Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 4
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 4

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

————— a ——————

of disciples in Jerusalem grew larger and larger,

number of priests accepted the faith.” (Acts 6:7)

Exhibit 3 indicates the beginning of

“biological growth.”

growth alone,
soon to also show an annual loss.

The birth rate and its effect on biological growth is a fixed
factor. What is not fixed is the number we can gain from outside
the church, those 39 percent who have no church affiliation.
This is “conversion growth,” and it is here that we need to put
the emphasis. We too have not traditionally kept records as
we gain from outside the church. We
count them when we confirm them. We do keep careful records,
however, of the adults we gain for Christ and the c
adult confirmation or baptism. Both of these figures, the juniors

to how many children

decline in
members in the Missouri Synod after the peak year of 1971
with 2,886,207 members. The communicant membership con-
tinues to have a small annual increase which is due primarily
to the junior confirmations. Church growth leaders call this
The size of this increase has declined in
(21,071 in 1973; 17,380 in 1972) and will continue
to decline, as has the Sunday school; thus, based on “biological”
we can expect the communicant membership

hurch through

EVANGELISM

and a great

baptism or confirmation,

baptized

as Exhibit 4 indicates.

At the same time that
the ‘‘defections,”
crease (Exhibit 5).
Statistical Year!
are only thos
excommunication or |
ment in a local parish.
we say that they we

re

gains fro’
or losses in m
These defections,
book. do not incl
e who were remove!

3

confirmed from non-Lutheran homes and the adults gained by

have continued to decline since 1960,

m the outside were declining,
embership, continued to in-
as they are called in the
ude deaths or transfers but
d from the roster because of
ack of participa
Their names were rem
lost out the back door.

tion in the Word and sacra-
oved, or sometimes

Studies have been

made, programs instituted by both Districts and the Synod, such

as a Membership Referral system attempti
who move from one paris
membership, but nothing so far

All of these exhibi
shows the figures fr
figures down into t
hibit 8 that 40% of the congregations 0
or one adult by baptism o
gained 10 or more. The percentage

‘om
he North America

hh area to ano

ts are summarize

r confirmation in

ing to encourage those
ther to transfer their
has changed the pattern.

d in Exhibit 6, which
1950 to 1973. Exhibits 7 and 8 break the
n Districts. Note on Ex-
f the Synod gained none
1973, and that 13%
of growth figure is based

EXHIBIT 7
North American Districts — 1973
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll
Bapt. Comm. Adults Win Non-Luth. Rein- Out- Win _ Defec- Qutreach Percentage
Districts Members Members BIC One Jr. Conf. stated reach One tions Check Growth
Atlantic 73,752 46,811 607 (77 360 445 1,412 33 2,570 —-1,158 — 2.5%
Calif./Nev. ————— 72,908 51,432 886 58 240 334 1,460 35 1,959 — 499 — 9
Calif./South ———— 105,285 73,786 1,428 Sl 314 751 2,493 29 4,002 —1,509 — 2.0
Colorado 58,735 41,877 594 70 93 254 941 44 1683 — 742 —- 18
Eastern 71,699 48,786 640 76 147 174 961 50 1,268 — 302 — 6
English 135,575 97,344 1,061 91 318 545 1,924 50 3,099 —-1175 — 1.2
Florida/Ga. ————- 55,185 40,057 830 48 109 404 1,343 29 1467 — 124 —- 3
Cent. Illinois —_— 73,901 54,687 750 73 49 163 962 56 697 ~ 265 + 4
North Illinois ——— 194,859 138,935 1,683 82 425 857 2,965 46 3,790 — 82 —- 59
South Illinois —_— 45,179 33,606 333 101 39 94 466 72 434. + 32 ~.09
Indiana 112,828 80,997 1,149 70 67 278 «41,494 54 1588 - 94 —- Al
Iowa East 52,232 37,329 407 91 46 185 638 58 g01 — 163 —.43
Iowa West 75,208 54,633 572 95 54 136 762 «71 668 ~ 94 -~.-17
Kansas 60,419 44,750 520 86 43 163 726 «61 1,101 — 375 .83
Michigan 257,906 179,296 2,745 65 276 753 3,774 47 4,725 — 91 - 53
Mid-South 21,892 16,218 333 48 23 174 530 30 344 - 186 1d
Minnesota N. _—— 74,765 54,587 376 145 123 196 695 78 633 - 62 +.11
Minnesota S. ——_— 151,047 108,182 774 139 152 413 1,339 80 1817 — 478 —.44
Missouri 141,316 104,150 1,256 83 172 368 1,796 58 2,716 — 920 —.88
Montana 15,110 10,323 189 «54 24 59 268 38 373 —- 105 —1.0
Nebraska 103,050 75,367 739 102 77 234 «1,050 71 964 + 86 +.11
New England 38,465 27,393 272 100 66 145 483 56 737 — 304 —-1l.l
New Jersey 30,803 20,738 246 «84 94 156 496 41 1,100 -— 604 — 2.9
North Dak. 27,815 20,262 139 145 22 64 225 70 208 17+ .08
Northwest 90,325 61,150 1,060 57 204 321 1,585 38 1,981 —-— 396 — 65
Ohio 79,000 56,681 667 85 110 209 986 57 1,343 — 357) - 63
Oklahoma 23,221 16,987 276 «611 24 84 384 44 963 + 121 + 7
South Dak. 34,895 25,520 208 122 26 71 305 83 308 — 03 —.0l
Southeastern 66,722 46,127 903. 51 161 233 «1,297 +35 1816 - 519 —- 1.1
Southern 43,405 30,525 614 49 104 279 997 30 1037 -— 40 - 13
SELC 20,030 15,446 125 123 36 40 201 76 297 -— 96 —.62
Texas 109,536 78,725 1,386 956 147 400 1,933 40 2130 —-— 197 - 129
N. Wis. 105,520 77,313 598 129 129 339 «1,066 72 1,091 —-— 25 —.03
S. Wis. 147,243 108,336 861 125 211 522 1,594 68 2151 — S57 — 1
Wyoming 15,318 10,737 128 8683 19 41 188 57 246 — 58 - 9
Alberta/BC -—_—_ 29,501 19,903 256 77 70 162 488 40 489 — O1 —.005
Man./Sask. ——_— 23,593 15,642 137 114 35 54 226 69 219 + OT +.04
Ontario 35,561 25,161 172 146 17 102 351 71 458 — 107) — 43
Totals 2,873,814 2,049,799 25,920 79 4,686 10,198 40,804 50 52,618 —11,814 — 589%
Explanation
3. Adults Baptized or Confirmed: Totals of those listed by the congregations in their annual report.
4. Win One: Dividing adults gained (cal. 3) into communicant members (col. 2) provides the number it took to win one.
5, Non-Lutheran Juniors Confirmed: Neither parent belonged to the Lutheran Church.
6. Reinstated: Were Lutherans at one tme and now received as active members.
7. Total Outreach: The total of columns 3, 5, and 6.
8. Win One: Dividing total gained from the outside (col. 7) into communicant members (col. 2).
9. Defections: Removed from the roster because they stopped coming to church or were excommunicated.

me
_- Oo

. Outreach Check: Compares total gained from the outside

h communicant members (col. 2).

(col. 7) with total lost to outside (col. 9).
_ Percentage Growth: Compares Outreach Check (col. 10) wit!