The 21st regular convention of the Mid-South District was held in July 2021, following the normal convention cycle. The dedicated pastors, teachers, principals, DCEs, and lay members of our 123 congregations, 9 schools, 22 early childhood centers, and affiliated agencies joined together to Declare His Marvelous Works, the theme of our convention, based on . The Mid-South District is blessed with ministries throughout Tennessee; Arkansas; Kentucky; Sallisaw, Oklahoma; Olive Branch, Mississippi; and Abingdon, Virginia. Despite not being able to worship in person for months, our steadfast parishioners continued to support the mission and ministry of the district as well as the LCMS at large. Thanks be to God! The 2021 Mid-South District convention passed the following resolutions: • R-01-01-21: To Memorialize the Next Synodical Convention to Mark the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade with More Fervent Teaching, Proclamation, and Efforts to Promote God’s Gift of Life
- R-01-02-21: To Memorialize the Next Synodical Convention
The Mid-South District remains committed to our missions and ministries, along with providing support for our professional church workers, our congregations, and our education ministries. The congregations and schools of the Mid-South District remain strong and vibrant. The commitments from our member congregations remain stable, thus providing essential dollars to continuously support mission and ministry efforts within the district and around the world. Congregation commitment dollars are used to support program services of the Mid-South District, not support services that encompass management and general areas. Church planting remains a top priority. There are currently nine active church-plant sites in the Mid-South District. Additionally, the district supported a Hispanic church plant, an African American mission, and international missions in Tanzania (SELVD), Trinity/ HOPE missions in Haiti, and the Malagasy Lutheran Church and its LIME (university) Institute. After the 2019 Synod convention, the Mid-South District continued its work on the Generation to Generation (G2G) initiative, which develops materials and training to reach future generations to become active and supportive church members. The Youth and Family Ministry Committee concluded its beta-study with several congregations and continues its work of presenting Generation to
Generation to other congregations. The G2G project was presented to the Council of Presidents in February 2022 for its final report to the 2023 Synod convention. Three other LCMS districts have requested presentation of the study results. With the conclusion of 2016 Synod Resolution 13-02A, the transition from deacon (LLD) to ordained pastor in the Mid-South District is completed. There were 14 men who were certified for ordination in accordance with Synod guidelines, which allows for Word and Sacrament in their specific location. Praise God for His calling of workers for the harvest! The CAR (Congregation Assessment Resources) and COMPASS programs, services to the congregations of the Mid-South District, assist congregations, schools, and ECCs to compare vital ministry information with other congregations. The COMPASS visitation provides strategic information for participating congregations and has a proven outcome for growing ministry outreach and operational efficiencies. Over 80 congregations have utilized the CAR information for their strategic efforts. Eight other districts have utilized the COMPASS visitation teams. The Mid-South District offered basic Greek classes to the SMP and SMP-colloquy pastors, under the direction of Rev. Gregory Bauch and video presentations by Rev. Dr. James Voelz. Additionally, the district continues to offer a weekly discussion Zoom meeting for all pastors on an in-depth study of the upcoming lessons from the lect iona ry. A variety of pastors lead the discussions for possible sermon presentations. In December 2021, tornadoes ripped across Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation over 200 miles long and 10 to 14 miles wide. Through the efforts of LCMS Disaster Relief, our Mid-South District disaster coordinator, Ms. Jan Simko, and Rev. David Appold of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Paducah, the district distributed disaster-relief grants totaling $585,000 to those in need. These funds were received from fellow Lutherans across the entire nation who were touched by the devastation. The Mid-South District was blessed to partner with Soldiers of the Cross and offer assistance to many in our district who suddenly found themselves out of work or struggling to make ends meet. Over $58,000 was awarded in the form of grants to all who applied for assistance. The Mid-South District remains committed to providing financial support to students from our congregations who attend Synod universities and seminaries. Over the past three years, financial aid in the amount of $241,000 has been provided to 51 students; this averages out to $4,725 per student per year. Special thanks goes to the Mid-South District LWML for the faithful support of this program through significant annual grants as well as their assistance with Each 1 Reach 1 as we continue this important initiative throughout the district. Each 1 Reach 1 includes information from Synod’s Every One His Witness program. With the help of our annual earnings distribution from LCEF, the Mid-South District was able to implement an initiative titled GROW Grants, which offers a one-time financial outlay of up to $15,000 for each ministry or program that will be an ongoing and self-sustaining mission and ministry. Examples of such programs or initiatives include new ethnic ministries, outreach to college students, a community food pantry or clothing closet, a ministry for the homeless, or any ongoing program that provides unique opportunities for Gospel-sharing with the community at large. Through
these grants, the district will encourage and support innovative ministry programs that emphasize the Gospel Reaching Our World so that the knowledge of God’s love, grace, and mercy may grow. The Mid-South District is in discussions with Jack Preus to develop micro-schools in at least six different locations across the district. One objective of micro-schools is to make use of under utilized congregation space to make connections to the general community where it resides. The church worker initiative of the LCMS, Set Apart to Serve (SAS), has been launched in the Mid-South District to help respond to the growing number of vacancies created by retirements of professional church workers. The Mid-South District has assembled a special task force to generate information and cultivate interest among the young people of our member congregations. With the decline of applicants in our Concordia University System and seminaries, we need to be more proactive about actively recruiting members. The Mid-South District has 15 young people in our Concordia University System settings and seminaries. Seven men are in the process of completing their seminary education, while five more have been approved for admission in fall 2023. This means that the Mid-South District has one seminarian for every 3,600 baptized members. Given that there are 1.8 million members in the LCMS, our Synod could have 500 men in seminary at that ratio. Given the number of small and rural congregations along the border of the Mid-South and Missouri Districts, conversations are taking place regarding the possibility of circuit riders to help serve existing congregations. On their own, these congregations cannot afford full-time pastors. Our districts will provide essential services to our members in this cooperative effort. The Mid-South District has continued to strengthen the financial position of the district through controlled spending and implementation of development programs such as IMPACT and Funding the Ministry. By God’s grace and the generosity of the people of the Mid-South District, I am pleased to share these development highlights, which have been instrumental in helping support the district’s strategic plan: • IMPACT-awareness events have been held around the district to increase visibility of the district’s work.
- There has been an increase of over 40 percent of current giving donors.
- Over the eight-year period since the IMPACT strategic plan was initiated, $2,384,500 has been committed and over $2,431,300 received for ministry in the Mid-South District.
- In addition, 14 Funding the Ministry campaigns have been conducted in congregations, resulting in nearly $3 million being committed for ministry in the congregations.
Through our faithful stewards, over $5 million dollars has been committed for ministry since 2013. These dollars are over and above the tithes and offerings to the local congregations. Praise God for His people in the Mid-South District! It is a great honor to serve as the president of the Mid-South District. I pray that God would continue to lead and guide us together in a partnership where the “talents” given to our members and leadership can be about the work of the Great Commission.