Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 159

2026 Convention Workbook
124 
OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
you in His own holiness, hung naked, bare, and exposed. He hung 
on the cross dressed only in your sins and the sins of the entire 
world. He’s covered in your sin, and you are covered in His righ-
teousness. 
Despite various challenges, the district has been exceedingly 
blessed by our gracious Lord. The pastorate is dedicated to pro-
claiming the Gospel, despite the hardships they may face. Several 
of the pastors travel over 200 miles to serve a vacancy. Among the 
77 congregations in North Dakota, there are 10 dual parishes, 7 
tri-parishes, and 2 quad-parishes. Many other congregations share 
a pastor but are not in an official parish arrangement. These con-
gregations are being served, at the time of this writing, by 44 active 
pastors. I have never heard any of the pastors complain or give 
thought to pulling back.
The challenges that the district faces are shared by many oth-
ers. The demographic shift away from rural communities has 
made it difficult in many areas of North Dakota. Rural churches 
are growing smaller, putting at risk the proclamation of the Gospel 
in congregations that used to flourish. Apathy toward God’s Word, 
financial stress, and overall rural congregational sustainability are 
problems that our people face.
To address these issues, I have put before the district a threefold 
emphasis: catechesis, rural ministry, and preaching stations. 
A. Catechesis
The treasures of our Lutheran heritage are great and abundant, 
wide and deep. This marvelous confession of faith, drawn from the 
sacred Scriptures, has been passed down by the faithful who have 
come before us. As a cherished heirloom is bequeathed down the 
generations, so, too, have we received this confession of Christ and 
His redeeming work from our forefathers in the faith. We do not 
hold the Lutheran Confessions on par with Scripture; we do not say 
that the Confessions are infallible, but we do say that our confes-
sion has not erred or failed.
The goal for the district is for there to be a Confessions study 
in every circuit and parish. These Lutheran treasures are not just 
for eggheaded clergy but are a gift bequeathed from our Lutheran 
forefathers to all of us today.
B. Rural Ministry
Rural ministry is of great concern for our district. The goal is to 
help as many struggling congregations as possible. To that end, a 
Rural Ministry Task Force has been established to discuss ideas to 
serve struggling rural congregations. There are several ideas that 
have been discussed. 
1.
 Hub-and-Spoke Models, 
also called the Cathedral Model. A 
larger, multi-staff congregation deploys her pastors to serve 
smaller congregations in the area. 
2.
 Reisepr
ediger, i.e., traveling preacher. A man travels a larger 
area, bringing the gifts of God to the people. 
3. Specific Ministry 
Pastor (SMP) program. The SMP is, in my 
opinion, an exception that is to be made only in rare circum-
stances. Thus, for an SMP candidate to serve, the situation 
must be a rural parish that makes it improbable for them to 
be served in any other way. 
4.
 Congregations entering into parish agreements. 
Some of 
these models require a congregation to be gathered by the 
Holy Spirit to receive the gifts of God at a time other than 
to visitors and at outreach events. Campus and financial 
planning are also included in the plan.
•	 New Jersey District University (NJDU) is a fuller, more in-
depth version of SCC for more mature congregations. Since 
these are larger congregations, their plans will encompass 
more areas of ministry, in a more sophisticated way. NJDU 
is a seven-session, seven-month process compared to SCC’s 
four-session, four-month process.
•	 Advanced Development. Congregations that have completed 
either SCC or NJDU are eligible to enroll in Advanced De-
velopment sessions that will cover a host of topics to train 
and equip congregational leaders to better lead and serve 
their congregations and communities.
More than half of the district congregations have participated in 
IMD, and that number continues to grow!
In addition to this ministry focus, the district unveiled its new 
strategic plan at the 2025 district convention. This plan features 
four strategic targets:
•	 Healthy Congregations
•	 Healthy Workers
•	 Expanded Ethnic Ministry
•	 Financial Development
For each of these target areas there is an assigned task force that 
works on developing the strategic plan with goals and action steps 
to be shared with congregations and pastors. 
While there are too many aspects of each of the targets to be 
mentioned here, the task forces, in conjunction with the direction 
of the district president, are prioritizing goals and developing action 
steps for district and congregational implementation. Some of them 
correlate to Synod resolutions (see above), and others are of local 
priority.
Filling the pastoral office of our congregations continues to be 
a priority and challenge for the district. One answer has been the 
increasing number of congregations that have chosen to enter into a 
shared ministry. This enables congregations to have another chapter 
in life and the opportunity to write an alternative to closing. Our 
prayer is that with involvement in Small Church Clarity they can 
have a brighter future. Another answer is for congregations to en-
gage in the specific ministry pastor program. The district now has 
six specific ministry pastors and another three in training. These 
men are proving to be a great blessing to our congregations and 
district. We encourage our Synod to embrace our history when we 
had both a practical and theoretical path to ordination and use this 
concept in the present.
Our prayer is that the risen Christ would bless the humble ef-
forts of the district toward healthy congregations, healthy workers, 
and vibrant outreach to the glory and honor of God, the edification 
of His Church, and the salvation of the world.
Stephen A. Gewecke, President
R40
North Dakota District
The North Dakota District met in convention in January 2025 
under the banner “Clothed in Christ’s Righteousness.” Our Lord, 
who has clothed you in His righteousness in Baptism, who robed