According to the Handbook, the Board for National Mission (BNM) is charged with “developing and determining policies for the coordination of and in support of district ministries which support congregations and schools ( [n]). These policies shall embrace and apply the mission and ministry emphases adopted by the national convention” (). In response to this directive, the BNM has spent the past quadrennium continuing to work on the policies which give direction to the Office of National Mission (ONM) as it seeks to carry out its responsibility “for domestic ministries that especially serve congregations and schools through the districts of the Synod” (). The Board has organized its policies under the seven mission priorities reaffirmed by the Synod in convention, 2019 Res. 4-03A (Proceedings, 134). Beyond developing and determining policies to guide the ONM in carrying out its mission responsibilities, the Handbook further charges the BNM to “have oversight of the implementation of policies adopted by the board and implemented by the Office of National Mission” (). Therefore, as part of its oversight and monitoring responsibility, at its regularly scheduled board meetings the BNM receives reports from the various program directors and solicits suggestions from the directors for policy improvements. ONM programs are currently arranged under three primary ministry areas and include the following: 1. Human Care and Ministerial Support Deaconess Ministry Family Ministry Grants Health Ministry Life Ministry Specialized Pastoral Ministry Stewardship Worker Well-Being, including Soldiers of the Cross Veterans of the Cross 2. Congregations and Districts Campus Ministry Disaster Response
Rural and Small Town Mission Urban and Inner City Mission Witness and Outreach The BNM also continues to set aside time at each scheduled meeting for theological presentations that the board believes are helpful in maintaining focus on the Church’s mission. Presentations received over the past quadrennium were presented by various LCMS leadership officers, seminary professors, and pastors over a wide variety of relevant topics. In 2013, the Synod convention authorized the BNM to “serve as a calling agency for institutional and agency chaplains and other non-foreign specialized ministers” (). The BNM issued two divine calls this past quadrennium to two specialized pastoral ministers. The BNM lost two valued members this past quadrennium. Mr. Ernie Garbe resigned from his position on the board for personal reasons. Also, Ms. Martha Milas went off the board, in compliance with Synod Bylaws, due to her relocation to a different region within the Synod. Mr. Pat Kyler replaced Mr. Garbe, and the Rev. Sawyer Meyers replaced Ms. Milas. Working with the Board for International Mission (BIM), the BNM established a joint mission board sub-committee in October 2020. This sub-committee was tasked with assisting both mission boards with the fulfillment of 2019 and 3.8.3.2. Also in the course of its work, it took up considerations pertaining to working relationships between the mission boards, the other Synod boards, and the Synod officers and staff. Ultimately this resulted in a series of structured interviews with representatives from all 35 districts and subsequent analysis, which formed the bulk of the sub-committee’s efforts over the past 18 months. The aforementioned structured interviews were conducted by teams, assigned to each of the various districts across the Synod, comprised of one representative each from BNM and BIM. Not only did these teams gather very helpful information concerning the work and ministry of the districts across the Synod but the mission boards believe that these meetings helped build better relationships between the district offices and the Synod’s national office. The mission boards hope for more such dialogue in the future and continued collegiality as we work with the districts to “coordinate and support” each other in our common goal to serve the saints in The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod.
In September 2019, a Bible study on the Synod’s seven mission priorities (2019 Res. 4-03A, Proceedings, 134) was written and sent out to the districts and congregations of the Synod. Also during this past quadrennium, the BNM chair was asked by ONM staff to lead an ad hoc task force dealing with mental health and mental illness issues. The chair appointed a broad spectrum of members from around the Synod to serve on this task force—representatives from the Synod’s seminaries and universities, Concordia Publishing House, Concordia Plan Services, and other stakeholders within the Synod with expertise in the field of mental illness and psychology. This task force has been engaged in the identification, development, and production of resources to be delivered to pastors, teachers, deaconesses, and the Synod’s other professional church workers to educate them about mental illness, to assist in recognizing mental illness, and to provide a summary of resources to help deal with mental illness. An upcoming issue of The Lutheran Witness will be devoted to this crucial topic. In conclusion, please permit the chair a personal note. This will be my last report on behalf of the BNM. I have served as chair of the BNM since its inception in 2010. I sincerely appreciate and value the people with whom I have been privileged to serve. The congregations of the LCMS face many challenges in the future as our society becomes increasingly hostile to our Christian faith and values. I am confident that under God’s blessing the BNM will continue to be a valuable resource to the LCMS districts and congregations as they seek to make disciples for life by the pure preaching of the Gospel of Christ crucified for all sinners and by the proper administration of our Lord’s precious Sacraments. Soli Deo Gloria!