President's office nominees address issues in Synod

As in previous LCMS convention years, Reporter and The Lutheran Witness asked the five nominees for Synod president this year to answer in writing four questions related to issues in the Synod — some of which will be addressed during the convention, July 10-17 in Houston. Those questions and the nominees’ answers (in the order of the number of nominations they received) appear here and in the June/July edition of The Lutheran Witness.

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Q: How would you judge the health of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod today?

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Rev. Matthew Harrison, 48, is executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

(1,332 nominations)

Harrison: This is the most dynamic moment in history to be part of the LCMS! Worldwide opportunities abound. I’m giddy with hope (Rom. 15:4–13)! Yet, we are accomplishing a fraction of what’s possible. The New Testament shows us the twofold reality: “Saints” are also sinners, beset with problems (1 Cor. 1:2, 10ff.). It’s never been different. We need Jesus. We are blessed to know the Gospel in all its fullness. We have faithful workers, the two greatest Lutheran seminaries in the world, LLL, LWML, LCEF, great schools, partner churches—the list goes on! Best of all, the world is open for the mission of Christ. Healthy? Under the Law, no (Rom. 3:9ff.). But by the Gospel, we are congregations of living saints, blessed for this moment (Zech. 8:13; 1 Peter 2:9–10). The key to exploding upon the world in mission and mercy is this: Courage through repentance and renewal by the mighty Word of God. We’re no more or less healthy than that ragtag dozen who burst onto the world after Pentecost.

Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, 67, is president of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

(755 nominations)

Kieschnick: A church’s health is measured by its faithfulness to Scripture and the Gospel which gives it birth and to which it is called to witness. The doctrine of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Christ alone is the foundation on which the church stands and the glue that holds it together.

By this standard, the LCMS is a healthy church. Every congregation and church worker is committed to the written Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, as confessed in the Lutheran Confessions.

When viewed, however, by God’s Law, the LCMS falls far short and is sick unto death. Too often the Gospel we are commanded to proclaim is undercut by the witness we give—indifference to sharing it with others, lack of civility and accountability in treating those with whom we disagree, distrust for one another, and failure to confess the full counsel of God in faithfulness to His Word.

Thanks be to God for His amazing grace in allowing us poor sinners, in spite of our sin, to serve Him through our beloved Synod, seeking to proclaim Christ’s Gospel in faithfulness and for the salvation of many!

Rev. Herbert Mueller Jr., 57, is president of the LCMS Southern Illinois District.

(503 nominations)

Mueller: God gives such blessings—our biblical confession of Christ, congregations of baptized people who love serving the Lord, Christian schools unsurpassed in excellence, great seminaries and universities, well-formed ordained and commissioned ministers, a strong publishing house, synodwide agencies of mission, mercy, service, etc.

Unresolved issues, however, plague our life together: questions of worship forms, Communion practice, fellowship, church and ministry issues. For years we have sought to solve these problems by political means (voting), but this has only solidified political polarization. We have nothing to offer God save weakness, sin, and death. Spiritual health and life come when God, in mercy, works repentance, forgives sinful attitudes in the blood of Jesus, and gives faith, all through His Word. We need to deal with one another in terms of Christ and Him crucified and do the hard theological work to help each other hear the Word clearly so that our thinking, speaking, and practice are more unified under the Word of God.

Dr. Carl C. Fickenscher II, 55, is an associate professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

(5 nominations)

Fickenscher: Let’s answer that on two levels. The first, the local congregation, is the more important, since it’s the only one specified in God’s design (as in 1 Cor. 1:2). Many of our congregations are struggling to remain vital. That’s a fact. However, these and all our congregations are the primary settings in which Christ is proclaimed and life given in His Sacraments. Where that is happening faithfully, the Holy Spirit is accomplishing everything He intends, and there, therefore, we are healthy!—even if we see shrinkage or aging or budget deficits.

The secondary level, the national Synod, exists to do those things individual congregations cannot. At this level, the healthy agencies are generally those that have been able to fund their own activities. Our two seminaries continue to prepare loving, faithful Lutheran pastors, our human-care arm sends relief all over the world, our publishing house resources the church, each by generating its own revenue exclusively, or largely so. Unfortunately, another precious service is less healthy; World Mission now fields many fewer career missionaries than a decade ago. Ironically, the greatest concern for our Synod’s “national health” is an area that requires no price tag: unity of doctrine. By God’s grace, our Synod is far more closely agreed on the teachings of Scripture than most American denominations. Our unity, though, is not what it once was, and that is not a healthy trend.

Dr. Daniel L. Gard, 56, is a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

(3 nominations)

Gard: The Synod has great strengths in the many healthy parishes, where Word and Sacrament are found, and on its seminary campuses, where pastors are formed. Nevertheless, we face serious challenges and divisions in doctrine and practice. The president must lead calls (1) to repentance for our individual and corporate sin; (2) to prayerful, open, and serious theological reflection and dialogue through study of Scripture and the Confessions facilitated by our theological faculties; and (3) to a renewed focus on Word and Sacrament ministry. We will then rediscover the riches of Lutheran theology rather than relying on programs and non-Lutheran sources. Traditional Lutheran congregations, especially small ones, must be encouraged, not marginalized by an institutionalized emphasis on statistics. More than ever, the Church on earth needs to pray, “Kyrie eleison!”

Q: In today’s ‘whatever works for you culture,’ how can the LCMS best reach out to people with the Good News of Jesus and testify to the truth of God’s Word?

Harrison: It’s simple—and all in Mark 1. A dozen times the Greek text says “and immediately” Jesus “came,” “healed,” etc. In my favorite verse, Jesus says “Let’s go! . . . I came to preach” (1:38). He’s confronted by a leper. “If You will it, I may be clean.” “Having compassion,” Jesus “touched him.” There it is: (1) Jesus acts! Act! Don’t have another meeting! Go! Visit congregation and community. (2) Preach the Good News! We need a revival of Gospel-centered preaching! (3) Have compassion on the hurting—inside the Church and out (James. 2:15ff.). Dare to reach folks where they are (Matt. 25:34ff.). We are blessed with a substantive, biblical message for this insane, post-modern world. “You’re hurting. How’s that ‘whatever works’ thing going for you? You know, Jesus loves you. Here’s how much . . .”

Kieschnick: Christians often avoid non-Christians. Engaging people, not avoiding them, provides avenues for them to meet Christ. People in every culture seek answers to basic life questions: “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there a God? Who is He? Does He have a plan for my life? Is there life after death? Is that life for me?” Genuine, caring relationships enable people to feel free to ask such questions in an atmosphere of trust and safety, providing Spirit-led opportunities for sharing God’s answers to those questions from His Word with Christ-centered love, care, and concern.

As God’s representatives, we are privileged and challenged to make known the eternal truths from Holy Scripture, which reveal His grace, mercy, and forgiveness to people who have not yet met Him. We must do so unapologetically, sensitively, boldly, caringly, and courageously.

Mueller: God gathers people in congregations to hear the Word and receive life in the Sacraments. “My sheep hear My voice,” Jesus said (John 10:27). Every congregation has Christ in its midst. Synod will best reach lost people with the Good News by working through districts to strengthen congregations. How is this done? Help congregations focus on Christ, proclaim justification by faith alone, live from the Word and Sacraments, comfort sinners, serve the neighbor, and plant new congregations. In His Great Commission, Christ unites doctrine and mission: Congregations with right teaching will reach out. Churches focused inward forget their purpose. Pushing doctrine to the side to “reach out” runs the risk of losing the Gospel. Healthy Lutheran congregations serve members and bring the Word to lost people. Every congregation lives in a particular place, so we help them reach out in ways lost people in that context will truly hear the Gospel.

Fickenscher: Great question, because our mission field here at home—to say nothing of overseas—is more diverse than ever. The answer, I believe, is to motivate our diverse individuals—2.4 million of them—to witness to Christ Jesus in each of the (again, diverse) locations and vocations they occupy. I would distinguish between motivating and mobilizing this vast army. Mobilizing implies a programmatic approach. Motivating is done in each heart by the news shared Sunday after Sunday that Christ’s death and resurrection has given me eternal life— and that means also you and them. All of you and all of them. The heart moved by this saving Gospel moves voices and feet and hands to share the Savior in ways unique to wherever God has placed them.

Gard: Any human culture can be reached as the Church has always reached people—by proclaiming God’s gift of salvation in Jesus. This alone offers a radical alternative to the deathly nature of human cultures, but the Church is muted when she becomes merely a religious reflection of the surrounding culture. We display the only alternative to the culture of death by boldly living what we confess to be—part of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church! Thus, we best reach the world by forming pastors at the seminaries and then sending and supporting graduates of both seminaries as they bring the Means of Grace to the world. Through the Means of Grace alone God creates and sustains faith and thus builds His Church. Anything else is doomed to failure. A truly “missional” Church begins and ends with the Cross and Easter and is empowered only by Word and Sacrament. Kyrie eleison!

Q: During this year’s convention, delegates will consider proposals to restructure the way the Synod is organized. What is your opinion of the recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance?

Harrison: The change we really need is not structural. We lack repentance. (Just look at how we treat one another [Gal. 5:16ff].) And we do not believe that the Word of God can actually unite us (Eph. 3:20). It’s time to resolve enduring issues (itistime.org). Part of me might like the massive increase in power proposed for the Synod President. That’s why it’s not a good idea. The power of Synod is only the power of the Word (Walther). There is good cause to celebrate non-geographic districts. Proposals that enjoy overwhelming support should be passed. Narrow decisions will render us more fractured. I am heartsick about the planned elimination of World Relief and Human Care. Change the Lord brings always works for good (Rom. 5:3; 8:28ff.).

Kieschnick: For more than four years task force members have addressed challenges in our Synod—unnecessary bureaucracy, lack of coordination, ambiguous supervisory relationships, inequitable representation, inefficient organization, insufficient accountability, etc. They have sought and responded to feedback from convention delegates and other leaders. While having expressed a few concerns, I believe task force recommendations are critical.

Amended structure and governance will not resolve all our challenges, but will enhance rather than impede the proclamation of the Gospel, improve efficiency, and increase effectiveness.