LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 262

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To Task Board for National Mission to Develop
Policies for Assessing Worker Wellness and
Making Recommendations for Worker Care
RESOLUTION 18-02A
Reports R1.2, R13 (CW, pp. 27, 74–76); President’s Report, Part
2 (TB, pp. 21–31)
Whereas, Jesus invites His followers, including ministers of the
Gospel: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me … and
you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29); and
Whereas, Grace was given to the church and its members,
including ordained and commissioned ministers, for “building
up the body of Christ … to maturity, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:7–16); and
Whereas, Rest was built into creation along with attending
to God’s creation, especially the people of His creation, and in the
pilot Church Worker Family Needs Assessment (CW-FNA) in the
Pacific Southwest, Kansas, and Ohio Districts, 47 percent of the
church workers (950) who took the survey reported that they rarely
or never invested appropriately in Sabbath rest or leisure; and
Whereas, District presidents in a spring 2016 survey identified the primary worker-wellness issues to be burnout, stress, and
depression, followed by marriage and family, diet and health, and
finances; and
Whereas, The wellness of single and married church workers and their marriages and families is crucial to the health of the
local congregation; and
Whereas, Concordia Plan Services (CPS), the LCMS Office
of National Mission (ONM), and the Concordia Center for the
Family (CCM) at Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA),
have partnered with Congregation Family Services, a provider
of family ministry research and consultation, in a pilot research
project called the LCMS Church Worker Family Needs Assessment (CW-FNA) to deliver solid research-based information to
provide the church with a portrait of church worker needs and
health; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Board for National Mission prepare policies
for the Office of National Mission to address, to include, for example:
1.	assessing the gaps in ministerial wellness throughout
the Synod
2.	 promoting worker wellness within the Synod though official publications and special mailings
3.	 facilitating cooperation and the sharing of resources between RSOs and specialized worker-wellness programs
within the Synod
4.	 responding to the needs and requests of districts and
district presidents in the identification and provision of
ministerial wellness programming resources and funding

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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

5.	studying, developing, and encouraging opportunities
and suggestions for sabbaticals
6.	 working with Mission Advancement to identify funding sources and solicit contributions for worker wellness
throughout Synod; and be it further
Resolved, That the Office of National Mission provide biannual
progress reports and conversation with the Council of Presidents;
and be it finally
Resolved, That the Office of National Mission make a report of
its progress at the 2019 Synod convention.
Action: Adopted (9)
(With no objection from the assembly, the chair called for the
vote, and Res. 18-02A was adopted as presented [Yes: 898; No: 14].)

Addressing Indebtedness
of Church Work Professionals
RESOLUTION 18-03A
Overtures 9-03–04, 9-08 (CW, pp. 379–382); President’s Report, Part 2 (TB, pp. 21–31)
Whereas, The Synod continues to pray that our Lord would
send faithful laborers into the harvest fields (Luke 10:2); and
Whereas, Student indebtedness can be a deterrent for potential professional church workers; and
Whereas, The Synod takes seriously the Lord’s command that
“the worker is worthy of his wage” (1 Tim. 5:18); and
Whereas, The cost of higher education has increased at a substantially higher rate than anticipated potential income; and
Whereas, The typical salaries for professional church workers may make it difficult to sustain a household and also repay the
incurred debt; and
Whereas, Student indebtedness can discourage healthy stewardship; and
Whereas, One of the Synod’s foundational objectives is to
“recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church
workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth”
(Constitution, Art. III 3); and
Whereas, Research done by the LCMS seminaries has shown
that undergraduate debt and personal financial management contribute significantly to subsequent educational loan debt; and
Whereas, Student indebtedness is a well-documented burden;
and
Whereas, In order to qualify for federal loan programs, our
seminaries and universities are being forced to accommodate federal Department of Education policies that may be in conflict with
our shared beliefs and practices in the Synod; and

“18. Worker Wellness”