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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 312

2026 Convention Workbook
277FLOOR COMMITTEES: REPORT AND OVERTURE ASSIGNMENTS
1. National Witness 
REPORTS 
R1, R1.2–R1.2.1, R1.2.4–R1.3, R5.2–R6, R8,  
R16–R19, R21–R58, R60, R62.6–R62.7 
OVERTURES 
Ov. 1-01 
To Celebrate Chinese, Black, Hispanic, Hmong 
Mission Anniversaries in the United States and 
Encourage New Mission and Ministry 
WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus Christ gave His Great Commission: 
“Make disciples of all nations,” (Matt. 28:19) and He gave the Holy 
Spirit so that His disciples would be “witnesses in Jerusalem and in 
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8); and 
WHEREAS, The Church Triumphant in Revelation 7 is shown to 
be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, 
redeemed and gathered in praise before God on His throne, and 
these passages have inspired  Synod mission efforts in the United 
States (U.S.) and around the world; and 
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) 
history includes stories of faithfulness as well as times of failure 
that point us to Christ in thankful and repentant prayer; and 
W
HEREAS, God’s Word calls us to “hold fast the confession of 
our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let 
us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not 
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging 
one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near ” 
(Heb. 10:23–25); and 
WHEREAS, In this triennium, milestone anniversaries of mission 
in the U .S. include 90 years of Chinese ministry and 100 years of 
Hispanic ministry in 2026; 150 years of Black ministry in 2027; and 
50 years of Hmong ministry in 2028; and these milestones serve as 
reminders of Christ’s faithfulness and opportunities to stir up one 
another toward love and good works; and 
WHEREAS, More than half (52.7 percent, according to the 2020 
Census) of all children in the U.S. under the age of 18 today are of 
a non-European heritage, and will be part of the ongoing and new 
ministry of the whole Synod, including of the  500+ ministries in 
existence today as a result of these mission efforts; and 
WHEREAS, The mission efforts have also resulted  in the 
formation of an All Nations Council, made up of representatives of 
many of these Synod  ministries in the U.S., including Black 
Ministries of the Southeastern District,  Black Ministries of the 
Southern District, Chinese Lutherans in Mission Building, the 
Eritrean Evangelical Lutheran  Mission Society in North America, 
the Evangelical Mekane Yesus Lutheran Fellowship in North 
America, the Hispanic Missionary League & National Hispanic 
Convention, the Hmong Mission Society, LCMS Office of National 
Mission (ONM), Messiah for Muslims, the Multi Asian Gathering, 
LCMS Native American ministries of the Northern Cheyenne and  
Navajo Nation, the Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society, 
and the Sudanese Lutheran Mission Society, that has convened five 
times in locations throughout the U.S., meeting with and learning 
from local ministers and districts, building capacity for 
collaboration, praying together and discerning opportunities for 
engagement together in mission, with and to people of all ethnicities 
and languages in the U.S.; therefore be it 
Resolved, That congregations commemorate these milestone 
anniversaries by holding events, creating displays,  sponsoring 
mission projects, and communicating in newsletters and other 
media the encouraging news that the Synod is a church of  every 
nation, of all peoples, tribes, and languages (Rev. 7:9) , and make 
known the history of outreach and mission as well as current 
mission efforts of congregations and districts in the U .S.; and be it 
further 
Resolved, That congregations provide information to members 
about the Synod’s resources that make known the Law -Gospel 
faithfulness of Christ for all peoples, that make known the Synod’s 
condemnation of racism, and that provide guidance for outreach and 
witness to people who are not yet part of the church; and be it further 
Resolved, That the LCMS Communications department 
regularly spotlight in Synod publications , on the web, in social 
media, and in e-newsletters practical ways that congregations and 
districts are witnessing across ethnic and language  boundaries, 
especially in their own communities; and be it further 
Resolved, That the ONM work with Concordia Publishing House 
(CPH) to prepare materials to  facilitate congregational and family 
ministry among people of many languages and cultures in the U.S., 
which would include all CPH worship material of its Spanish, 
Chinese, French, and other language hymnals being made available 
in Lutheran Service Builder; and be it further 
Resolved, That the ONM  work with C PH to add theologically  
sound materials in English that originated in Black/African 
American, Chinese, Hispanic, and Hmong traditions to the  
materials available in Lutheran Service Builder; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod  in convention lift our hearts in 
gratitude and praise to God, standing to sing the  Doxology in 
celebration of His mission in the U.S.  among people of all 
ethnicities and languages, giving  thanks for the many individuals 
who have served in these ministries. 
Board for National Mission 
Ov. 1-02 
To Support 150th Anniversary of Synod Black 
Ministry and Promote Renewed Emphasis 
WHEREAS, Black Lutherans have played a significant role in the 
history and mission of the Synod; and 
WHEREAS, Lutheran Black Ministry within the geographic area 
now served by the Southeastern District of the Synod has had vital 
and lasting impact on the work of the Church, including, but in no 
way limited to, such influential figures as: 
• Rev. Thomas Frye, who was born on George Washington’s 
estate, and who, after having been brought to North Carolina, 
studied the Lutheran Confessions, was licensed to preach by 
the Tennessee Synod in 1868, and became perhaps the first 
African American Lutheran minister in the Carolinas; 
• Rev. Daniel Wiseman (1858 –1942), who was one of the 
most distinguished theological graduates of Howard 
University at the time and the first Lutheran African 
American pastor in Washington, D.C., serving the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, and