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Biblical and Confessional Reflections

ON THE FUTURE OF SOCIALMINISTRY ORGANIZATIONS

Lutheran Services in America invites you to join a national conversation about how we are called to love and serve our neighbors. This booklet is just one in an ongoing and open series that is meant to provoke thought and generate discussion. Like conversations that one might have with one’s family, friends, professional or academic colleagues, these booklets are meant to be flexible in style, open to a wide range of subjects, limited only by imagination and interests, and ultimately available for use with multiple audiences: board or staff members, networking or external partners, synodical or congregational committees, seminary or college sessions, or anywhere that they might stimulate more conversation around a particular topic. The list is limitless. LSA only requires that in using the booklets, or parts of the booklets, that attribution is given to LSA and the original author. Please let us know where and with whom you are having conversations and what you are learning. We would love to hear from you, and to gather your “conversation” into a booklet like this one, and then share it by way of the electronic communication vehicles of LSA. We hope for many conversations – with a sincere exchange of thoughts, perspectives and experiences – on issues and topics that will shape our future together. You may send your conversation to us as text; don’t worry about formatting or heavy editing – LSA will “publish” the conversation in a design just like this booklet. Or do you have ideas for other conversations you would like to see started? Let us know. If you would like more information about the LSA Conversations Series, including the list of the current booklets in the Series as PDFs for downloading, go to www.lutheranservices.org. Join the conversations happening at LSA by email at conversations@lutheranservices.org or by phone 410-230-3552. We will quickly connect back to you!

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Biblical and Confessional Reflections

on the Future of Social Ministry

Organizations

President Gerald Kieschnick The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

The text for this booklet comes from the transcription of a video greeting from the Reverend Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), to the opening general session of the 2008 Annual Conference of Lutheran Services in America

SA) held in St. Louis, Missouri on April 23-25, 2008. Used with permission from The LCMS. (L Greetings Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my privilege to bring you greetings by way of this video communication. I wish I could be with you in person at your meeting today, especially since you are meeting in St. Louis. However, prior out-of-town commitments with the Council of Presidents do not allow me that opportunity. Nonetheless, I do want to take this time to express my appreciation to you for the work that you do in service to our Lord and His Church and to encourage you to remain steadfast in your commitment to helping those

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in need. In addition, Jill [Schumann, President and CEO, LSA] has asked me to share with you a few reflections on the future of social ministry organizations from a biblical and confessional perspective, which I will now do for the next few minutes.

The work of social ministry The work of social ministry organizations, such as LSA, is an important thread in the fabric of our society and will remain a critical component as the future unfolds. In his observations at the end of year 2007, George Barna noted, “Each of us has an obligation to do what is best not just for ourselves but for others in the world, too.” He added,

Our society is running the risk of becoming so independent and self-absorbed that we will abandon our responsibility

to society and to making the world a better place.1

Social ministry organizations offer optimal channels for being responsible to society and to making the world a better place, especially when efforts for the social good are coupled with witness of the Gospel. It is our very faith in the Gospel that compels us to such action. As written in the Augsburg Confession,

It is only by faith that forgiveness of sins and grace are apprehended, and because through faith the Holy Spirit

is received, hearts are so renewed and endowed with new affections as to be able to

bring forth good works. Ambrose says, “Faith is the mother of the good will and the right deed.”2

The blessing of God upon such faith-inspired action and ministry is recorded in the early church. This is attested in the sixth chapter of Acts

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when the twelve disciples gathered the people together to resolve the issue of inclusion of the Grecian Jewish widows in the daily distribution of food. After the seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom were chosen and given responsibility for these matters the Scriptures record:

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number

of priests became obedient to the faith.3

The work of social ministry and the spread of the Gospel go hand in hand. This holy and powerful combination of Word and work will be critical as the century before us continues to unfold. It is a strong conviction of mine that authentic and genuine Christian care and concern will be key entry points for Christian witness and Gospel proclamation in this century.

Faith confessed and faith lived We are living in a time when faith confessed and faith lived must be congruent and consistent for Christian witness to be counted as valid by a skeptical, unbelieving world. The words of James come to mind, when he writes:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose

a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm

and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way,

faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.4

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A post modern society looks for genuineness to support the sincerity of one’s words. We cannot be afraid to speak in such manner in the church. The mandate for social ministry supports this belief. Again James wrote,

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.5

As society looks for religion that is pure and faultless, it is in essence asking the question that the rich young ruler asked of Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”6 Jesus proceeds to tell him the parable of the Good Samaritan. The surprise, of course, was that the neighbor who had shown mercy to the beaten man was a Samaritan. The Samaritan was not the respected religious leader with the right prestige or impressive credentials. He was simply the one who showed mercy. The crucial role for social ministry organizations in the present and the future is to be agents of mercy with a Gospel message and motivation so that in the end we will hear the King’s reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”7

Social ministry opportunities I believe the future will be unparalleled with social ministry opportunities. The only question is, Who will be viewed as “the neighbor” by the changing society and ambiguous culture that surrounds us? Will “the neighbor” be the church as a servant of Christ, or will it be some other source? This is an important question facing the church and its social ministry organizations in the future.

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The question is accentuated by a topic that caught my eye in a recent class offering named, “Cutting-Edge Social Ministries: The Future of Community Witness.” The punctuated topic was: Islam: How Mosques do Ministry in their Communities.8 The answer to the question, Who is my neighbor? as addressed by the Church and as determined by our culture will greatly impact the spread of the Gospel and the ingathering of the kingdom of God! Christian social ministry organizations can play an important role in this future determination with definitive Christian service and unashamed Christian witness in the Name of Jesus Christ. I envision a future where social ministry organizations exist in cooperative alliances with one other, perhaps even as conglomerates, in order more effectively to mobilize and utilize the resources available for an enhanced witness for Christ in the world. Social ministry organizations must continue to find more ways to work in support of and in concert with local congregations at grass roots levels. I envision social ministry organizations heavily involved in training local congregations for the purpose of empowering their community social ministry efforts. This kind of investment in the church-at-large will strengthen the Christian community’s witness as a whole, thereby enhancing the culture’s view of the Church and of Christ as “the neighbor” that can be called upon and trusted in every time and circumstance. Well, these are just a few thoughts about the future and importance of social ministry and social ministry organizations. I pray that your time of meeting will be productive and that the Lord will bless your labors to the glory of His name.

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Closing In closing, I leave you with some words of our Lord from Matthew chapter five:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good

for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light

to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see

your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.9

Thank you for your faithful service, your time and attention. God bless each and every one of you.

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Endnotes 1 The Barna Group. “Barna Finds Four Mega-Themes in Recent Research.” The Barna Update, December 3, 2007, http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Barna Update&BarnaUpdateID=285 (accessed September 25, 2008), The Barna Group Web site: www.barna.org. Used by permission. 2 Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Augsburg Confession : Translated from the Latin The Confession of Faith: 2, XX, 28-30). Philadelphia: Fortress Press. 3 Acts 6: 7, (New International Version) 4 Jas. 2:14-18, (NIV) 5 Jas. 1:27, (NIV) 6 Luke 10:29, (NIV) 7 Matt. 25:40, (NIV) 8 “Cutting Edge Social Ministries: The Future of Community Witness.” Ed. n/a. December 2007. Hartford Seminary. 25 September 2008 <http://www.hartsem.edu/academic/courses/janwntrspr08/am636.html>. 9 Matt. 5:13-16, (NIV)

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The five Ends Policies approved by the LSA Board of Directors, March 2008, LSA Board Policy Manual, Section 1.2. (Called to Love and Serve Our Neighbors), and affirmed by the LSA Membership at its April 2008Annual Meeting.

Lutheran social ministry expresses a spirit of

possibility and a will that shapes the future.

Lutheran social ministry organizations are healthy

and vital, engaged in effective service and

advocacy.

The Lutheran social The Lutheran social ministry system has ministry system has

integrated, resultsintegrated, results--driven driven capacity.capacity.

Lutheran social ministry organizations live out their

Lutheran identities.

LSA and its members, in partnership with others, are

leading a movement of hope and grace toward a society that values generosity, inclusion,

justice and mutual care.

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