To Recognize the Synod’s Successes, Failures, and Opportunities in Ministry with Communities of Color

WHEREAS, The2019Synodconvention (Resolution11-04A,“To Affirm the Common Humanity of All People and Ethnicities”) resolved, “That the members of the congregations of the Synod be encouraged to work toward racial reconciliation and equality within the Church and within society-at large …”; and

WHEREAS, The legacy of racism enacted through prejudice and discrimination has negatively impacted the needs, well-being, income, and property of people, based solely on the color of their skin; and

WHEREAS, The people of God are striving to live faithfully, but still participate in sinful thoughts, words, and deeds in what they do and leave undone (1 John 1:8–10), which can and has included the sin of racism; and

WHEREAS, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor (Mark 12:30–31); and

WHEREAS, Jesus illustrates for His disciples that they are to treat all persons as neighbor (Luke 10:29–37); and

WHEREAS, Paul exhorts us to show the love of Christ as we “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2); and

WHEREAS, Martin Luther extolls us to show that love as we care for our neighbors as we support them in their needs, well-being, income, and property, in his explanations of the Fifth and Seventh Commandments; and

WHEREAS, In order for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) to better engage acts of reconciliation and equality it should be informed of its history within communities of color to understand its successes and its failures; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod President commission a task force to study the LCMS’s history of mission, ministry, and education, within communities of color, to be completed before the end of this triennium, so that we better recognize and give thanks to God for our successes and make confession of our failures; and be it further

Resolved, That the results of this task force’s study would also provide us with tangible ways to move forward in our present and future outreach efforts in communities of color; and be it finally

Resolved, That the study will be distributed to all congregations and church workers in the LCMS and made available on the Synod website.