Challenges for the Future

A Statement from The Office of the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
United States of America

I see three especially significant challenges facing our Synod as we move into the years ahead.

Challenge #1: To effectively minister to the members of our congregations. God has entrusted our Synod with the care of no less than 2.6 million precious individuals who have come to recognize their sin, and have come to know their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Their souls are a precious trust from God. In the process of addressing issues that confront our Synod, we dare not forget the Master's command to feed His sheep.

One of our Synod's greatest strengths are our church workers and congregations. As we strive to care for the souls entrusted to our care, we must also care for the care-givers, our professional church workers.

How can this be accomplished? We need to continue to work together to strengthen our congregations and our church workers as they minister to the people of God entrusted to them. More and more, we must be known as a people who truly love one another, a family of God that genuinely cares for one another.

Challenge #2: As a result of strong local congregations and high-quality care of souls, we are able to address the second great challenge I see facing our church: with ever increasing zeal, to reach out boldly with the Gospel to those who do not yet know their Lord and Savior. I can not even begin to tell you how richly blessed I have been as I attempt each day to tell at least one person the good news of Jesus Christ. It is this joy in sharing our faith that needs to mark our Synod's work, both locally through our congregations, and internationally, through an ever expanding world mission program.

For this reason, I will be laying before our Synod's convention this summer a bold, new effort to reach out with the Gospel in the years that lie directly ahead. As president, this will be my number one priority as we move into the next three years.

Challenge #3: The third significant challenge I see for our Synod is to remain strongly committed to God's Holy Word as a confessional Lutheran church body. I do not need to tell you that our Synod faces pressure from various groups to back away from our theological commitments. God forbid that we water down or compromise our good, solid Lutheran theology in order to gain the favor of men, while losing the approval of God. Our Synod needs to continue to seek out opportunities for dialogue with other Christians, bearing witness to our confessional Lutheran convictions.

As I daily read the Scriptures, I come across repeated examples of instances where those who have proceeded us were faced with temptations and pressures to compromise. Unfortunately, some succumbed to the pressures, but thank God others stood tall, even in the face of opposition and criticism. The key to strengthening our Synod's theological understanding is through an increased emphasis on catechesis, that is, careful and thorough teaching of the Christian faith and life.

We have a great church body. True, not without its share of faults and shortcomings, but even then still very much a great church body. I am confident that with the blessings of God we can become an even better one. Let us join our hands together and make that happen!