To Direct Districts and Council of Presidents to Provide Strategic Plan for Addressing Wellness of Church Workers

WHEREAS, One of the objectives of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) is to “Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth” (Constitution Article III 3); and

WHEREAS, Another objective of the LCMS is to “Provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers of the Synod in the performance of their official duties” (Const. Art. III 8); and

WHEREAS, Another objective of the LCMS is to “Aid in providing for the welfare of pastors, teachers, and other church workers, and their families in the event of illness, disability, retirement, special need, or death” (Const. Art. III 10); and

WHEREAS, 2016 Resolution 18-02A tasked the Board for National Mission to develop policies for assessing worker wellness and make recommendations for worker care; and

WHEREAS, A report was made to the 2019 Synod convention stating the progress of such policies, which includes a webpage on worker wellness on the Synod website; and

WHEREAS, Worker wellness and health—physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational—continues to be a significant issue for the church, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of a March 2022 Barna report indicating that 42 percent of pastors considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year, and 46 percent of pastors under the age of 45 considered the same (Barna Group, www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being, Nov. 16, 2021); and

WHEREAS, Such statistics indicate the need to continue to prioritize these Synod objectives indicated above, which led to the formation of a Worker Well-being Alliance Group consisting of leaders from Concordia Plan Services (CPS), the Office of National Mission (ONM), and members of the Council of Presidents (COP); and

WHEREAS, A significant aspect of ecclesiastical supervision is “evangelical encouragement and support, care, protection, counsel …” (Bylaw 1.2.1 [j]), a responsibility intentionally given to district presidents to be administered more effectively on a local level; therefore be it

Resolved, That the COP, ONM, and CPS be commended for their work on attending to the wellness of church workers and their families; and be it further

Resolved, That the COP prioritize the matter of the wellness of church workers and their families through the development of a strategic plan for worker care that can be disseminated to and replicated by the district presidents; and be it finally

Resolved, That the 2023 Synod in convention direct the district presidents and district boards of directors to establish such plans for the care of workers and their families, utilizing resources available to the COP and resources made available by ONM and CPS to this end