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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 124

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

124

to visitors and at outreach events. Campus and financial
planning are also included in the plan.
•

•

New Jersey District University (NJDU) is a fuller, more indepth version of SCC for more mature congregations. Since
these are larger congregations, their plans will encompass
more areas of ministry, in a more sophisticated way. NJDU
is a seven-session, seven-month process compared to SCC’s
four-session, four-month process.
Advanced Development. Congregations that have completed
either SCC or NJDU are eligible to enroll in Advanced Development sessions that will cover a host of topics to train
and equip congregational leaders to better lead and serve
their congregations and communities.

More than half of the district congregations have participated in
IMD, and that number continues to grow!
In addition to this ministry focus, the district unveiled its new
strategic plan at the 2025 district convention. This plan features
four strategic targets:
•

Healthy Congregations

•

Healthy Workers

•

Expanded Ethnic Ministry

•

Financial Development

you in His own holiness, hung naked, bare, and exposed. He hung
on the cross dressed only in your sins and the sins of the entire
world. He’s covered in your sin, and you are covered in His righteousness.
Despite various challenges, the district has been exceedingly
blessed by our gracious Lord. The pastorate is dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel, despite the hardships they may face. Several
of the pastors travel over 200 miles to serve a vacancy. Among the
77 congregations in North Dakota, there are 10 dual parishes, 7
tri-parishes, and 2 quad-parishes. Many other congregations share
a pastor but are not in an official parish arrangement. These congregations are being served, at the time of this writing, by 44 active
pastors. I have never heard any of the pastors complain or give
thought to pulling back.
The challenges that the district faces are shared by many others. The demographic shift away from rural communities has
made it difficult in many areas of North Dakota. Rural churches
are growing smaller, putting at risk the proclamation of the Gospel
in congregations that used to flourish. Apathy toward God’s Word,
financial stress, and overall rural congregational sustainability are
problems that our people face.
To address these issues, I have put before the district a threefold
emphasis: catechesis, rural ministry, and preaching stations.

For each of these target areas there is an assigned task force that
works on developing the strategic plan with goals and action steps
to be shared with congregations and pastors.
While there are too many aspects of each of the targets to be
mentioned here, the task forces, in conjunction with the direction
of the district president, are prioritizing goals and developing action
steps for district and congregational implementation. Some of them
correlate to Synod resolutions (see above), and others are of local
priority.
Filling the pastoral office of our congregations continues to be
a priority and challenge for the district. One answer has been the
increasing number of congregations that have chosen to enter into a
shared ministry. This enables congregations to have another chapter
in life and the opportunity to write an alternative to closing. Our
prayer is that with involvement in Small Church Clarity they can
have a brighter future. Another answer is for congregations to engage in the specific ministry pastor program. The district now has
six specific ministry pastors and another three in training. These
men are proving to be a great blessing to our congregations and
district. We encourage our Synod to embrace our history when we
had both a practical and theoretical path to ordination and use this
concept in the present.
Our prayer is that the risen Christ would bless the humble efforts of the district toward healthy congregations, healthy workers,
and vibrant outreach to the glory and honor of God, the edification
of His Church, and the salvation of the world.
Stephen A. Gewecke, President

A. Catechesis
The treasures of our Lutheran heritage are great and abundant,
wide and deep. This marvelous confession of faith, drawn from the
sacred Scriptures, has been passed down by the faithful who have
come before us. As a cherished heirloom is bequeathed down the
generations, so, too, have we received this confession of Christ and
His redeeming work from our forefathers in the faith. We do not
hold the Lutheran Confessions on par with Scripture; we do not say
that the Confessions are infallible, but we do say that our confession has not erred or failed.
The goal for the district is for there to be a Confessions study
in every circuit and parish. These Lutheran treasures are not just
for eggheaded clergy but are a gift bequeathed from our Lutheran
forefathers to all of us today.

B. Rural Ministry
Rural ministry is of great concern for our district. The goal is to
help as many struggling congregations as possible. To that end, a
Rural Ministry Task Force has been established to discuss ideas to
serve struggling rural congregations. There are several ideas that
have been discussed.
1. Hub-and-Spoke Models, also called the Cathedral Model. A
larger, multi-staff congregation deploys her pastors to serve
smaller congregations in the area.
2. Reiseprediger, i.e., traveling preacher. A man travels a larger
area, bringing the gifts of God to the people.

North Dakota District

3. Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program. The SMP is, in my
opinion, an exception that is to be made only in rare circumstances. Thus, for an SMP candidate to serve, the situation
must be a rural parish that makes it improbable for them to
be served in any other way.

The North Dakota District met in convention in January 2025
under the banner “Clothed in Christ’s Righteousness.” Our Lord,
who has clothed you in His righteousness in Baptism, who robed

4. Congregations entering into parish agreements. Some of
these models require a congregation to be gathered by the
Holy Spirit to receive the gifts of God at a time other than

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2026 Convention Workbook