To Focus on Things of God

Official Workbook overture source text

9-07 
To Focus on Things of God 
Preamble 
“The Synod’s Constitution says our objective is to ‘ strengthen 
congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word 
and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world.’ This is as 
biblical and clear as the Word and work of Jesus, and the word and 
works of His apostles in Acts 4 and 5.” (President’s Report, Part 3 
[2023 TB, 352]). Constitution Article III contains the full list of 
objectives of the Synod. 
To support these objectives, “the Synod in convention is 
empowered to and has formed corporate entities which shall have 
legal powers … to purchase, hold, administer, and sell property of 
every description in the interest of the Synod” (Const. Art. IV). 
Such entities, and our temporal property, exist in service to the 
objectives of the Synod, in the interest of the Synod; they are not an 
end unto themselves. 
The Synod is blessed with entities such as the Lutheran Church 
Extension Fund (LCEF) and Concordia Plan Services (CPS), that 
help us use temporal goods in service to the Church. These entities 
are limited in number, have a specifically defined purpose—loans 
to churches and church workers and benefits for church workers —
2026 Convention Workbook
466 STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION