LCMS members encouraged to pray for national convention
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) will gather at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston July 10-17 for its 64th Regular Convention. Among other convention business, delegates will elect (or re-elect) the synod president and other officers.
The 2010 LCMS convention will focus primarily on governance issues and elections, as the synod considers structures that will decrease the costs of governance. Under one proposal, national conventions will be held every four years instead of three. The potential changes to the LCMS structure arise from the proposal of a four-year Blue Ribbon Task Force on Structure and Governance, appointed by current Synod President Gerald Kieschnick in 2005.
Depending on the results of delegate voting on these proposals, a series of elections of synod officers will take place as the week progresses. Votes that are affected by restructuring include the election of a treasurer, a position that would no longer be an elected position if the proposal passes.
The 1,218 delegates will also consider the relationship
LCMS to look at structural changes
between the LCMS and the ELCA, as well as the future of cooperative ministry. A proposal to re-open talks with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod will be considered.
In anticipation of these important decisions, a round-the-clock prayer vigil will be held from 8:00 a.m. on July 11 to 11:00 a.m. on July 17, when the convention is scheduled to adjourn.
“As we gather together in convention not just to make decisions about synod business but also to worship, learn, and be inspired, all of us — delegates, visitors, and staff — will be strengthened by the prayers of friends and family, and even those whom we don’t know,” said the Rev. Larry Krueger, assistant to the president and convention planner. Those interested in participating in the prayer vigil can sign up on
the Web site: www.lcms.org/prayervigil.
According to Reporter, the official newspaper of the LCMS, delegates will hear from nominees for president, including the incumbent, the Rev. Gerald Kieschnick, as well as the Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care; the Rev. Herbert Mueller, Jr., president of the LCMS Southern Illinois District; Dr. Carl Fickenscher II, associate professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Dr. Daniel Gard, also a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary.
Tags: Bob Hulteen, LCMS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, WELS, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
