Monday, June 18 – Thursday, June 21
Immanuel Lutheran College,
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Theme: Thanks Be To God,
Who Gives Us The Victory
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ!
(1 Corinthians 15:57)
Essays:
1. Be steadfast and immovable!
2. Be always abounding in the work of the Lord!
May the Lord of the Church bless our Convention!
May the Lord of the Church bless our Convention!
On Being a Convention Delegate…
A PRIVILEGE AND A JOY?
A District Visitor of the CLC recently circulated an encouraging word to his fellow pastors to talk up the benefits of being a congregational representative at this summer’s convention. Adding weight to the words was a list of benefits an experienced lay-delegate had given his pastor about serving in this way. Below is an abbreviated version of the pastor’s letter. – Editor
A layman of our congregation who has served as delegate to a number of our CLC conventions would like to communicate that (far from being just another Christian duty) attendance is, in fact, a privilege and a joy. The following is a list of benefits he feels could be pointed out to our members:
• Spiritual growth—the essays are highlights of every convention.
• An improved understanding of the inner workings of our synod—there is no better way to understand the workings of the various boards than to participate in a convention floor committee.
• An increased zeal for mission work—some of the best information we receive on what is being done here and abroad is communicated at conventions.
• Christian camaraderie—meeting other delegates from around the country strengthens our synodical bonds.
• Mutual edification—there is great benefit in sharing the struggles that are common to confessional Christians; what attendee hasn’t felt the power of a couple hundred voices joining with gusto in one of our favorite hymns?
• A reaffirmation of the high regard we hold for the Word of God—delegates as well as visitors from other church bodies have commented on the high regard for the Word of God demonstrated at our conventions.
• By design laymen run our synod—for good reason our founders determined that there should, in most cases, be two delegates for every one pastor.
• An unscripted synodical convention format—in many other church bodies a convention is little more than a rubber stamp of what has already been decided by synodical officials; ours is still a convention where questions and problems are discussed, and unscripted actions are taken.
• An increased understanding of doctrinal questions —hear the discussion and care that goes into addressing such questions.
YES, BEING A CONVENTION DELEGATE IS A PRIVILEGE AND A JOY!