To Prioritize Abiding in the Word as Mission and Ministry Focus

WHEREAS, Christian believers in The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) believe, teach, and confess that the Bible is the inspired and in errant Wordof God (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16– 17); and

WHEREAS, “We believe, teach, and confess that the Gospel ofthe gracious justification of the sinner through faith in Jesus Christ is not only the chief doctrine of Holy Scripture and a basic presupposition for the interpretation of Scripture, but is the heart and center of our Christian faith and theology (material principle). Wealso believe,teach, and confess that only ‘the Wordof God shall establish articles of faith’ (SA II II 15), and that ‘the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged’ (FC Ep, Summary Content, 1) (formal principle). The Gospel, which is the center of our theology, is the Gospel to which the Scriptures bear witness, while the Scriptures from which we derive our theology direct us steadfastly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (LCMS, A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles [adopted 1973], Article IV, p. 3, lcms.org/scriptural-and-confessional-principles); and

WHEREAS, “We believe, teach, and confess that because the Scriptures have God as their author, they possess both the divine power to make men wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (causative authority), as well as the divine authority to serve as the church’s sole standard of doctrine and life (normative authority). We recognize that the authority of Scripture can be accepted only through faith and not merely by rational demonstration. As men of faith, we affirm not only that Holy Scripture is powerful and efficacious, but also that it is ‘the only judge, rule, and norm according to which, as the only touchstone, all doctrines should and must be understood, and judged asgood or evil, right or wrong’(FC Ep, Summary Content, 7)” (A Statement, IV, p. 3–4); and

WHEREAS, Jesus says in John 15:1–8, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,unless it abides in the vine,neither can you,unless you abide in me. Iam the vine;you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples”; and

WHEREAS, Jesus says in John8:31–32, “Ifyou abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, andyou will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”; and

WHEREAS, Martin Luther earnestly encouraged diligence in learning Scripture and the catechism: You are daily under the dominion of the devil, and he does not rest day or night in seeking to take you unawares and to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against … the … commandments. Therefore you must constantly keep God’s Word in your heart, on your lips, and in your ears. For where the heart stands idle and the Word is not heard, the devil breaks in and does his damage before we realize it. On the other hand, when we seriously ponder the Word, hear it, and put it to use, such is its power that it never departs without fruit. It always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devotion, and it constantly creates clean hearts and minds. For this Word is not idle or dead, but effective and living. (LC I 100–101, Kolb/Wengert) and

WHEREAS, In Baptism, Christian believers are connected to Christ as branches to the vine, which gives us our identity. Living as the baptized (1 Peter 2:9–10) is who we are connected to Christ. In this relationship that He has established with us through His Spirit, we will bear fruit in our lives: good fruit. The fruit of faith, which consists in all the good works that Christians do, are the works done according to the Ten Commandments for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor; and

WHEREAS, Christ supplies all we need to bear abundant fruit through receiving the Word and Sacrament in church: the preaching one hears, the teaching one receives in Bible class, and the receiving of Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of faith; and

WHEREAS, The Word of God also comes to His people at home through personal and family Bible study, Bible reading, and devotion; and

WHEREAS, Timothy Mech observes that what is needed for addressing root problems of the Church today has been available to us all along: “The answer to the challenge for the Church in this self-absorbed culture is found where it has always been found, in the Word of God. Interesting, isn’t it? That almost all of the problems we face in the church and everyday life have to do with our being disconnected from the Word of God in one way or another? We need more of the Word of God in our lives, not less” (Ted Kober, Built on the Rock: The Healthy Congregation [Concordia Publishing House, 2017], 28); and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ted Kober also notes in his book, Built on the Rock: The Healthy Congregation: “Healthy churches possess two main characteristics that distinguish them from the unhealthy: engaged in God’s Word, and as demonstrated by their familiarity with it and their desire to apply it to conflict. reconciliation, through confession and forgiveness” (ibid., 56); and, “The more spiritually mature the members of a church are, especially the leaders, the healthier the church” (ibid., 57); and, “[Kober’s] observation, based on reconciliation experience, has led [him] to develop a rule-of-thumb measurement—a healthy church has at least 20 percent of its average worship attendance participating in adult Bible study” (ibid., 58); and “The Bible asserts that our spiritual growth and health depends on our connection to Christ through His Word. Those who dwell richly in that Word demonstrate spiritual maturity and health, individually and corporate ly. The Bible is our final authority on what makes a church healthy” (ibid., 71). and

WHEREAS, Lack of a strong baptismal identity that is not regularly fed with the Word and Sacrament of Christ, especially in the context of an increasingly secular culture, is a serious obstacle in our calling to proclaim, teach, and share the Gospel, leaving the baptized immature in God’s Word (Eph. 4:13–14) and ill-equipped to “make a defense” (1 Peter 3:15) and engage in mission and ministry activities; and

WHEREAS, That as the members of the Kansas District faithfully and consistently “Abide in the Word,” the idols of vice are continually loosened on their hearts, and the new man is freed more and more to embrace those virtues the Holy Spirit is laboring to grow within God’s people, so that we are fit for service to our neighbor, equipping us for the tasks God has prepared for us;

therefore be it

Resolved, That the district and its members prioritize strengtheningbaptismalidentityinthecomingtriennium,equipping and encouraging the baptized to stand firm in the faith and resist being conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2) and to move forward boldly as the baptized people of God to expand the kingdom by being regularly in the Word of God at church and at home (Deut. 6:4–9; Rom. 10:17; Heb. 10:25); and be it further

Resolved, That the district and its members commit themselves to weekly worship and the study of God’s Word so that faith in Christ is nurtured and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Parents, then, take what the pastor taught, and teach their children at home, as Luther states in his Small Catechism, “As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household”; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations and schools promote and use weekly The Congregation at Prayer resources developed by the district parish education committee (kslcms.org/education- youth/parish-education/cap/). The Congregation at Prayer, which coordinates with the Church Year calendar, suggests daily readings, learn-by-heart Scripture and catechism verses, a hymn to sing, along with a psalm and prayer to pray; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations and schools implement Lutheran-based curriculum in parish, school, and home settings that foster faith and growth in God’s Word across the lifespan from early learning through adult education; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations be encouraged to bring their youth groups together (e.g., Kansas District Youth Gathering, etc.) at least once a year to study the Word of God and that circuits provide ways (e.g., Theology on Tap, etc.) for adults to come together to study the Word of God; and be it further

Resolved, That the professional church workers of the district make every effort to attend the required yearly conferences, and be encouraged to attend other gatherings (i.e., circuit winkels, DCE Clusters, pre-Lent, summer continuing education opportunities, Lutheran teacher conferences, etc.) where they can receive and grow in the Word of God with other church workers; and be it further

Resolved, That the lay people of the district be encouraged to immerse themselves in the Word of God through such things as congregational Bible studies, podcasts (i.e., The Word of the Lord Endures Forever, the word endures.org/), and other continuing education opportunities (i.e., The Lay Bible Institute, csl.edu/resources/continuing-education/lay-bible-institute/) where they can continue to spiritually grow (Eph. 4:13–15); and be it finally

Resolved, That the district memorialize the 2026 Synod convention, recommending adoption of a mission and ministry emphasis consistent with helping Lutheran Christians hold fast to their baptismal identity, based solely in the Word of God, as is the case with the Synod’scurrent emphasis of Making Disciples for Life (2023 Resolution 4-02, “To Affirm and Continue Making Disciples forLifeasMissionandMinistryEmphasisfor2023–26Triennium,” Proceedings, 135–36).