LCMS NEWS

DEADLINE: MAY 27

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) meets in Convention July 29-August 3 to elect officers, make denominational decisions, and consider resolutions which can provide direction, take stands, or otherwise signal the denomination's position on different matters. The convention workbook contains overtures both obstructing and empowering racial justice efforts in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, including some which call for a ban of participation in Lutherans for Racial Justice for LCMS members.

Committee 11 (Church and Culture) is accepting feedback on these overtures, but all input must be submitted to lcmssecretary@lcms.org by May 27, 2023. Please keep your feedback simple and focused on individual overtures. LRJ humbly suggests expressing concerns regarding overtures that seek to impede discussions and progress on issues surrounding race, while supporting overtures that would enact actionable steps on these matters.

For your reference, see the below emails which were submitted by an LCMS pastor.

Are you a Convention Delegate? Consider meeting up with other delegates in the LRJ community, every Thursday @ 1pm Central. Sign up here.

Download the 2023 LCMS Convention Workbook.

The Black Clergy Caucus of The LCMS has announced their Fall Conference and is asking everyone to register as soon as possible in order to help their preparations.

2023 BCC Convention

October 10-12, 2023 I Atlanta, Georgia

Registration
Email Rev. Prentice Marsh, Treasurer: pd1Marsh@gmail.com

Registration: $125.00 (check, Zelle, Cash App, all major credit cards)
Retired clergy: $50.00

Host Congregation

Rivercliff Lutheran Church
8750 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs, GA 30350

Local Committee
Rev. Dr. Victor Belton
Rev. Dr. Wilton Heyliger
Rev. Jeff Jordan
Rev. Terrell Davis
Rev. Carl Morten
DCE Michelle Pitts

The Agenda

"We are looking forward to taking the next steps in expanding the Advancing the Next Generation vision. Our local committee has been hard at work to host and assist the BCC to reach our goals toward the 2025 Black Ministry Convocation in Dallas, TX and the 150th Anniversary of Black Ministry in the LCMS in 2027." - Rev. Dr. S T Williams, President

For additional questions, email Rev. Dr. Williams: pastorwilliamsjrla@yahoo.com

Watch Rev. Stephen A. Wiggins, Sr.'s sermon from the February convention.

The Black Clergy Caucus of The LCMS

Rev. Dr. S T Williams, President
Rev. Stephen Wiggins, Vice President
Rev. Micah Glenn, Secretary
Rev. Perry McCullam, Asst. Secretary
Rev. Prentice Marsh, Treasurer
Rev. Gregory T. Manning, Chaplain

"AS A CHRISTIAN INSTITUTION, WE BELIEVE THAT FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST REQUIRES US TO RECOGNIZE THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ACTIVELY SEEK WAYS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY POPULATION RECEIVES CARE, CONCERN, AND RESOURCES ACCORDING TO THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS."

Those were the words of Concordia University Texas president Donald Christian on April 21, 2023, as he announced the Board's vote to remove the school from The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod's (LCMS) control while pledging a continuing commitment to its LCMS Lutheran identity and theology.

LRJ has previously reported on contentious events regarding responses to racial and ethnic diversity in the Concordia University System (CUS), a network of six higher ed institutions that operate under the governance of The LCMS.

It has been a difficult decade for Concordias. While Concordia Ann Arbor was saved from closure by merging with Concordia Wisconsin, the institutions in Selma, New York, and Portland have closed, the latter of which has led to a legal battle. While The LCMS continues to maintain the largest protestant education system in the country, LCMS membership has declined from nearly 2.8 million at its peak to its current membership of 1.8 million with 485,130 in attendance. As a result, the historically homogenous church body has increasingly relied on the enrollment of non-LCMS students, now from the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in U.S. history.

At the same time, the synod has sought to expand its control over Concordia universities, efforts that culminated in the formation of the 7-03 Committee, approved at the 2019 LCMS Convention. The committee was formed to collaborate with the synod and CUS institutions to propose a new governance model with the goal of strengthening the schools' "connection to the Synod" as well as their "confessional Lutheran identity."

It is within that context that Concordia Texas made its decision.

Dr. Donald Christian, CTX President & CEO

A brief overview of how CTX reached that decision:

2020: The LCMS Board of Directors proposes new bylaws for the Concordia University System, increasing Synodical authority and oversight.

2021: CTX expresses concerns over new bylaws, and begins exploring governance options.

2022: CTX explores self-governance with The LCMS Board of Directors and the Concordia University System. In April, President Harrison led a visit to CTX to review their Lutheran identity and theology, saying that The LCMS would follow up with an official report of the visit. President Christian announces the conversations about self-governance that are being explored with The LCMS:

"As the landscape of higher education changes, as the culture becomes more diverse and challenging, and as the church seeks new mission opportunities, the Board has recognized that the need for a system of governance that is local, responsive, and adaptive is more essential than ever for our university."

In November, after failing to receive the synod's visitation report and delays in conversations regarding governance, CTX's Board decides to be the sole-governing body of the institution:

2023: In January, The LCMS submitted the report, leading to a meeting between The LCMS, CUS, and CTX. In March, CTX's Board resolves to maintain self-governance:

“We want to emphasize that we have never received clear guidance from the LCMS or the CUS (Concordia University System) on how they would expect our colleges to serve people from diverse racial backgrounds or sexual identities. Despite this lack of direction, we have remained true to our Lutheran identity while serving our Central Texas community.”

In April, The LCMS responded and The Texas District of the LCMS informed CTX faculty that they would be losing their rostered status with The LCMS in the coming months, which has caused widespread confusion and concern.

Please keep all involved in your prayers as they navigate the coming weeks and months.

Other Updates:

• Concordia University Texas (CTX) has rolled out language and resources regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Dr. Erik P. Ankerberg, a former administrator at Concordia Chicago, is now the president of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor.
• Students at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) have chartered the university's first Latino Student Union.
• The LCMS faces claims of intentional fraudulent transfer and intentional interference with contractual relations regarding the closure of Concordia University Portland. Find a summary of these events here and updates here.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has 35 districts with more than 6,000 congregations and 2 million members. These districts hold conventions every three years for conducting business and electing officers.

Find updates relevant to the LRJ Community below. Please CONTACT US with information regarding your district's convention and will update this page.

• The Atlantic District and the Pacific Southwest District passed a resolution "rejecting racism, rectifying past wrongs of commission and omission, and recognizing the district’s successes, failures and opportunities in ministry within communities." A task force is being formed to study the District's relationships with communities and present results and recommendations to the congregations of the District. The District will propose the Synod adopts a similar task force and study. The Northern Illinois District also passed this resolution, minus the appeal to Synod.

• The Northwest District formed a Racism Task Force in their 2018 Convention. As a result of the task force's work, the district just published a toolkit entitled Speaking the Truth in Love About Racism. We commend them and everyone who contributed and are grateful for the toolkit's references to Lutherans for Racial Justice. Toolkit Part 1. Toolkit Part 2. The Racism Task Force is also developing a Lutheran School curriculum for multicultural exposure and, at this year's convention, approved a scholarship for minority groups pursuing an education in church work.

• The Indiana District passed a resolution that "addressed the false doctrine of diversity, equity and inclusion as understood outside of the church, and that memorializes the Synod to assist its educational institutions to resist this and remain steadfast to God’s Word." Indiana Convention News via the LCMS.

• The English District passed a resolution to "reject contemporary ideologies and movements involving race, diversity and equity that are contrary to Scripture and counterproductive to true racial conversation and reconciliation; and call on the Synod and its educational institutions to reject all organizations, ideologies and movements that present those world views or other related anti-Scriptural world views in a positive manner."

• The Missouri District passed a resolution calling on the Synod to research Critical Race Theory and equip Seminary students to discuss the topic. Details to follow. President Matthew Harrison spoke at the District Convention, discussing his perspective on how Lutherans should respond to racism. WATCH SPEECH.

• The Michigan District passed a resolution to reject racism as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage working toward racial reconciliation and equality in the church and community.

• The Minnesota South District of the LCMS held their convention in June, where the District clarified their stance on racial justice. While there was an attempt to specifically denounce Lutherans for Racial Justice, we're grateful for the church workers and lay delegates who blocked the amendment (update: motion against LRJ also blocked at Nebraska Convention).

To clear up any confusion, LRJ does not (as the Minnesota South District's resolution suggests):

1. "deny the sufficiency of Christ's death to forgive all people by claiming that forgiveness is impossible for certain people based on their race"
2. "confuse the righteousness we have before God for Jesus' sake" with solutions to racial inequities that come from "grievance and retribution"
3. "teach that an individual or organization is inherently racist" solely on account of "skin color, ethnicity, ancestry, nationality, or history."

So what does LRJ believe about racial justice?

The Bible says that all people were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) and that we, having received Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:22), are called to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:25-37), offering our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12), to do justice and righteousness and deliver the oppressed (Jeremiah 22), so that they may know God’s promises for all people (Isaiah 49:6, Revelation 7:9). LRJ acknowledges that the world will not be rid of racism until the day when Christ makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).

Provisional as it may be, this faithful pursuit of racial equity anticipates the fulfillment of that promise as we seek to heed the Scriptural call, incumbent upon us all, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). The goal of the LRJ community is not to get stuck in an academic ideological debate, but to better understand and better exude Christ's love for the sake of the images of God in our congregations, schools, communities, and world.

Visit our ABOUT US page to learn more.

As stated in this video: "Because there's another part of the body that's going through something, the rest of the body responds to it."

Dear Church, we need not be divided on this issue.

Let's respond together.

❤, LRJ

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is hosting a conference next month, titled MAKING DISCIPLES FOR LIFE: LET US KEEP AWAKE, with the stated goal of equipping Lutherans in "proclaiming God's Word to people who have been deceived by worldviews of our culture."

Some may be familiar with this conference as the initial call for presenters in April sought out Lutherans who have "expertise" regarding "errant worldviews of our culture." The announcement included examples of "errant views" to be discussed, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, woke-ism, social justice, Christian nationalism, and cultural marxism. This email was later retracted by the LCMS Office of National Mission, saying that they inadvertently sent the incorrect document, which was "merely a discussion starter for thoughts about interesting topics and how to express (and not express) some ideas."

Last week, the Office of National Mission announced the conference schedule, which will include sessions such as:

• Social Justice vs. Biblical Justice: Real Hope for Black Communities
• "Critical Race Theory" - A Destructive Reframing of the Problem of Racism and Its Solutions
• Pluralism and Prison Ministry ("In this age of woke-ism and pluralism there is a confused message of human ideology and idolatry, even in prison institutions.")
• Marxism and The Church ("Churches today are adopting Marxists concepts in droves, and it is leading to devastating effects.")
• Teach Your Children Well: Critical Race Theory and the New Religion That Is Leading Many Astray

Sessions will cover other topics such as abortion, the advance of the Gospel in Phillipians, and "the cult. of androgyny," but racial progress (or criticism of it) is the most popular session subject matter.

We're sharing this information for the LRJ Community's awareness as these topics are frequently brought up in discussions about racial progress. At this time, our intention is not to promote the event nor critique any specific presenter as the only information we have about their sessions is what the conference provided on its website.

Questions about the conference can be directed to: MDFL@lcms.org.