Boldly Moving Forward Into a New Triennium

by Dr. A. L. Barry

The President's Speech to the 1998 Orientation Conference for All Elected and Appointed LCMS Board and Commission Members

The International Center
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
St. Louis, Missouri
September 12, 1998

Let me begin by once again greeting each of you in the Master's name. I am pleased that God has safely brought you to this, our 1998 Orientation Conference, and do look forward to spending the next few days with you. I know that the Lord will bless this time that we spend together, and for that assurance I join you in already now praising His holy name.

One of the responsibilities given to the president of the Synod at these orientation gatherings is to hold before our newly elected and re-elected leaders a vision for the next triennium. As I sat down to prepare this presentation for today, I could not help but do a little reminiscing as to what I had said in this connection in 1992, and again in 1995.

In 1992, I challenged our church, and especially the newly elected and re-elected leaders gathered for this meeting, to move ahead-not with timidity, but with great boldness in the Lord. Boldness in the Lord when it comes to outreach with the Gospel. Boldness in the Lord when it comes to being and remaining a faithful, confessional Lutheran church body. And certainly boldness in the Lord also when it comes to being spiritual leaders in the Synod, whatever our role or calling may be. And quite frankly, I must confess that as I thought back to those words, I could not help but think how appropriate they are yet today. Now is not the time for timidity on the part of we who have been asked by our church to serve in the various capacities of elected leadership. But rather, it remains a time when great boldness in the Lord is still not only most appropriate-but is genuinely needed by us and by our church body.

But then my thoughts drifted on to 1995. Perhaps some of you will recall that even though I had prepared that speech, Dr. Kuhn was given the task of reading and sharing it with you. That was because of a totally unexpected medical glitch that surfaced in my life directly following our synodical convention. And what was it that I said to those gathered at our 1995 Orientation meeting? It was that we continue to move ahead in our commitments and resolve to be the kind of a church body that our Lord would have us be as we work together to carry out the Synod's five-fold vision statement. Those words spoken in 1995 are equally applicable today.

As we gather here today, it is not 1992, and it is not 1995. It is 1998. As such, we as a church body, together with the entire world, find ourselves only three years away from the beginning of a new millennium. God willing, most of us will see that happen. In that connection, what would I say to you, as well as to myself and even to our entire church body, as we gather here these days. What is the emphasis I would like to hold before you and what is the framework on which I would like to hang that message? Well, I am sure it will not come as a surprise to you to know that it is once again the five-fold vision statement that we as a church body adopted in 1995, and reaffirmed for 2000 and beyond at our most recent convention this summer. Why? Because not only is it relevant, but also because we still have a long way to go in achieving that vision.

So let me begin by reminding you of what our Synodical vision statement is. It is that we as a church body, as elected leaders and appointed staff members, as districts, and as congregations will together be: (1) Strongly in the Word; (2) Christ-centered and people-sensitive; (3) Reaching out boldly with the Gospel, (4) Faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, and (5) Marked by peace and unity in the Lord. Five bold vision statements. Five declarations of the type of church we want to be as we move into the future. And five emphases, yes, five emphases I believe must mark our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as we move into the next three years and into the new millennium and that not with timidity, but with great boldness. This five-fold vision statement needs to guide and direct every one of our boards and commissions as they plan to move through the present triennium.

As I look over this five-fold vision statement and consider how well we have implemented it throughout the Synod, in all honesty, as I have already indicated, I do not feel we have in any way come close to getting the mileage out of it that we should have. I know that the people in our congregations, whenever I have a chance to share this five-fold vision statement with them, are very enthusiastic and supportive of it. Unfortunately, though, in some cases they have not even as yet heard about them.

Now, as I was considering how best once again to emphasize our Synod's five-fold vision statement, I thought it might be best to use a visual aid, to help us remember and think through this five-fold vision statement. I have that visual aid with me today: in fact, I have two of them, and so do you. It is your hand. Yes, your hand. As I told one of my staff assistants, Rev. Ken Schurb, what I intended to do here today in this connection, he said: "I can't imagine that you didn't think of that before." Well, be that as it may-there it is, your hand-my hand-and the five-fold vision statements.

First: Strongly in the Word

I think you can see where I am headed with all this. If your life and mine is to be a blessing to this church body, if our leadership is to be a blessing to this Synod, then we must be people who ourselves are regularly "thumbing it" in the Word. We must be men and women who don't just talk a good game when it comes to being in the Word, yes, and also in prayer. Rather, we must be men and women for whom this is a genuine reality. First of all, for our own spiritual good. But secondly, also for our effective leadership roles within the church. And, as leaders who have come to recognize the importance of our own regularly being in the Word, we will then be able, with clarity and effectiveness, to challenge every facet of this church body of ours to do the same: To be in the Word, strongly in the Word. And to say it again, and again, and again. As one layman recently said to me in this connection-"Just keep saying it, President Barry, just keep saying it!" And so, I am going to hold that thumb up there today and say that that is where it has to start. With our church body, our leaders, our pastors, teachers and other full-time church workers-being people who are genuinely in the Word. And as we are, God will bless. He really will.

Now why can I say that? It is because being in the Word is the source and power of our life in Christ. You don't have to look very long in the Scriptures to recognize how true this is. Remember with me for a moment the temptation of our Savior. Remember how the devil tempted Him? Each time, Jesus answered with the Word! Constantly, Jesus preached and taught the Word, and constantly He urged His disciples to be in the Word. Our old Lutheran teachers often referred to the Holy Scriptures as God's love letter by means of which He opens His heart to us and through which we come to know the great and mighty works of a loving and saving God.

Each of us in our own personal lives needs to follow the example our Lord set for us. When the temptations of Satan come our way, what will be our response? Will we fall back on some sort of human rationalizations? Will we try to "out-smart" the devil? Will we perhaps say to ourselves, "Oh, this can't happen to me." No, instead, we need like our Savior to take our stand on the solid bedrock of the Word and say, "It is written!" But in order for us to do that, we need regularly, daily, to be in the Word personally.

Now I don't need to tell you that being faithful to the Word as Lutherans, in all that we are as a church body, is not a popular thing in our world today. There are temptations on every side to soften our witness to the verbally inspired Word of God. That being the case, what will we do as a church body? Will we water down the Word? Will we try to find substitutes for it? Will we perhaps try to find something "new and exciting" to replace the time-tested teaching of the Word that has marked us as a Synod down through the years? God forbid! Rather, we must keep on returning, again and again, to the Word. We must remain focused on our Savior and on His Word both personally and as a church body. As we do, as I have already said, God will bless!

Who of us does not rejoice in that fantastic forgiveness that, day after day, God gives to us through His almighty, spirit-filled Word? What sweeter more comforting messages there are than those words that come to us in one form after another in the Word, "My son, my daughter, your sins are all forgiven you." And, if that message is a cause for great joy and rejoicing on the part of we who are assembled here today, is not that Word-given forgiveness equally a jewel that Sunday after Sunday, and week after week needs to be declared from the pulpits, the classrooms, and the homes of our congregations?

The first and foremost reason why Al Barry needs to be in the Word is not merely a "so that" . . . so that Al Barry can do this, or do that in the kingdom. The number one reason why I, and also all of you, need to be in the Word, and the number one reason why we need to lead our church vigorously into the Word, is to receive the precious blessings the Holy Spirit gives us through the power of the Gospel. But it doesn't stop there. To this God-given declaration of forgiveness in the Word are added one after another dynamic promise, such as: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" and "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" and "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you"-and the parade of such passages could go on and on and on some more.

That is why it is so important for us as Synodical leaders both to model being in the Word and then to lead our church in being in the Word. We must beware of getting so caught up in our many and various duties so that we neglect the emphasis on being in the Word on a regular and consistent basis. Our goal must ever be to turn to the Lord in prayer and meditation on His Word, seeking always to grow and develop in our understanding of the precious truths of His Word. Yes, just as the thumb is vital for our hand, so also the first point of the five-fold vision statement is vitally important for our work together and this fact we cannot emphasize enough.

Second: Being Christ-Centered and People-Sensitive

But now, what about this second finger? Oh, I know that there are those who will say-clearly it's the first finger because the other one is the thumb. But I am going to call it our second finger. Have you ever noticed that when people point at something, they never point with the fifth finger? They never point with the fourth finger, and they surely don't point with the middle finger. They always point with the second finger. You might say that that is the pointing finger.

I would maintain that if we as a church body are strongly in the Word, that our second finger will become a very important finger. It will point to those around us who need care and concern from us, the people of God. It is for that reason we have vision statement number two-that we will be a caring people-and a caring church that is Christ-centered and people-sensitive.

Recently, I once again found myself reading through the four Gospels and then the book of Acts. Quite frankly, I love to do that. As I did, I simply could not help but notice what a caring person our Lord was. You can hardly go from one chapter to the next without seeing that this is the case. For the sick, for the desolate, for the lonely, for the disadvantaged, yes, and certainly for all people as sinners needing the forgiving grace of God-our Master was a caring God. However, it is hard for me to see that trait in the Master without also recognizing the obvious, that we too are meant to be a caring people and a caring church body. Undoubtedly, we are to be caring over against the members of our own family-caring over against fellow members in the congregations of which we are a part. But our caring must not be limited to that. We are also called to be a caring people over against the masses of people we see around us in our everyday lives, people that really need care, love, concern and compassion from us-the people of God.

I have often said it in connection with vision statement number two-wouldn't it be neat if more and more the people around us could say-concerning you and I as leaders, concerning the members of our congregations, our church body-"Oh, what a caring people they are." Let me repeat that-"Oh, what a caring people they are." For in so doing, not only would we be following the lifestyle of the Master, but we would also be meeting a bundle of needs that we see in people on every side-needs to which the Master would direct us in the process of being a caring people and a caring church.

Now I have heard it said by some that of the five points in the five-fold vision statement, this one is the least theological. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that while unbelievers do extend concern and care to one another, they approach it in a totally different way. We are not concerned to be people-sensitive merely because we want to be nice, or to be liked, or to win favor in the eyes of the world, but because we are called to be Christ-like and Christ-centered. Our care and concern for one another, and others, flows from being centered in Christ. We are forgiven and strengthened by the Word and Sacraments. That is what makes us Christ-centered. And, as a result of that, we are then enabled to be people-sensitive and people-caring.

Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to spend a goodly amount of time out in the church, but perhaps, even more important, out in the everyday world. I have seen things in today's society that cause my heart to recoil in utter amazement. It is amazing that what one sees with disgust on television is now, more and more, becoming the way of life for all too many, even our national leaders. But in addition to this, I have once again seen the hurt, the loneliness, the despair and depression of so many in today's society. And it is to these also that we are called to be a caring people, even as the Master was. Caring for our own family and people? Most definitely, yes! But also caring for that broader group of hurting people we see all about us in today's society. To these people also we need to be Christ-like.

Now, there are many striking ways our Synod down through the years has shown that it cares for people. One is when our Synod speaks out and works hard at defending and speaking up for the unborn, and for the old and infirmed. How tragic is our culture's devaluation of human life! Without a doubt, one of the most clear manifestations of sin in our world today is the murder of unborn children; yes, even their savage and brutal murder in the form of the partial-birth abortion procedure. I am so pleased that our Synod, during the convention this summer, once again spoke out strongly, testifying to our pro-life position as a church body.

Other ways in which we as a Synod have shown our concern for others are, for instance, through our involvement in world relief programs and immigration and refugee services; or in the sorts of responses to disasters around our country, and around the world, that we have witnessed lately. In these ways too, we as a church body are demonstrating our concern and care for others. Our Worker Benefit Plans is yet another way we as a Synod band together to show care and concern for our neighbors and fellow members of the Synod. But it cannot stop there. Our caring concern simply must go beyond that. As individuals, as congregations, as a church body-we must go beyond where we presently stand in this area by becoming even more sensitive to the needs of the people around us. And, as elected and appointed church leaders, we must lead the way.

But there is one final area and concern I wish to bring to your attention under this discussion of being Christ-centered and people-sensitive. It is the whole area of ministry to families and included in this is certainly our own families. I believe that the Lord has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to show our concern for others in the persons he has put into our lives as the members of our families: a husband, or wife, son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, or a mother and father, and so on. Within our homes, there are tremendous opportunities for us to be Christ-centered and people-sensitive. Where better to show that sort of Christ-like love than to the members of our own families. And what will we as Synodical leaders do during this present triennium to model this truth in our lives and to hold this need high before the eyes of our people?

Undoubtedly, our Synod needs to give continued and increased attention to being a caring church body-a church body that shows increasing care for the needy, the homeless, the hurting, the lonely; increased care for families, including our own, yes, and also the families of our pastors, teachers and other church workers who minister to hurting families within our congregations. Here too we need to include in our prayers, as never before, the prayer, "Oh, God, make me, my congregation, and our Synod, a more caring people."

Third: Boldly Reaching Out with the Gospel

You know, and I know, that that this is not presently the case concerning our Synod. Oh, when I say that, I am not implying that we as a Synod are not reaching out with the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. But this I will say-that in many respects, we are simply idling along at 25-to-30 miles an hour at best when we should be cruising along at 65-to-70 miles an hour. Consequently, the number one challenge I held before our Synod at the 1998 convention was: The time has come and is, in fact, long overdue for us as a people-us as a church body-to become known as a people of God, who in our daily lives and in the lives of our congregations, are seen, known and recognized as individuals who boldly reach out to others with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Well, it is more than just so we can become a numerically growing church body. That would be nice, but that's not the reason. Rather, it is so that we might, through the proclamation of the Gospel, bring many people who do not know Christ as Savior and Lord into a saved relationship with the Master.

Now where in all of this do you and I as church leaders fit? Well, if we are going to become the kind of church body where that third finger truly sticks out more than all the others, then that is going to have to become a clear priority with each of us personally. We personally must look for opportunities to tell others the good news about Jesus, and to reflect in our lives, our actions and our words the joy of that salvation which is ours in Jesus Christ. We are going to have to lead first and then, second, challenge the Synod to move forward in this connection. And we are going to have to do that as leaders in this church body have never done before. It is to that end that I must tell you that I daily pray, "Oh, God, stir us mightily. Yes, stir us mightily. Bless all that we are now undertaking in this connection."

That is why the "Tell the Good News about Jesus-3/10 Emphasis," which we shared with our Synod in our 1998 convention, is so important. That is why your leadership is dramatically needed to make this happen. If the waters of evangelism outreach are to be stirred within our Synod, and within our congregations, making us a church body boldly reaching out with the Gospel, then each of us assembled here today is going to have to do some of that stirring. And as elected leaders, I challenge you this day in that task.

As your president, I want you to know that I am very much committed to making the "Tell the Good News about Jesus" emphasis a reality among the people of our Synod. For, I am firmly convinced that we, as a confessional Lutheran church, do, in fact, have the pure Gospel. The Lord has clearly called us-all of us-to be His witness-to the ends of the earth. Telling the Good News about Jesus needs to become a top priority in our own personal lives, as well as in the life of our Synod. Sure, not all of us are called to full-time service in the Lord's kingdom as a pastor or some other church professional. And, it is true that we must continue to look to our called pastors for the public proclamation of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments. But each and every Christian, right there in his or her own station and calling in life, has the challenge to tell the Good News about Jesus in a wide variety of ways. There is not a single person who does not need the Gospel, and there is no higher or greater purpose in our lives than giving the saving Gospel to those who need it.

Over the next several months you are going to see us unfolding, step-by-step, the "Tell the Good News about Jesus-3/10 Emphasis." If time permits at this meeting, I would love to give you an overview of what is being planned. Not another Synodical program-and let me repeat that-not another Synodical program-but rather, an emphasis that every entity will help to shape and unfold in their own unique way; an emphasis which, God-willing, will become a new and exciting hallmark of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. If you can't tell that I am excited about this, you simply do not know Al Barry. In that connection, let me say that nothing would please me more than to see our next national youth gathering organize itself around the theme of sharing the good news about Jesus.

But here is where I believe we also need to consider carefully the challenge that faces our Synod in the area of reaching out to the wide variety of ethnic populations in our country. As time has passed within our Synod, I believe that we as a church have become increasingly aware of the need to reach out to others, of different nationalities and backgrounds, in an increasing way. I am not implying that we have been trail blazers in this connection, but I do believe one sees a gradually increasing awareness here. But the speed with which we have done this has been far too slow. Consequently, as we move into the next triennium, we need to give a much higher priority to identifying those new ethnic populations around us in increasing numbers on every side, and then to developing useful methods of reaching out to them with increased vigor and boldness in the Lord.

Now, I need to say very clearly, that we need never apologize for being Lutherans when we reach out to other ethnic populations. Nor should we fall into the trap of thinking we need somehow to take on the theological characteristics of other denominations in order to reach out effectively to ethnic populations. Lutheranism is not an ethnic faith any longer. There are faithful and devout Lutherans all over our globe and they do not want for a moment to stop being Lutheran.

We as a church body need to take full advantage of the opportunity to reach out to ethnic populations, while never compromising or watering down our faith. Now certainly we realize that congregations that may be primarily Chinese, or Eritrean, or Ethiopian, or Russian, or Hispanic will have their own unique cultural traditions and customs, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, there is everything right about it. We need to be aware that, in increasing numbers, our major population centers are becoming multi-ethnic, and so we as a church body need to be sensitive to and aware of these opportunities. I am very pleased with the work that has been done and the work that is being planned. But we also need to move forward even more boldly in all these areas, and do it now, not later.

Once again, I really like the twofold way the Scriptures depict our Lord in action in the four Gospels. On the one hand, I notice that as He went around telling the good news, He never trimmed or compromised His message in order to gain popularity or to win people over. In fact, He was even willing to risk what many might consider to be poor results in the process of doing His work. And, on the other hand, there was not a single person to whom He did not reach out with the Gospel-even to the Samaritans and "sinners" of His day. Again both of these traits must mark our church body as we move into the years ahead. In like manner, when we tell the good news about Jesus, we too must be uncompromising in our testimony and witness to the truth. As a Synod, we are congregations that have banded together to do and accomplish things that congregations by themselves could not do as well. This is why we have a Board for Mission Services and a Board for Higher Education Services-so that we can send out workers into the harvest fields around the world and prepare those workers for service.

Fourth: Faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions

The same holds true for this point in the five-fold vision statement; a church body that is faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Oh, I know that down through the years there have always been some for whom this particular vision statement is not really all that significant. But as a church body, we know otherwise. We simply cannot take such doctrines of Holy Scripture as the verbal inspiration of the Word, original sin, Christology, justification, infant baptism, real presence in the Sacrament, and the list could go on and on-and treat these great truths of Scripture as insignificant fingers that can be chopped off and discarded.

I have said it before and I will say it again: If our Synod is going to continue to be a blessing to our own people, as well as to the total Christian community all around the world, we must continue to be a church body that is marked, yes, clearly marked by being faithful to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. No fudging. No apologizing. No side-stepping away from what we know to be true. But rather, lovingly, humbly, yet clearly saying, "Thus says the Lord."

And I guess all of this once again underscores another very important word with me. It is the word "catechesis"-the ongoing learning, teaching and reviewing of the truths of God's Holy Word. Catechesis on the part of congregations. Catechesis on the part of parents. But now hear this, also ongoing genuine catechesis on the part of you and me as elected leaders within this church. For either you or me to think that we do not continually need to review the basic truths of God's Word so that we can stand tall for them before the world, and within our Synod would be folly. To fall into this trap would be to succumb to an unbelievable delusion-a delusion that can only tear apart and destroy the foundation on which we have stood over these 150 years. So yes, also a fourth finger-faithful to the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions.

It is very appropriate that this emphasis follows the previous one about telling the Good News. A famous preacher once described a long journey during which he spoke to no one about Christ. He said, "I had no cross to bear or take up, and soon I went to sleep." If telling the good news about Jesus keeps us focused on the truly important things in life, how much more true this is when a church's telling of the good news is faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

Sometimes, I am afraid, people in our Synod do not have the foggiest idea what we are talking about when we mention the "Lutheran Confessions." In fact, at the Synodical convention, on the last day, when delegates seemed to be standing up to share various thoughts with the assembly, one delegate stood up and very innocently said, "I really appreciate the Synod's CTCR documents, and I can follow the Bible references, but I don't know what all these quotes are from the Book of Concord." That was a very sad, but quite honest, remark. It is important for us to recognize that a church that wishes to be and remain a genuinely confessional Lutheran church must be aware of what the Lutheran Confessions teach and that involves actually reading and using them.

A Lutheran theologian, a number of decades ago, sounded a somber word of warning about the Missouri Synod. He expressed a concern that the Missouri Synod was tempted to give mere lip-service to the Lutheran Confessions, and perhaps even overlook them in the everyday working of the church. For instance, he once asked: "How many of your pastors have read their Books of Concord recently? How often do they consult the treasures of the confessions as they go about their pastoral ministry?"

We as a church body need to be concerned that in our efforts to be winsome and to be attractive to others, we not overlook the necessary and vital task of not only witnessing to the truth, but also pointing out and defending against error. Admittedly, some view this as being only "negative." But the Word of God leaves us no choice. As we bear witness to our faith in an open and truthful manner, we also will need to point out the falsehoods and errors of our present day and age. Therefore, our Lutheran Confessions contain both affirmations of truth and rejections of error. These statements, though negative, serve the cause of the one saving doctrine, and, therefore, serve the cause of telling the good news about Jesus.

I have said it before, and I will say it here again, faithfulness and outreach go together. Even as you do not have a complete hand without all of your fingers, so also you do not have a complete church if there is not faithfulness to both the Word and also to the task of outreach. It is not an either/or situation. It must be for our church body always very much of a both/and.

The LCMS New Testament scholar, Martin Franzmann, once wrote:

A "back to Jesus" movement will hardly rid the church of confessional tensions and confessional conflicts. Rather, it would give men a renewed sense of the ultimate significance of those tensions and of the necessity of those conflicts as long as the world stands . . . there are those who hold that in the church all conflict should be avoided at all costs and tranquility should be purchased at any price. . . . Perhaps our reluctance to face conflict is one of the reasons why we have so puny a Christ and think our God and His kingdom so small.

At times I get the impression that some within our Synod think that confessional faithfulness is something that happens only on the church body level-that is, it is not something that has much to do with the congregational level. This thought is simply not accurate, and in fact, it is quite dangerous. It can lead to the disastrous conclusion that local congregations can and should do pretty much what they want in matters of confessional faithfulness, while "the Synod"-whatever that may mean-maintains its own positions. In reality, of course, the Synod is nothing other than its member congregations, with their pastors and other full-time church workers, walking together in harmony, in concord, on the basis of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. This walking together is what we as a Synod need to be about at every level: congregation, district and Synod. Walking together in the Word, walking together in being a Christ-centered and people-sensitive church body, walking together in boldly reaching out with the Gospel, walking together in being faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions and finally, walking together in our desire to be marked by peace and unity in the Lord.

Fifth: Marked by Peace and Unity in the Lord

So also is the fifth of our five-fold vision statements: A church body marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. You know, over the past few weeks I have told several people that one of the things I have appreciated very much about our recent synodical convention was that, even though our delegates disagreed on various points, by and large they treated one another with great respect and dignity in Jesus Christ. That is really the way that it should be. How does something like this happen? Well, in my opening convention sermon, I tried to give a clue.

I told them about a grand old pastor of God who I had the privilege of working with, who said-"Even when you disagree with another person, always treat that brother or sister in Christ with respect, always remembering that they, like yourself, were not purchased with cheap stuff such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot." When you stop to think of that purchase price in the life also of those with whom we disagree, how can we treat them with other than respect in the Lord?

Now let's think about how important that fifth finger is on the hand of our five-fold vision statement. I would not want to lose that fifth finger: A church body marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. Homes marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. Congregations marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. Districts marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. And, yes, also the Synod-marked by peace and unity in Jesus Christ. And how does that happen? Well, undoubtedly it is a blessing of the Spirit.

But the Spirit still works through and in the lives of people. People like you and people like me. The number one peacemaker in your life and mine should be the person you see every day when you look into the mirror. And, as elected leaders within this church body, there is nothing you and I should pray for with greater fervor in this connection than this: "Lord, take me, yes, me-a man, a woman, a member of this board, a member of that commission, a member of the Praesidium-and use me to promote peace and unity within this our beloved Synod, the district of which I am a part, our congregation, my home." But I think you recognize that it takes more than just praying these words. As one churchmen once said, whenever we pray for something, we then need to go out and live our lives as if that prayer is being answered. We need to pray and then live out the substance of our prayers. A pretty important little finger, I would say. Right?

Oh, when I say that, I am not talking about peace at any price, or that we are willing to give up that for which we stand, minimizing the truths of God's Almighty Word. I am not talking about taking all of the other vision statements and sort of sliding them out of the picture. But this I do believe God wants for you and me as leaders within this church body. And that is that we lead-we lead in promoting peace and unity within our fellowship. That we take a look at our actions and our words, and genuinely ask: Are they really promoting peace and unity within this church body? If they are, great! But if they are not, then there is something in our lives that we need to change. For if we do not lead in this connection, pray tell, who will? Who will?

Peace and unity in the Lord was the motivation for our Lutheran forefathers who put together the Book of Concord in the 16th century. They certainly did not see any basic conflict between being faithful in doctrine and living in peace and harmony. Their whole reason for the church to be so concerned about maintaining unity in doctrine was so there would be genuine peace and true unity. If we do not have doctrinal unity at the foundation of our harmonious walking together and working together in the Synod and district, something else will inevitably take its place: Bureaucratic and management-type pronouncements, organizational pep talks, or whatever may be the latest trend in management styles. These cannot and must not replace that peace and unity among us that comes when we are truly united in doctrine and practice, for only that makes for genuine peace and unity in the Lord.

And here perhaps I need to sound a very clear and strong word of encouragement to our board and commission members. Please do keep in mind that that you are the individuals elected by our Synod to represent the members of the Synod. You set the direction of your boards. You are responsible for supervising the work that goes on in your board's area of responsibility. Are you to support your unit executives in their work? Most definitely! But you are not merely to be their cheerleaders, or merely to rubber-stamp whatever it is that they want to do. Our boards must not be staff-driven. They must exercise their responsibility to be involved in overseeing the work that our executives do, on behalf of the boards. That is a point I have made at previous orientation sessions, and one that I very much want to underscore here as well.

Well, there you have it for 1998. Your president's on-going, continued vision, dream and challenge for this beloved church body of ours. And now comes the big question. Will you join me in making it happen? I am going to repeat that. Will you join me in making it happen? Well, I pray that you will-so that through us-yes, through us, under the blessings of God's Holy Spirit, we might more and more become a church body that is truly: l) strongly in the Word, 2) Christ-centered and people-sensitive, 3) boldly reaching out with the Gospel, 4) faithful to the Scriptures and Lutheran confessions, and 5) marked by peace and unity in the Lord. For this, oh Lord, we would this day earnestly pray.

A few months back while preaching at a congregational anniversary service in Texas, I saw a banner there that really caught my attention. To me it depicted what our Synod really needs to do as it moves into the future—and certainly what we as elected and appointed leaders within the Synod need to do—and lead others in doing, as we move into the next three years and the ones beyond. Standing in the shadow of the cross, yes, even the Synodical cross, we need to join hands as redeemed coworkers in Christ and then with all boldness move forward. Let me show you that banner. Standing in the shadow of the cross. Joining hands meaningfully together.

To that task, oh Lord, may each us say, "I do this day commit myself." And then, in the name of the Lord, move forward boldly—into 1999, 2000 and 2001—and beyond. For this, oh Lord, we would this day fervently pray. Thank you.