To Increase Mission Efforts to Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities in North America

WHEREAS, The Lord has obliged his church to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations (Luke 24:47); and

WHEREAS, The Lord has brought people from all over the world to the United States; and

WHEREAS, Many of the immigrants are non-Christians and live in areas where congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are not located; and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s membership is 95 percent White, 3 percent African American and 2 percent all other ethnicities; and

WHEREAS, The Synod membership in 2018 showed a 21 percent decrease since 2003 (Rosters and statistics, The Lutheran Witness, Nov. 2018, 137, 11; Joe Isenhower, “LCMS Congregations Report Membership of 2,488,936.” Reporter, Oct. 2004, blogs.lcms.org/2004/lcms-congregations-report-membership-of- 2488936); and

WHEREAS, Synod in the past has reached and assimilated new immigrants; and

WHEREAS, Synod has the human and financial resources to carry on such mission efforts; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod recognize and promote the fact that the United States is a mission field with many ethnic groups and un reached immigrants; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod establish a task force to study what current mission efforts to immigrants and ethnic minorities are taking place within the districts and determine how these ministries can be supplemented; and be it further

Resolved, That the Officeof National Mission (ONM)in the next triennium develop five new ethnic ministries in the United States;

and be it further

Resolved, That ONM formulate a plan for reaching out to the un reached people in the cities by the use of the Synod’s current facilities; and be it further

Resolved, That ONM develop a funding model and a plan for sending out church planters, who would be called by the Synod and sent to the districts; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod support the seminaries in their objective to educate workers for ethnic and immigrant ministries and church planting; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod encourage the annual celebration of a Mission Sunday in the congregations.