ACTIVITY REPORT

September 1999
9/22 Meeting with Ghana review committee, IC.
9/22 Meeting with LLL executives, St. Louis.
9/22 Meeting re. ministry in Haiti, IC.
9/22 Meeting with Brad Hewitt, IC.
9/23 Meeting of 2+2+2 group, IC.
9/23 Meeting with Don Muchow, IC.
9/23 Meeting with Dar Karsten, BCS chair, IC.
9/26 Anniversary service at St. John's Topeka, KS.
9/27 Administrative Team meeting, IC.
9/27-28 OGI meeting in Washington, D.C.
9/29 Visit to Ohio District office, Cleveland, Oh.
9/30 Meeting with President Dabba of Ethiopian church, IC.

October 1999
10/1 Meeting with President George, Concordia, Bronxville, IC.
10/1 Meeting with Leroy Wilke, CS Interim exec., IC.
10/1 Meeting with President John Johnson, IC.
10/1 Meeting with Bill Meyer, IC.
10/3 CID day at the ballpark, St. Louis.
10/4 Meeting with Brad Hewitt, IC.
10/5-8 ALB vacation days.
10/12 Administrators Forum, IC.
10/12 Church Relations Group meeting, IC.
10/13 Meeting with President James Kalthoff, St. Louis.
10/13 Meeting with Ray Hartwig, IC.
10/14 Meeting with Brad Hewitt, IC.
10/15 Meeting and dinner with district secretaries gathering, IC.
10/17 Northern Illinois Lutheran conference, Naperville, Ill.
10/18 Meeting with LCMS deaconesses, IC.
10/19 Administrative team meeting, IC.
10/19 Meeting with Fred Baue, CPH editor, IC.
10/19 "Tell the Good News" planning meeting, IC.
10/20 Meeting with unit executives:
Merle Freitag
Sam Nafzger
Paul Devantier
10/20 Meeting with President Winterle of Brazil, IC.
10/20 Meeting with Fred Bernthal, IC.
10/21-22 Mission and Ministry forum meeting, IC.
10/25 Committee on Lutheran Cooperation meeting, Baltimore, Md.
10/26 Meeting with unit executives:
Richard Krenzke
Glenn O'Shoney
William Meyer
10/26 Meeting with LCMS Renewal in Missouri discussion representatives.
10/27-28 LCMS and Renewal in Missouri discussion meetings, IC.
10/29-11/3 Hong Kong for 50th anniversary celebration.

November1999
11/4-6 CTCR meeting, IC.
11/4 Meeting with Brad Hewitt, IC.
11/4 Meeting with CTCR Executive Committee and Praesidium, IC.
11/4 Recording videos, IC.
11/4 Meeting with representative of Lithuanian Lutheran Church, IC.
11/7 Preacher for 125th anniversary service, Wentzville, Mo.
11/8-10 Pastoral conference, CNH District.
11/12 Mission and Ministry Forum planning committee, IC.
11/15 Administrative Team meeting, IC.

Report Items

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification: The signing of this document on Oct. 31 has certainly stirred considerable interest throughout the Synod. Many of our laypeople are reading reports on this situation in their local papers and, as is the often the case, the media is making it sound as though all Lutherans are now in agreement with Rome in regard to the doctrine of Justification. Thanks to the fine efforts of Mr. David Strand, LCMS Director of Public Relations, our Synod's concerns were registered in newspapers across the country. There have also been opportunities for us to present our position on national and local radio shows. It is truly sad to watch those who use the name, "Lutheran," compromise the Gospel. Rome certainly has remained consistent, affirming the teachings of Trent. The Lutherans have permitted Rome to get away with stating "clarifications" that again affirm the Roman doctrine that salvation is by both faith and works. For all the fine talk about "grace" it still comes down to this assertion that is contained in the "clarifications" issued by the Vatican, "eternal life is, at one and the same time, grace and the reward given by God for good works and merit." We were able once again to register our deep concerns directly with Bishop Anderson and the ELCA during our recent Committee on Lutheran Cooperation Meeting.

Committee on Lutheran Cooperation Meeting: Our meeting this time was held in Baltimore to coincide with the dedication of the new offices for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and Lutheran World Relief. The usual sharing about our church's various activities was helpful.

Meeting with Renewal in Missouri representatives: We recently concluded our first round of talks with representatives of the charismatic Renewal in Missouri group. I wish to commend the LCMS representatives who participated in this meeting. Our discussions were clear, to the point, and really addressed the key issues that divide us from the RIM folks. It is clear to me that we are indeed quite far apart on the critical question of whether or not we can say that it is absolutely the will of God that the so-called "charismatic gifts" are still given to the church today. The RIM representatives with to assert that continuing revelation is a promise from God. Their position here has not changed. The plan is to have two more meetings. My task as president of the Synod will then be to make a report and bring recommendations to the next convention of the Synod with the hope that we can bring a final and definitive conclusion to this ongoing situation in the Synod.

Hong Kong 50th Anniversary Celebration: Dr. Kuhn and I have just recently returned this week from Hong Kong where I was able to spend some time with our brothers and sisters there celebrating and praising God on their 50th anniversary. Needless to say, now that Hong Kong is under control of China they face significant challenges and a future that is somewhat uncertain in terms of religious freedom issues. It was good to be able to be with them to express a strong word of support and encouragement to them. I was mightily impressed by the large celebration that they had there. Roughly 8,000 people gathered in a large coliseum. As I looked at the crowd, I noticed a majority of younger persons. In connection with the anniversary celebration, the church offered training sessions in evangelism outreach. Over 700 young people attended the training event offered specifically for them and over 450 adults attended the training workshops that were offered for them. Let's remember them in our prayers as they now move ahead with the mission and ministry God has given them to do.

Washington Advisory Council meets in Baltimore: On September 28, the Washington Advisory Council met in Baltimore at the facilities of the Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland. During the meeting the WAC reviewed the need for a statement from the synodical president to President Clinton and the members of Congress on the subject of human genetics research using genetic material obtained through the killing of unborn children. The WAC also made tentative plans to meet with the LCMS members of Congress to thank them for their service to Christ and our society, to hear from them how the church can support them in their work, and to discuss with them how the Synod can encourage more of its members to enter public service. The afternoon was given to a presentation of developments in Vermont and elsewhere that may lead to the legalization of same-sex marriages. The WAC discussed plans for a variety of ways that the Synod may need to respond to such a development.

Meetings with LCMS Unit Executives: As has been the case for several years now, I once again held a series of meetings with unit executives. This permits the various units in our Synod to have a regularly scheduled time to meet with me and I with them. These are always helpful opportunities for us to share information with one another and for them to pursue any area of concern or question they might have for me as synodical president. They are profitable meetings for all concerned.

Mission and Ministry Forum: The Mission and Ministry Forum met Oct. 21-22. This was the first of two meetings on the topic, "Funding the Work." Speakers and their presentations were:
* "Patterns of Funding," Brad Hewitt and John O'Hara;
* "How Do We View Funding the Work?" C. William Hoesman;
* "Competition for Resources," Roger Pittelko.
Panels of reactors including pastors, teachers, and laypeople responded to the presentations, and there was a great deal of time devoted to plenary discussion. The M&M Forum is an ongoing discussion forum that considers topics of importance to our entire Synod. Its primary "audience" is the boards of the Synod at the national level and several of our Synod's commissions. These now have the opportunity incorporate into their own meetings discussions of "Funding the Work" based on input that their representatives gathered at the M&M. The second meeting on this topic will be held May 11-12, 2000.

Foundation Loss Committee: Just by way of follow up, as you know, I have appointed a five member team to look into the matter of the Foundation's losses. The members of the committee looking into this are: Paul Middeke, Brad Hewitt, Thomas Kuchta, Lyle Meyer, Jack Schumacher. Len Pranschke is serving as legal advisor to the committee. They have already held an intensive series of meeting with various persons associated with the loss and have been provided with a list of questions to address. I am anticipating that they will be able to complete their work by the end of the year.

Commission on Theology and Church Relations meeting: The CTCR has now adopted unanimously a document on admission to the Lord's Supper, providing basic Biblical and Confessional considerations. The document should be mailed to the church early in the new year. The CTCR made more progress on the fellowship study and are looking toward finalizing it at their next meeting, in time for the round of district conventions that begin later in February of 2,000.

Tell the Good News About Jesus: This effort continues to gather momentum. I have been pleased to notice the number of the district supplements to the Lutheran Witness that have contained a story about this emphasis, either by the district president, or by the district coordinator. This is most encouraging. Perhaps I should also mention that we have now finalized the committee that is going to be processing applications for the Evangelism Outreach through Congregation's grant monies. The members of the committee are: David Callies, Ralph Geisler, Wayne Knolhoff, Don Pritchard , Ken Schurb, Pat Temple and Al Tormoehlen. Thanks for your continuing support of this effort. During this meeting, I have asked David Callies and Warren Schumacher to tell us the personal impact the good news about Jesus has had in their life.

Meeting in CNH District: I have recently returned from a meeting in the CNH district, a gathering of pastors for the purpose of sharing observations, questions and concerns with me. They billed this as "A Dialog with Dr. Barry." As usual, it was a good opportunity for sharing information with one another about matters of mutual interest and concern. Nothing would please me more than to schedule more of these types of gatherings out in our Synod.

District Secretary Weekend: Based on the feedback we have received, the ladies who attended the conference believed the time was well spent. Most felt that they would like to have even more training on FileMaker Pro and orientation to the work of Roster and Statistics. All who attended also indicated that they would appreciate the chance to gather again next year. So, I think that once again we have been able to provide a valuable opportunity for the ladies who work so hard for our Synod at the district level. I would simply here like to do two things here: One, encourage your continued support of this weekend for your secretaries, and two, express a word of thanks to Presidents Seitz and Sincebaugh for their work in connection with this gathering.

Visits to LCMS District: Bob Kuhn and I plan once again on visiting every LCMS district office in the next eighteen months. We will compare our visit list from last time and I will go where Bob went before, and he will go where I went before. Both Bob and I found these visits to be extremely helpful in building relations and we appreciated the chance to visit directly with you, in your office, as well as with district staff and others who participated.

An observation based on recent Dispute Resolution Panel decisions: I just wanted to share with you a significant observation that has recently been drawn to my attention. A number of recent Dispute Resolution Panel proceedings have had to do with the question of the excommunication of a layperson from one of our congregations. There has been a trend here that I believe is a concern. A number of excommunications have been found to be out of order and invalid because the congregation did not follow its own procedures in the actions it took to excommunicate a person. I would simply like to encourage you to raise this concern with your pastors when next you have the opportunity. No matter how frustrating, or irritating, or troubling a given person or situation is, a congregation can not, and must not, act without proper foundation to excommunicate a person and without following the procedures that the congregation has adopted for such matters.

Praise 2,000: The leaders of our LCMS Board for Black Ministry Services have scheduled a special gathering in New Orleans on July 5-9, 2000. This will be an expanded version of their annual Black Family Convocation. They are hoping to gather 10,000 people for this event from all ethnic groups in our Synod. They see it as a time of celebration, praise, worship, and spiritual growth.

A wise and helpful letter from one our brothers in the Council of Presidents: I am appending to this report a very well done letter issued by President David Bode of the Minn. North District and the Minn. North vice presidents. The letter concerns the improper removal of a pastor and I would like to commend it to you all as something that does need clearly to be understood by our congregations. I believe you will find it very helpful. Perhaps we can discuss it further during our time of sharing with one another.

A request: Recently I was made aware that one of our district presidents was involved in a couple legal actions concerning the district and his office. I asked for more details, just to be kept in the loop, and it was suggested to me that I let all of you know that when, and if, there are those unfortunate times when you find yourself involved in a legal action that you not only keep Synod's legal counsel fully informed of these situations, but that you let me know as soon as possible so as to keep me also in the loop re. these situations.

Recruiting efforts: Here I simply want to open the floor for discussion on how things are going by way of recruitment of men for the ministry. The good news here is that we have seen a definite rise in enrollment in our pre-seminary programs at our colleges and universities and enrollment at both of our seminaries remains very good. I am encouraged by this news. I am convinced that if in fact we pour our energy and resources into the preparation of pastors through both pre-seminary and seminary programs, we can go a long way toward alleviating the growing shortage of pastors. I wanted simply to hear from you how these efforts toward increased recruiting are going in your districts.

District Convention Dates/Times: I have a request. Please send to my office, as soon as possible, verification of the date, time and place of your district convention. Also, please indicate when the convention service will held. Thank you.

October 29, 1999

Dear Pastors and Congregations of the Minnesota North District of the LCMS:

There is a problem in our Synod which is a great concern to me, as district president, and to the vice-presidents and circuit counselors. It is the problem of the improper removal of pastors from their Calls by their congregations. Something needs to change.

All too often across Synod pastors are being dismissed without charges and without good cause. This action is taken with little or no effort to resolve the difficulty. This does great damage to the congregation, the pastor, and our Synod.

Congregations and pastors are to use Matthew 18 as a guide in dealing with each other's sin. If someone sins, first step is to go and talk to the person and hopefully straighten things out. The goal is for us to do as Jesus do for us - forgive.

The second step of Matthew 18 is to take one or two witnesses along. We, your district president, vice-presidents and circuit counselors stand ready to help when pastor and people cannot resolve the differences that may divide them. Please think of us as potential witnesses, available to help God's people to be reconciled to one another.

In regard to the dismissal of a pastor, we hold, on the basis of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, that a pastor may rightly be removed from office for one of very few reasons: a) the persistent adherence to false doctrine; b) leading of a scandalous life (a life of manifest sin which must disqualify a pastor from office - see 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9); c) the willful and persistent dereliction of duty (the duty to preach, teach, administer the Sacraments, pray for the people of God, and visit the sick and the shut-in); or d) prolonged incapacity (due to senility or debilitating injury or illness). Unless a pastor may be honestly charged with one of these causes for removal and those charges reasonably backed up by evidence, a man may not be deprived of the office of ministry. Even when a pastor has been guilty of teaching false doctrine or failure to perform his duties, he, like every Christian, should have the opportunity to recant his false teaching and repent of his sins and make amends.

It is the policy of the Minnesota North District that any congregation who attempts to remove a pastor without cause, charges, and proof will be advised by the district president that any such resolution is null and void. A pastor removed without cause, charges, and proof will still be considered the pastor of that congregation.

While it is true that congregations are autonomous within the Synod, each congregation - and each pastor-surrenders a degree of autonomy by joining the Synod. One thing that we agree on by taking membership in the Synod, is that we will deal with one another according to agreed-upon principles. The principle that no pastor abuse his congregation is one such principle, and Synod and District exist to come to the aid of an abused congregation and protect it from an unfaithful pastor. Another principle we have long agreed upon is that no congregation may abuse her pastor, or remove him from office without just cause. We have all surrendered our autonomy in those regards by taking membership in the Missouri Synod. Even removing a 'bad" pastor without due process and proper charges and evidence presented does violence to everyone involved, and simply cannot permitted.

There are good and proper ways of dealing with disputes between pastors and congregations. God has given us a number of tools which we can use to help. Many in the district have received Scriptural training on how to help congregations and pastors reconcile. There is also a mentoring program available which pairs one pastor with another. An experienced pastor may be able to help a pastor and congregation which are having difficulties. Reconciliation is the goal, and with God's help we will be able to achieve that goal.

We must remember that the "old evil foe" is always at work among us, seeking to destroy and divide us. Paul tells us in Ephesians, 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We must be prepared to fight with the Word of God and prayer, with humility and repentance, with patience and forgiveness. We must learn to fight for one another, not with or against each other.

If problems arise, and they will from time to time, we can find a solution together. We can serve Christ and His Church and our beloved Synod by doing all things "decently and in order" and to the glory of God. If we are faithful, God will bless us abundantly. It is better to lose a battle fighting faithfully than to win it by fighting with Satan's tools - or to lose it by not fighting at all. We will not win every battle, but we will strive to accomplish the will of God.

May God be with us all. May God help us to be the church God wants us to be.
 

In His name,
 

The Reverend David A. Bode
on behalf of the Vice Presidents and Circuit Counselors
 
 
 
 
 

Report to the COP - November 1999
 
 
 
 
 

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