Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook

305LIFE TOGETHER

[him] to develop a rule-of-thumb measurement—a healthy church has at least 20 percent of its average worship attendance participating in adult Bible study” (ibid., 58); and “The Bible asserts that our spiritual growth and health depends on our connection to Christ through His Word. Those who dwell richly in that Word demonstrate spiritual maturity and health, individually and corporately. The Bible is our final authority on what makes a church healthy” (ibid., 71).

and

WHEREAS, Lack of a strong baptismal identity that is not regularly fed with the Word and Sacrament of Christ, especially in the context of an increasingly secular culture, is a serious obstacle in our calling to proclaim, teach, and share the Gospel, leaving the baptized immature in God’s Word (Eph. 4:13–14) and ill-equipped to “make a defense” (1 Peter 3:15) and engage in mission and ministry activities; and

WHEREAS, That as the members of the Kansas District faithfully and consistently “Abide in the Word,” the idols of vice are continually loosened on their hearts, and the new man is freed more and more to embrace those virtues the Holy Spirit is laboring to grow wi thin God’s people, so that we are fit for service to our neighbor, equipping us for the tasks God has prepared for us;

therefore be it

Resolved, That the district and its members prioritize strengthening baptismal identity in the coming triennium, equipping and encouraging the baptized to stand firm in the faith and resist being conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2) and to move forward boldly as the baptized people of God to expand the kingdom by being regularly in the Word of God at church and at home (Deut.

6:4–9; Rom. 10:17; Heb. 10:25); and be it further

Resolved, That the district and its members commit themselves to weekly worship and the study of God’s Word so that faith in Christ is nurtured and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Parents, then, take what the pastor taught, and teach their children at home, as Luther states in his Small Catechism, “As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household”; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations and schools promote and use weekly The Congregation at Prayer resources developed by the district parish education committee ( kslcms.org/educationyouth/parish-education/cap/). The Congregation at Prayer , which coordinates with the Church Year calendar, suggests daily readings, learn-by-heart Scripture and catechism verses, a hymn to sing, along with a psalm and prayer to pray; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations and schools implement Lutheran-based curriculum in parish, school, and home settings that foster faith and growth in God’s Word across the lifespan from early learning through adult education; and be it further

Resolved, That the district congregations be encouraged to bring their youth groups together (e.g., Kansas District Youth Gathering, etc.) at least once a year to study the Word of God and that circuits provide ways (e.g., Theology on Tap, etc.) for adults to come together to study the Word of God; and be it further

Resolved, That the professional church workers of the district make every effort to attend the required yearly conferences, and be encouraged to attend other gatherings (i.e., circuit winkels, DCE Clusters, pre -Lent, summer continuing education opportunities, Lutheran teacher conferences, etc.) where they can receive and grow in the Word of God with other church workers; and be it further

Resolved, That the lay people of the district be encouraged to immerse themselves in the Word of God through such things as congregational Bible studies, podcasts (i.e., The Word of the Lord Endures Forever , thewordendures.org/), and other continuing education opportunities (i.e., The Lay Bible Institute , csl.edu/resources/continuing-education/lay-bible-institute/) where they can continue to spiritually grow (Eph. 4:13 –15); and be it finally

Resolved, That the district memorialize the 2026 Synod convention, recommending adoption of a mission and ministry emphasis consistent with helping Lutheran Christians hold fast to their baptismal identity, based solely in the Word of God, as is the case with the Synod’s current emphasis of Making Disciples for Life (2023 Resolution 4-02, “To Affirm and Continue Making Disciples for Life as Mission and Ministry Emphasis for 2023–26 Triennium,” Proceedings, 135–36).

Kansas District

Ov. 4-06

To Adopt Triennial Mission and Ministry Emphasis on Clear Gospel Proclamation, Unity in Christ, and Multicultural Ministry

WHEREAS, “The district convention shall, through the delegate vote, forward to the national convention a list of two or three triennial mission and ministry emphases for consideration by the national convention.” (Bylaw 4.2.1 [d]); and

WHEREAS, The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (Ap) IV on justification confesses the central teaching of the Gospel, namely, that we are justified by grace through faith in Christ alone; and

WHEREAS, Rom. 1:16 (NIV) proclaims, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile,” and Smalcald Articles (SA) II I states, “The first and chief article is this:

That Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:25)” (Triglotta); and

WHEREAS, The temptation of the flesh and the work of the enemy continually seek to distort, add to, or replace the Gospel with a false alternative, and we confess that members of the Synod are not exempt from this temptation; and

WHEREAS, Eph. 4:15–16 (NIV) reminds us, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work”; and

WHEREAS, We should celebrate the unity we have in Christ; and

WHEREAS, Jesus commands His people to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35 [NIV]); and

WHEREAS, The Church is beautifully diverse in language, ethnicity, and life experiences; and

WHEREAS, The Pacific Southwest District houses both the Crosscultural Ministry Center and the Mission Training Center within its geographic confines; and