LCMS congregations are being persecuted
more now and will be persecuted more in the future; and
Whereas, Members of LCMS congregations need more help on
how to respond to this persecution; and
Whereas, Christians in other countries are going through great
persecutions for Christ; and
Whereas, The Bible is very clear that times will be getting
rougher for Christians as we come closer to Christ’s return; and
Whereas, The Bible also declares that it will look like all
Christians are going to turn away from the Lord just before the end
because of the pressure of unbelief; and
Whereas, We have answers in Christ and His Word; therefore
be it
Resolved, That Concordia Publishing House publish materials to
help members of LCMS congregations as well as pastors get more
training on how to respond to persecution in our society; and be it
further
Resolved, That the materials contain not only how we hold to the
trust of Scriptures and Christ Himself, but also training on how to
defend the trust and spread the truth, especially the Gospel of Jesus
Christ; and be it finally
Resolved, That this overture be presented to the next Synod convention for approval.
Zion
Morris, MN
1-09

To Encourage Joint Ministry Ventures
Whereas, Many congregations and ministries of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod have endured a most difficult economic
2013 Convention Workbook