LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 65

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believe in me through their word” (John 17:14–20,
emphasis added). Jesus prayed and prays for you!
Do you believe it?
• Jesus says to you, “Your sins are forgiven”
(Luke 7:48). Believe that!
• Jesus says to you, “Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Believe it!
• Jesus says to you, “If you forgive the sins of any, they
are forgiven them” (John 20:23). Believe it!
• Jesus says to you, “This is my body, which is given for you” for the forgiveness of your sins (Luke
22:19). Believe!
• Jesus says to you, “Let not your hearts be troubled.
… In my Father’s house are many rooms. … I go to
prepare a place for you” (John 14:1–2). Believe it!
• Jesus says also to you, “You will weep … but the
world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your
sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20). Believe!
Luther says in the Large Catechism: “I believe that
there is on earth a little holy group and congregation
of pure saints, under one head, even Christ” (LC II 51).
She may be little, but she’s powerful. For the Gospel “is
the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).
Jesus was bold. The apostles were bold. Let’s go on
the offensive. Let’s be bold.
EVERY O N E HI S W I TNESS

Every One His Witness, the Synod’s new program
to equip our members in personal witnessing, is on
the way. It has pleased our Lord to bring His saving
message of free grace in Jesus through the mouths of
His holy people. We are all spiritual priests according to Peter (1 Peter 2:9). Pastors have the mandate
to preach. Laypeople have the mandate to proclaim
Christ, wherever the Lord puts them.
THE DE C L I N E

I have been very candid, at district conventions and
elsewhere, about our decline. We continue to study and
analyze the data. This is in no way to make excuses for
our decline, but rather to understand it so we can
attack it in the best possible way. South Dakota has
been the best performing district. New Jersey has

“President’s Report, Part 3”

been the poorest performing district. We’ve found
that South Dakota has the highest birthrate in the nation, while New Jersey has the lowest. Every district
lines up somewhere in between, such that district
performance coincides with the birthrate of each
district. It’s obvious that birthrate is a huge factor. We
found that adult conversions mirror birthrates and
Baptism rates among us. This makes sense. Many,
many adults join the church at times of marriage
and childbirth.
We’ve found that our rate of adult conversions is
higher than the Southern Baptists. Who would have
thought that! Even if we, by divine grace, were able to
raise that conversion rate to equal that of the Mormons
(who have the highest number of adult converts), we
would only stem the decline equivalent to maintaining
current numbers in two larger districts. The Baby
Boom affected us enormously and positively. The
Baby Boomers are passing through the lifespan of the
church. It’s good news that our statistics indicate that
the Gen Xers are having enough children to replace
the World War II generation, which is now passing.
Later this year, we will be sharing detailed information
about these studies, which highlight the significance of
preaching, outreach, outreach to immigrant populations, training laity in evangelism, and retention of the
baptized and confirmed. We have more information
than ever before. “For which of you, desiring to build
a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost,
whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).
We want you to know the facts, consider your unique
context and opportunities, and act in a calculated way.
Worker wellness and congregational health are also
huge factors. Over the next few days, you will be
considering emphases, direction, and programs on
all these issues. Acts 4 says, “And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word
of God with boldness” (v. 31). It’s still Pentecost! Let’s
be bold, no matter the challenges. We have a promise
from Jesus: “The gates of hell shall not prevail.” “Let
us go!” (Mark 1:38).
A MIG H T Y FO RT RE SS

At the time of the plague in Wittenberg, around 1527,
Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” based
on Psalm 46:

UPON THIS ROCK

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