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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 55

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

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

C. BIM Policy Development
The BIM established policies addressing multiple mission and
ministry areas in its initial years of existence (2010–13) and has
regularly updated these policies in support of programs carried out
by the OIM. In 2023 the BIM approved a complete rewrite of its
policies to focus on monitoring the strategic plan of the OIM and
the supporting budget. The policies allow the BIM to monitor the
OIM strategic plan to assure that OIM staffing and programs support Articles II and III of the Synod Constitution and the mission
and ministry emphasis established by the Synod in convention.

D. Assessment of Mission and Ministry
The Board for National Mission and BIM under Bylaws 3.8.2.2
and 3.8.3.2 are, during each triennium between national conventions, to gather sufficient information from Synod members to
facilitate the boards’ assessment of the effectiveness of the Synod’s mission and ministry. See Report R8 of the Joint Mission Assessment Committee. Based on this assessment, the boards jointly
submitted two overtures for the 2026 convention’s consideration
regarding the mission and ministry emphasis for the next triennium
and proposed changes to the process for developing the same in
the future.

E. International Schools
The LCMS schools in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Hanoi continue to be exemplary academic college preparatory schools. These
schools primarily serve children K–12 of expatriate families. Due
to religious freedom restrictions in effect in China and Vietnam
the ability to maintain a Lutheran identity and to proclaim the pure
Gospel is constrained for Shanghai and Hanoi. In order to address
these concerns, the Synod Board of Directors and the BIM working
with the Chief Mission Officer and the OIM have established an
International Schools Task Force that is researching options and developing plans for the Synod’s international schools going forward.
The task force is comprised of representatives from the BIM, Board
of Directors, and officers of the Synod.
The Hanoi and Shanghai schools are accredited by the National
Lutheran School Accreditation Commission (NLSA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. During 2026, the Hanoi
and Shanghai schools will commence the process of re-accreditation with NLSA.
While there are fewer restrictions in Hong Kong on religious
freedom, the local school leadership in Hong Kong has not been
supportive of the operating agreement provisions regarding the
LCMS religious doctrine and education as well as governance matters. Therefore, in the fall of 2025, the Synod filed a lawsuit against
the local management group, Hong Kong International School Association, Limited.
John W. Edson, Chairman

ing committee of the Synod’s two mission boards, the Board for
National Mission (BNM) and the Board for International Mission
(BIM). It is composed of two members from each mission board.
Its primary task is to facilitate and oversee the execution of Bylaws
3.8.2.2 and 3.8.3.2, which task the BNM and BIM to work together
for the “assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Synod’s triennial mission and ministry emphases.” The JMAC assists
the BNM and BIM in providing ideas and guidance to the Synod’s
district conventions in order to fulfill their duty in accordance with
Bylaw 4.2.1 (d) to “forward to the national convention a list of two
or three triennial mission and ministry emphases for consideration
by the national convention.” In addition to this responsibility, the
BNM and BIM were tasked by the 2023 Synod convention (Resolution 4-02) to “to continue to assess, clarify, and further refine the
process whereby a recommendation for the triennial mission and
ministry emphasis is brought before the Synod in convention for
consideration and adoption,” and to “recommend a new mission
and ministry emphasis for consideration at the 2026 Synod convention.” The mission boards were also given the task (2023 Res.
4-03) to “recommend possible revisions to the mission priorities
and possible bylaw revisions that would articulate both the process
for developing mission priorities and how those priorities would
function in the mission and ministry of the Synod.”

B. Assessment and Conclusions from
Conversations with District Leaders
The JMAC first facilitated members of the two mission boards
into conversation with all 35 districts to assess how the current
mission and ministry emphasis (Making Disciples for Life) and the
Synod’s seven mission priorities were perceived and being used in
their district and among their congregations. Next, a survey was
taken of a random sampling of pastors, church workers, and congregations throughout the Synod to gather more grassroots feedback as to the awareness, visibility, applicability, and relevance of
the current mission and ministry emphasis and mission priorities.
As a result of these conversations and feedback, it was determined
that: (1) many districts were coming up with and using their own
mission and ministry emphasis in place of the Synod’s; (2) the Synod’s mission priorities, while good, were too many and too wordy
to be easily remembered and employed; (3) the mission and ministry emphasis and mission priorities were often confused, not clearly
defined, and not coordinated; and (4) the process for developing
and adopting a new Synod mission and ministry emphasis was too
cumbersome, unworkable, and not being carried out.

C. Recommendations
The JMAC recommended to the BNM and the BIM that three
overtures be offered at the Synod convention:
1.

A new and streamlined process for assessing, evaluating, and
proposing a mission and ministry emphasis;

2.

To sunset the mission priorities of the Synod and in their
place recommend attention to and use of the 10 objectives of
Synod as listed in Article III of the Synod Constitution; and

3.

To recommend to the Synod that Tell the Next Generation be
adopted as the mission and ministry emphasis for the next
triennium.

R8

Report of the Joint Mission Assessment
Committee of the Boards for National
and International Mission
A. Committee Responsibilities
The Joint Mission Assessment Committee (JMAC) is a stand-

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The new process being proposed for assessing, evaluating, and
proposing a mission and ministry emphasis will give the mission
boards a more direct role in guiding the mission emphasis of the
Synod in collaboration with the President of Synod and in fraternal
2026 Convention Workbook