Report on the
31st Convention of the CLC
THEME:
God Our Savior Desires
All Men to be Saved!
1 Timothy 2:3-7
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Savior, who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Standing Worship Committee:
THREE HYMNALS were considered and compared to the commonly used Lutheran Hymnal of 1941. These were Christian Worship, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, and the Lutheran Service Book….Although each hymnal has its strengths and weaknesses, the committee feels that all three of the newer ones considered present God’s Word faithfully in Law and Gospel and could find use in our congregations.
Membership:
RESOLVED, that the following be accepted as voting members of the CLC: Pastor-elect Peter Evensen, Teacher-elect Ross Kok, Pastor Douglas Priestap, Pastor-elect David Ude. We thank the Lord of the Church for providing these laborers for His harvest.
RESOLVED, that the Board of Education and Publications develop media (for example, pamphlet, video, etc.) encouraging greater lay delegate participation. The media would discuss the process, responsibilities, importance, and blessings of attending a Convention.
Missions:
WE REJOICE that the Lord has “let His work appear to His servants,” in both our domestic and foreign missions fields, and we pray that He would continue to “establish the work of our hands for us” (Psalm 90:16-17).
WE APPRECIATE the evangelical encouragement from President Eichstadt’s address reminding us of the many doors the Lord continues to open for our fellowship.
RESOLVED that we authorize the Board of Missions to provide funding through the Mission Development Fund (MDF) for necessary missionary visits during the coming biennium to the Democratic Republic of Congo, [to] Zambia, and [to] Zimbabwe.
Doctrine Committee:
RESOLVED, that we ratify the president’s declaration of fellowship with Pastor Olvera and the Iglesia Luterana Confesional-Mexico [Confessional Lutheran Church-Mexico]….with the Church of the Lutheran Confession of Tanzania, [of] Kenya, and [of] Zambia….with Pastor Edwards and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar.
WE ARE THANKFUL for the efforts of the Board of Doctrine and Pastor Emeritus David Lau on both the three-sentence summary and the popular edition of Concerning Church Fellowship thus far. We direct them to complete both projects and present them…to our pastors for discussion at the General Pastoral Conference in 2015.
Immanuel Lutheran College:
WE THANK the Lord for moving individuals to supply creative ideas, diligent oversight, designated offerings, and many hours of volunteer labor toward the maintenance and improvement of our campus.
WE GIVE THANKS to the Lord for the blessing that the Student Aid Fund is to our students and families. We offer thanks to the Lord for moving the hearts of those who have contributed to this fund.
WE APPLAUD the faculty of Immanuel for opening up a new avenue for Biblical training in the form of online courses….We thank the Lord for giving those at Immanuel zeal to tackle this exciting new area of our educational institution and to move forward with it carefully.
WE JOIN President Eichstadt in encouraging parents, pastors, and teachers to instruct “young people about the blessed nature of the public ministry” and to encourage them to prayerfully consider pursuing the public ministry.
WE ALSO JOIN with President Eichstadt in encouraging our young members not considering the public ministry to consider the AA degree program or the program in Religious Studies “to help ground them more firmly on Christ.”
Finances:
RESOLVED, that the operating budget of the CLC for Fiscal Year ‘15 be as follows:
Board of Education $10,000.00
Board of Trustees$115,000.00
Board of Missions$305,000.00
Board of Regents (subsidy)$474,000.00
Board of Regents (student revenue)$873,000.00
TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET $1,777,000.00
Elections: (Presidium)
CLC President — Pastor Michael Eichstadt
CLC Vice President — Pastor Mark Bernthal
Moderator — Pastor Paul Nolting
Secretary — Pastor Wayne Eichstadt