LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 132

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To Encourage Church Planting throughout
the Synod and Supporting the Mission Field:
USA Initiative

LCMS needs to locate churches where the greatest populations of
people are located.” The committee agreed to striking the paragraph. After debate was closed, Res. 1-02 was adopted as changed
[Yes: 767; No: 261].)

RESOLUTION 1-02
Report R1.2 (CW, p. 21); Overtures 1-10–11, 1-13 (CW, pp.
311–313)
Whereas, A mission priority of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) is planting Lutheran congregations; and
Whereas, The Office of National Mission (ONM) was charged
by the 2013 Synod convention (Res. 1-04A) to encourage congregations and members to pray for and engage in the critical work of
church planting; and
Whereas, The LCMS has historically been a planting church
body (at one time planting a new church each week) and this has
rapidly been reduced along with the tools that are needed; and
Whereas, LCMS congregations many times do not reflect the
diversity of the neighboring communities around them; and
Whereas, The average age of LCMS members is older than the
average age of the American population; and
Whereas, The LCMS is called to be faithful in reaching the lost
through our Word and Sacrament ministry and by showing love
to our neighbors and bearing witness to them; and
Whereas, Mission Field: USA, an initiative of the LCMS, will
offer services to support church-planting efforts throughout the
Synod (CW, R1.2, p. 21); therefore be it
Resolved, That concerted effort be made to equip and support
the Mission Field: USA church-planting initiative beyond raising
awareness of the need, and that the use of these resources be commended as a flexible framework for technical support, training,
equipping, and organizing church planting in multiple settings
and contexts nationwide; and be it further
Resolved, That as the Synod supports districts in their mission
efforts, greater emphasis be given to reaching new people groups
within the USA through church planting and new ministries; and
be it further
Resolved, That investment be made in domestic mission work,
especially in rebuilding struggling inner-city and rural communities, helping to lift people out of poverty, and preparing and sending
national missionaries into the margins of the USA; and be it further
Resolved, That the ONM work through districts to track the
number of churches that are planted; and be it finally
Resolved, That this convention encourage and support the districts of the Synod to plant 150 congregations through the Mission Field: USA initiative, and that the ONM partner with districts
to send out 18 new domestic missionaries in the next triennium.
Action: Adopted (1)

To Expand the Work of Revitalization
and Encourage the Use of re:Vitality Program
RESOLUTION 1-03
Report R1.2 (CW, pp. 18–21); Overtures 1-03–05, 1-08–09,
1-11, 1-13, 1-15 (CW, pp. 310–314)
Whereas, A mission priority of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) is the revitalization of Lutheran
congregations; and
Whereas, Approximately 78 percent of LCMS congregations
have peaked or are declining in membership and worship attendance; and
Whereas, Congregation revitalization is centered in the new
life that is found in God’s Word being proclaimed in purity and
His Sacraments being rightly administered; and
Whereas, The Office of National Mission (ONM) was charged
by the 2013 LCMS convention (Res. 3-08A) to increase its ongoing focus on revitalization while offering continued evaluation of
available resources; and
Whereas, The ONM has met with the staffs of 10 LCMS districts to determine how the ONM can best support revitalization
efforts in the Synod, and the consensus from these meetings was
that the districts need the ONM to produce effective, low-cost, and
doctrinally sound resources to aid congregations and to provide
training for district personnel to deliver those resources to congregations; and
Whereas, In order to attend to the needs highlighted by these
10 districts, the ONM has undertaken the development of the
re:Vitality program to provide resources for congregations through
their districts that address revitalization needs from a distinctively
Lutheran perspective; and
Whereas, re:Vitality is designed to meet a large-scale need for
revitalization at little to no cost to congregations; and
Whereas, re:Vitality resources are designed so that they can be
used in conjunction with other revitalization efforts currently in
use in the LCMS (e.g., LCEF’s “Vision Path,” TCN’s “1910 Project,”
district-developed visitation-based assessment programs); therefore be it
Resolved, That the current revitalization efforts in our districts
and the local congregations be commended; and be it further
Resolved, That the ONM continue to develop the re:Vitality program and accompanying resources; and be it further

(During discussion, a motion was introduced to amend the resolution by striking the fourth whereas paragraph: “Whereas, The
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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

“1. National Witness”