The LCMS should not concern itself with falling numbers. LCMS should concern itself with growing numbers - if the LCMS grew 5%, would that be enough? Why not 50%? Or 500%?

If God wanted 2 million members to walk through our doors tomorrow, believe me, 2 million members would be waiting there before the sun was up. We have to ask, why isn't God choosing to do that? Does He not care about the Church? On the contrary. How does God use members who leave our congregations to deliver to us faith in Him, in Him alone?

The LCMS has the Word. When has that ever been insufficient?

For every report the LCMS puts out on declining numbers it needs to put out two reports, when numbers are rising, focusing on why numbers aren't rising fast enough. Otherwise, when growth occurs, it might grow content on a diet of American Evangelical spiritual food.