Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 37

2026 Convention Workbook
2 
OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Board for National Mission: This board and its office, the 
Office of National Mission (ONM), are charged with working to-
gether with the districts of the Synod to provide assistance and re-
sources for the domestic life and mission of our congregations. Our 
connections with the 35 districts, district presidents, and mission 
executives have never been better. Our Church Planting initiative is 
humming. Discipleship and Family Ministry resources are ramping 
up. And this is an effort that is unapologetically Lutheran, commit-
ted to the “order” of the Divine Service and the use of the hym-
nal. Free evangelism resources under Every One His Witness are 
available at everyonehiswitness.org, as are free re:Vitality  church 
revitalization tools, which are available by contacting ONM. New 
resources regarding incorporating members into the congregation 
will be available at no cost later this year. Also, watch for what’s 
happening in our new All Nations effort, which is pulling together 
and resourcing efforts among many and various nationalities here 
in the U.S.
LCMS Schools $1,700 Tax Credit: The federal tax bill passed 
last year provides a new tax credit (effective January 2027) that 
allows eligible taxpayers to donate up to $1,700 to covered schol-
arship-granting organizations. For this, the taxpayer receives a dol-
lar-for-dollar tax credit. That means up to a $1,700 reduction of 
federal income tax for dollars donated to a Lutheran school. De-
tails are still pending, but we’re on it. And increased dollars, along 
with the faithful efforts of our Lutheran schools, have meant that 
we’ve seen an increase in LCMS school planting efforts, as more 
and more we’re asked to do Genesis Project studies to help start 
Lutheran schools.
Pastor and Church Worker Health and Well-Being: If 
you’ve attended a DOXOLOGY retreat, it’s more than likely that 
we’ve funded a portion of it. We are also able to provide dollars 
for Shepherd’s Canyon Retreat Ministry. Both DOXOLOGY and 
Shepherd’s Canyon are LCMS recognized service organizations 
dedicated to the care and well-being of church workers and their 
spouses. Soldiers of the Cross also provides financial support to 
pastors and church workers facing particularly difficult circum -
stances, often by matching funds provided by the district. 
LCMS Life Ministry: The Synod is the most recognized 
non-Catholic pro-life church in America. We are glad to stand for 
life with others in the public square. Over the past triennium, we 
have offered several millions in matching dollars to the life efforts 
of local LCMS congregations and entities. At last count, we have 
assisted 640,000 mothers and children through this effort. Unbe-
lievable. 
Office of International Mission: Despite deep challenges, the 
Lord continues to bless. Our missionaries have consistently been 
funded over a year ahead of need. That has dipped slightly as of 
late, but only because so many new missionaries have been added 
to our fields. Our Mission Central, located in Iowa and a vital exten-
sion of the work and service of LCMS Mission Advancement, does 
a phenomenal job supporting our missionaries and international ef-
forts, raising millions of dollars. One-third of LCMS congregations 
support missionaries directly! That happens because missionaries 
personally visit congregations. Through missionary visits, congre-
gations feel they know “their” missionaries and families. This type 
of connection ensures support through all economic trends. We’ve 
had quite a few retiring missionaries. We thank God for each and 
every one, but we can also thank God for a record year for new 
international missionary recruitment. 
New Churches in Rome and Tel Aviv: Hard to believe, but 
we’re there—and in many other places across Europe. And final-
ly, there is a start in Israel. Thanks be to God. Since our neces-
sary break with the Japanese church in 2023 over the ordination 
of women, several faithful house churches have been established 
in the country. 
Books in Many Languages: There has been a renaissance, even 
a revolution, in the publication and distribution of faithful, biblical, 
Lutheran books and resources. The Lutheran Heritage Foundation 
is a key partner here. In addition to a new Spanish hymnal, there are 
dozens of serious theological resources now translated through our 
Latin America regional office. And the list continues to grow! The 
same is true for Europe. Many of these resources are being used to 
help our All Nations Ministry support congregations as they reach 
out to our neighbors here in the U.S. who speak other languages. 
It’s a joy to hear about how we’re reaching out to our neighbors 
here and around the world.
Church Relations: This past triennium, we continued our re-
cently established International Church Relations Conferences. 
Last fall in Wittenberg, we hosted 100 individuals from around the 
globe to study and discuss church fellowship. I presented a paper 
on admission to the Lord’s Supper in the Lutheran Confessions. Per 
Synod resolution, we have been urging our LCMS partner churches 
to leave the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The LWF is an or-
ganization driven by ELCA-type priorities and has had a profound-
ly detrimental theological impact wherever it has exerted influence. 
Our sister churches recognize the problem and are responding in 
ways that uphold the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its articles. 
Some churches have left the LWF. Of nine LCMS sister churches 
still LWF-affiliated, three are in the process of leaving. The issue is 
compounded by the fact that, years ago, some LCMS leaders and 
missionaries encouraged membership in the LWF. 
Issues Resolved: There have been long-standing issues between 
the Ontario, Canada, congregations of the LCMS English District 
and the East Region of Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC). I’m hap-
py to say that, through a Koinonia effort, those issues have been 
resolved, and we are now embarking on a new, hopefully fruitful, 
relationship among the districts, the LCC, and the LCMS. 
Ongoing Conversations: We continue to hold annual conver -
sations with our former partners in the Synodical Conference, the 
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical 
Lutheran Synod (WELS), who broke fellowship with us in 1955 
and 1963, respectively. These conversations are a joy and a great 
blessing. This past triennium, I spoke to both synods at their con-
ventions. I am the first LCMS president welcomed to address these 
bodies in convention in over 63 years. 
We have very broad doctrinal agreement, and previous carica -
tures have been eliminated. Our separated brothers have a profound 
love for the sacred Scriptures. We have come to a much better un-
derstanding of the Office of the Ministry and, after many hours, 
have noted that we could probably accept the differences of empha-
ses that were present well before fellowship was broken. The nature 
of fellowship remains a challenge, but we in the LCMS now recog-
nize greater nuance in the ELS/WELS positions than we previously 
thought. The role of women also remains a difficult challenge, as 
we are all wrestling with how to be biblically faithful while honor-
ing women as fellow spiritual priests. Overall, I think it’s fair to say 
that we have all been encouraged by the progress made.