Official Workbook report source text
Official Workbook source-navigation report record. No analysis has been added.
- Report number/id
- R36
- Report title
- R36 Montana District
- Workbook start page
- 120
- Workbook end page
- 121
- Source pages
- 120, 121
- Source status
- source_checked
- Committee
- Not available
R36 Montana District With prayer and thanksgiving to God for His great mercy, the Montana District began its work for the 2023–26 Synod triennium under the theme “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105). A. Presidential Activities During the triennium, the president of the district visited ev- ery congregation during a worship service, encouraging fidelity to God’s Word as our lamp in the darkness of this world. He also met with the elders of each congregation, using the same theme to teach how elders may support their pastors. In addition, he met with the pastors of the district to hear their joys and sorrows and to review their Pastor’s Information Forms, offering encouragement in their ministry. Finally, he visited the schools of the district, making similar presentations and providing encouragement and support. B. Goals Being Met The district has made progress in implementing resolutions of the 2023 Synod convention. Several highlights follow: District congregations, schools, and church workers have been encouraged to engage zealously in the Set Apart to Serve (SAS) initiative (Res. 6-01). A district SAS committee was established and remains active. Renewed conversations with young men and wom- en about church work vocations have borne fruit, and the number of full-time church work students from our congregations has in- creased. The district convention directed up to 5 percent of yearly con- gregational giving to the Joint Seminary Fund in continued support of “proper pastoral formation through our Synod’s Seminaries” 2026 Convention Workbook 121 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS 4. Collaborate with the Synod’s Members and Partners to Enhance Mission Effectiveness Individuals, congregations, and the district have a strong part- nership with Mission Central, but God’s mission is also right here. Every One is His Witness. We are currently developing a Lay For - mation Initiative to help our laity live out their vocations in Christ. 5. Promote and Nurture the Spiritual, Emotional, Financial, and Physical Well-Being of Pastors and Professional Church Workers Our personal lives and relationships are our loudest Gospel message. God calls us to live in and live out that Gospel, first to those closest to us, which in turn speaks to those around us. Confer- ences, trainings, intentional communication, and individual interac- tions seek to promote an engaged faith integrated in all of life. We are working to bless workers’ spiritual relationship with our Triune God. We are working to nurture cognitive, emotional, physical, and financial health. We are working to build strong bonds in marriage, family, and close friends. Enhancing the relational health of our workers strengthens our work to reach out to the lost with a heart for the hurting. 6. Enhance Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Youth Ministry As of this writing, we host 26 freestanding early childhood cen- ters, 31 elementary schools, and 6 high schools. Several of these have been established in the last triennium, and several more are in the planning stages. We sent 1,280 participants to the LCMS Youth Gathering and hundreds more to Higher Things. Some 600 youth attended our most recent annual Middle School Youth Gathering. 7. Strengthen and Support the Lutheran Family in Living Out God’s Design It is a joy to see Concordia University, Nebraska, renewing its Masters in Family Life Education and to see the developing part- nership of Concordia Center for the Family and Concordia Semi- nary, St. Louis, in strengthening congregations to help parents as the primary faith-shapers for our children. We are excited to finan- cially support our members in attending these trainings and work- ing to strengthen family ministry. Koinonia We cannot walk together if we do not talk together. We cannot talk together if we do not meet together. As leaders, we seek to care for one another, foster unity, and build trust in our work to- gether of forwarding the Gospel message. We need one another. A healthy Synod must have healthy relationships. God calls us to work together. As a Synod, we have committed to walk together. Pastors communicating, congregations cooperating, and reconcili - ation happening are signs of a healthy Church. Visitation is an ele- ment that benefits this unity. We also tried a more extensive effort for Koinonia in the areas of closed Communion, differing worship styles, and online technology. We meet together around Scripture and our Confessions to transparently and fraternally discuss issues of doctrine and practice, to build relationships, to foster trust, and to seek better practice and understanding. To God be the glory. Richard L. Snow, President E. Opportunities Because God has promised that He will provide workers for His harvest field and has assured us that His Word does not return to Him void, we see many opportunities for ministry in the district. The strength and competence of our well-educated clergy are re- spected within our communities. As Montana’s larger cities contin- ue to grow, younger people are seeking an unchanging truth amid a world of constant change and uncertainty. We have what they need, and we are “not ashamed of the Gospel” for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Ryan D. Wendt, President