Res. 1-03 — To Give Thanks to God for 150 Years of Black Ministry

WHEREAS, Christ our Lord commissioned His Church to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19 –20); and

WHEREAS, Revelation 5:9, 13:7, and 14:6 speak of salvation freely offered and the proclamation of the Gospel to “every nation and tribe and language and people”; and

WHEREAS, Many other passages of Holy Scripture testify to God’s love for all people and our obligation to likewise love our neighbors regardless of ethnic, geographic, or social background; and

WHEREAS, 2027 marks the 150th anniversary of LCMS Black Ministry with its establishment at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Ind., at the 1877 convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America; and

WHEREAS, The Synod created institutions to provide education for African Americans with Immanuel Lutheran College in Greensboro, N.C. (1903–1961) and Concordia College Alabama (1922–2018) which formed hundreds of church workers and led to the establishment and ongoing ministry of many congregations and schools; and

WHEREAS, Synod universities and seminaries continue to prepare workers of African descent for service in the church as future leaders following the pattern of both faithful servants who have gone before and those who continue to serve and lead in the Synod; and

WHEREAS, The Office of National Mission, in conjunction with Concordia Publishing House, is preparing a scholarly book and supporting materials on the successes, struggles, and opportunities of the Synod’s ministry and outreach to communities of color including an updated history of LCMS Black Ministry, which will be published for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary (2023 Res. 11 -03A, “ To Love and Disciple Peoples of All Ethnicities, Languages, and Skin Colors”); and

WHEREAS, The history of LCMS Black Ministry is one of both “roses and thorns” (Rev. Dr. Richard C. Dickinson, Roses and Thorns [Concordia Publishing House, 1977]); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod lament past failures to meet the scriptural standards of love for one another and reaffirm the scriptural condemnation of racism in all its forms; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod remember with thanksgiving the legacy of faithful servants of the Gospel in LCMS Black Ministry, celebrate those presently serving, and pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up countless more; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod promote and support the 150th anniversary celebration of LCMS Black Ministry, scheduled to be held in Charlotte, N.C., July 7–10, 2027.