Michigan
June 28-July 1
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Elected: 
- Rev. David P.E. Maier, Dimondale, Mich., president, first term, first ballot. Maier, 52, is senior pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing, where he has served since 1989. He has been the district’s first vice president since 2006.
Installed with other officers during the convention, Maier takes office as president Oct. 1, when he succeeds Dr. C. William Hoesman, who served four terms as president and is retiring due to Michigan District term limits.
- Rev. Mark D. Brandt, Frankenmuth, Mich., first vice president.
- Rev. David A. Davis, Okemos, Mich., second vice president.
- Dr. K. Frank Graves, Brighton, Mich., third vice president.
- Rev. John M. Duerr, Warren, Mich., fourth vice president.
Under the convention theme of “Celebrate Jesus” (from Phil. 2:9-11), delegates to the 99th LCMS Michigan District convention voted to:
- “receive with gratitude” two documents titled “Partners in Ministry: Ethical Conduct for Congregations” and “Partners in Ministry: Ethical Conduct for Professional Church Workers.” The resolution states that those documents were developed in response to a “major outcome goal” of the district – that its “congregations and professional church workers demonstrate respect, trust, and support for each other as they engage in interdependent ministries.” After the documents were first presented to the 2006 district convention, circuits and congregations studied them, with various suggestions added for the versions adopted by the 2009 convention.
- oppose stem cell research, based on Holy Scripture, including the Lord’s sanctifying of “all stages of life” and that “scientific evidence supports the biblical teaching that life begins at conception.” The action “reject[s] all forms of embryonic stem cell research,” calls for the district to provide resources that encourage its congregations and pastors in their witness against such research, and specify that preaching and teaching emphasize “God’s will and creative activity” in preserving human life.
- address clergy mental health, especially “burnout” – and the needs of pa
stors for vacations, conferences, and spiritual development opportunities.
stors for vacations, conferences, and spiritual development opportunities. The convention heard a report that the “partnership” of the Synod’s Fan into Flame initiative and the district’s “The Future is Now” emphasis has generated more than $3 million from the Michigan District to support new church plants, financial assistance for professional church-work students, and international ministries.
Just before the convention began on June 28, Hoesman carried the torch into a final evangelism rally of the district’s 2009 “Ablaze! Torch Relay: For the Heart of Michigan.” This year’s relay — the district’s third — involved 80 runners, fast walkers, and bicyclists who made contacts with individuals along a 515-mile stretch spanning 10 days. During that time, more than 2,500 people attended evangelism rallies hosted by congregations along the relay route. In total over the three annual relays, about 200 runners, walkers, and cyclists have participated, and approximately 5,100 have attended the rallies.
Re-posted Sept. 4, 2009
