Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2026 · 69th Convention, Phoenix › Page 304

LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 304

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

LIFE TOGETHER

304

WHEREAS, The Florida-Georgia District has identified primary
mission emphases through overtures received from the district;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod accept these three as primary mission
emphases for the Synod: Making Disciples Who Make DiscipleMakers, Church Multiplication, and Lutheran Schools as Vital
Means of Outreach.
Florida-Georgia District
Ov. 4-05

To Prioritize Abiding in the Word
as Mission and Ministry Focus
WHEREAS, Christian believers in The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) believe, teach, and confess that the Bible
is the inspired and inerrant Word of God (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16–
17); and
WHEREAS, “We believe, teach, and confess that the Gospel of the
gracious justification of the sinner through faith in Jesus Christ is
not only the chief doctrine of Holy Scripture and a basic
presupposition for the interpretation of Scripture, but is the heart
and center of our Christian faith and theology (material principle).
We also believe, teach, and confess that only ‘the Word of God shall
establish articles of faith’ (SA II II 15), and that ‘the prophetic and
apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule
and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must
be appraised and judged’ (FC Ep, Summary Content, 1) (formal
principle). The Gospel, which is the center of our theology, is the
Gospel to which the Scriptures bear witness, while the Scriptures
from which we derive our theology direct us steadfastly to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ” (LCMS, A Statement of Scriptural and
Confessional Principles [adopted 1973], Article IV, p. 3,
lcms.org/scriptural-and-confessional-principles); and
WHEREAS, “We believe, teach, and confess that because the
Scriptures have God as their author, they possess both the divine
power to make men wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
(causative authority), as well as the divine authority to serve as the
church’s sole standard of doctrine and life (normative authority).
We recognize that the authority of Scripture can be accepted only
through faith and not merely by rational demonstration. As men of
faith, we affirm not only that Holy Scripture is powerful and
efficacious, but also that it is ‘the only judge, rule, and norm
according to which, as the only touchstone, all doctrines should and
must be understood, and judged as good or evil, right or wrong’ (FC
Ep, Summary Content, 7)” (A Statement, IV, p. 3–4); and
WHEREAS, Jesus says in John 15:1–8, “I am the true vine, and
my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear
fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,
that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the
word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in
me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches
are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be
done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much
fruit and so prove to be my disciples”; and
2026 Convention Workbook

WHEREAS, Jesus says in John 8:31–32, “If you abide in my word,
you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free”; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther earnestly encouraged diligence in
learning Scripture and the catechism:
You are daily under the dominion of the devil, and he does not
rest day or night in seeking to take you unawares and to kindle
in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against … the …
commandments. Therefore you must constantly keep God’s
Word in your heart, on your lips, and in your ears. For where the
heart stands idle and the Word is not heard, the devil breaks in
and does his damage before we realize it. On the other hand,
when we seriously ponder the Word, hear it, and put it to use,
such is its power that it never departs without fruit. It always
awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devotion, and it
constantly creates clean hearts and minds. For this Word is not
idle or dead, but effective and living. (LC I 100–101,
Kolb/Wengert)
and
WHEREAS, In Baptism, Christian believers are connected to
Christ as branches to the vine, which gives us our identity. Living
as the baptized (1 Peter 2:9–10) is who we are connected to Christ.
In this relationship that He has established with us through His
Spirit, we will bear fruit in our lives: good fruit. The fruit of faith,
which consists in all the good works that Christians do, are the
works done according to the Ten Commandments for the glory of
God and the good of our neighbor; and
WHEREAS, Christ supplies all we need to bear abundant fruit
through receiving the Word and Sacrament in church: the preaching
one hears, the teaching one receives in Bible class, and the receiving
of Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the
strengthening of faith; and
WHEREAS, The Word of God also comes to His people at home
through personal and family Bible study, Bible reading, and
devotion; and
WHEREAS, Timothy Mech observes that what is needed for
addressing root problems of the Church today has been available to
us all along: “The answer to the challenge for the Church in this
self-absorbed culture is found where it has always been found, in
the Word of God. Interesting, isn’t it? That almost all of the
problems we face in the church and everyday life have to do with
our being disconnected from the Word of God in one way or
another? We need more of the Word of God in our lives, not less”
(Ted Kober, Built on the Rock: The Healthy Congregation
[Concordia Publishing House, 2017], 28); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Ted Kober also notes in his book, Built on the
Rock: The Healthy Congregation:
“Healthy churches possess two main characteristics that
distinguish them from the unhealthy:
1. Their members, especially the leadership, are regularly
engaged in God’s Word, and as demonstrated by their
familiarity with it and their desire to apply it to conflict.
2. Their members, beginning with the leaders, model
reconciliation, through confession and forgiveness”
(ibid., 56); and, “The more spiritually mature the
members of a church are, especially the leaders, the
healthier the church” (ibid., 57); and, “[Kober’s]
observation, based on reconciliation experience, has led