RESOLUTION 10-03
Report R6 (CW, pp. 32, 62–63); President’s Report, Part 2 (TB, pp. 21–31)
WHEREAS, Our triune God is the creator and owner of all His creation (Gen. 1 1; Ps. 26:1; Job 41:11b) who provides us with the resources He knows we will need to accomplish His purpose here on earth; and
WHEREAS, Our triune God loves a cheerful giver, first fruits giving, and even arguably unrestricted sacrificial giving (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6–8; Matt. 5:45); and
WHEREAS, The share of the Sunday morning offering that supports the Synod’s budget has decreased from 4.34 percent in 1984 to 1.12 percent in 2014; and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has faced difficult financial times in the past decade, the details of which were publicly disclosed as early as the 2007 convention in the State of the Synod report presented by the Chief Financial Officer of the LCMS; and
WHEREAS, In light of the Synod’s continually declining share of the Sunday morning offering the LCMS Board of Directors has been required to make difficult decisions regarding allocating limited funds for unlimited potential ministries of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, The New Testament encourages Christians to provide financial support for the ministry voluntarily and cheerfully, from our first fruits, and in proportion to our income (that is, a percentage) (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6– 8); and
WHEREAS, A congregation is an assembly of individual Christians; and
WHEREAS, The Synod is the assembly of individual congregations which has subdivided itself into districts; therefore be it
Resolved, That each individual of our congregations is hereby encouraged to set aside a generous first fruits proportion (percentage) of his income and cheerfully and voluntarily (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6–8) remit it to his local congregation's general ministry fund; and be it further
Resolved, That each congregation is hereby encouraged to set aside a generous first fruits proportion (percentage) of its income and cheerfully and voluntarily remit it to its district’s general fund; and be it finally
Resolved, That each district is hereby encouraged to set aside a generous first fruits proportion (percentage) of its income and cheerfully and voluntarily remit it to the Synod’s general ministry fund.