 This will be my last term as District President. As I reflect on what would be the best stewardship of my gifts from now until August 31, 2021, in addition to fulfilling the essential duties connected with the office, would be these ministry emphases: New Jersey District Leaders and Learners Beginning in December 2019, the New Jersey District Leaders and Learners program will be offering certificates in these ministry areas: + Luther Studies At the 2019 Synod Convention, two resolutions encouraged the remembrance and celebration of key events connected with the Reformation that took placed from 1519 through 1522 (Resolution 4-10), culminating with a “Here I Stand” Sunday on April 18, 2021 (Resolution 4-09). In response to these resolutions, the District has set aside several Saturday mornings for the discussion of major writings from the pen of Martin Luther. In order to aid us in our study of these writings, Rev. Dr. Rick Serina will be providing background articles and I will be the one to lead these discussions (in 1994, I acquired a Master of Sacred Theology degree in Luther Studies and am looking forward to discussing these writings in a seminar-style format). + Discipleship in the 21st Century: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Secular Age In order to equip ourselves for living as His disciples in the 21st century, six Saturday mornings in 2020 have been scheduled to explore these session themes: (1) exploring the mission of God through the parables of Jesus; (2) what does it mean to be a disciple?; (3) understanding worldview and how different cultures view reality and religion; (4) connecting to the secular world through culture learning; (5) what does it mean to be an apostolic church?; and (6) exploring hope through the work of the Trinity and giving timely answers to the questions that people are asking in our time. + Biblical Studies “If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples.” “Every person who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who build his house on the rock…”. The first session examines twenty parables of Jesus, as we study together the metanarrative that interprets and makes sense of every human narrative. Sessions two and three will examine The Divine Drama (with supplemental material from The Bethel Series) -- a comprehensive overview of the Biblical story, and the key themes of that story, from the sacred Scriptures. The fourth session will focus on “biblical stories that every Christian should know.” + Evangelism and Outreach Jesus said: “go and make disciples of all nations” and that “you will be My witnesses.” The first session will explore how Jesus did evangelism; that is, He taught them many things in parables. The first half of the second session explores the question: “can the missionary methods and ministry practices of St. Patrick, known as Celtic Christianity, show us some ways forward in the 21st century?” During the second half of the session, we will explore what it means to be “a church for the unchurched.” The first half of the third session will focus our time in answering: “how do we communicate the Christian faith to the growing numbers of people who do not darken church doors, who have no church background, who possess no Christian vocabulary, and who do not know what we are talking about?” The second half of the session will glean ministry insights from the Apostle Paul, and his missionary work in Corinth, so as to equip us in ways to engage our growing urban, pluralistic ministry contexts. Luther Forum Beginning in July of 2020, I will write a monthly article for the District’s Grapevine on Lutheran identity, organized by these Principles of Lutheran Theology (Carl Braaten): July 2020 - Canonical Principle August 2020 - Confessional Principle September 2020 - Ecumenical Principle October 2020 - Trinitarian Principle November 2020 - Christocentric Principle December 2020 - Sacramental Principle January 2021 - Law/Gospel Principle February 2021 - Two Kingdoms Principle March 2021 - Two Authorities Principle April 2021 - The Ministry of the Word Principle – the Word did it all! Finally, it is my hope that during the weekend of April 17-18, 2021 many of us will gather to discuss core elements of our Lutheran identity so that we might better understand who we are and how we are to live out that identity in the 21st century. The culmination of our time together will be a worship service that celebrates Luther’s evangelical witness made at “the Diet of Worms” on April 18, 1521: “Since Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes or councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise” (Bainton 1950:185). 2021 New Jersey District Convention The location for the Convention will be the DoubleTree Hotel in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. The dates are May 20-22, 2021. The convention theme is Lutheran Identity and Ministry in the 21st Century. The convention text is Revelation 14:6.  by: District President Rev. Dr. Tony Steinbronn Notes on Ecclesiastical Supervision – 2019 Synod Convention Resolution 10-03A – Today’s Business Issue 2B – Sunday, July 21, 2019 – pages 279-280 the section in bold contain the words that I was able to share with the Convention assembly before the two minute clock ran out. Rev. Chairman and fellow delegates of the 2019 Synod Convention,
A few comments pertaining to the matter of ecclesiastical supervision: First…the Synod in Convention may adopt bylaws that are consistent with and do not contradict the Constitution of Synod (Article XIV) Second…that the officers of Synod assume only such rights as have been expressly conferred upon them (Article XI A.1) + the scope of ecclesiastical supervision granted to the President of the Synod is limited to article XI B1 – B3 of the Constitution and Bylaw 3.3.1 + when a person reads these sections of the Synod’s Constitution and Bylaws, the ecclesiastical supervision over the individual members and congregations of Synod has NOT BEEN EXPRESSLY CONFERRED upon the President of the Synod and this right cannot be granted to him unless the Constitution of Synod is amended by Convention action (Article XV 2-4) Third, the President of the Synod has, and always shall have the power to advise, admonish, and reprove…he shall conscientiously use all means at his command to promote and maintain unity of doctrine and practice in all the districts of the Synod + however, since ONLY the District Presidents are empowered to suspend individual members of the Synod (Article XII 8), suspension CANNOT be one of the means available to the President of the Synod + that ONLY the District Presidents especially are to exercise supervision over the doctrine, life and administration of the individual members of the Synod and supervision of the Synod (Article XII 7) + that ONLY the District Presidents are empowered to suspend individual members of the Synod, and then according to the Bylaws of the Synod (Article XII 8) Fourth, since resolution 12-14, when it grants the power and authority to the Synod President to suspend a Member of Synod as a “suspending ecclesiastical supervisor,” contradicts the Constitution of Synod (Article XIV) --- a power that has ONLY BEEN GIVEN TO, and EXPRESSLY CONFERRED UPON, a District President (Article XII 8) --- therefore it clearly fails to bring the Synod’s bylaw into line with the Constitution of the Synod, as it claims in the final resolve of 2019 Resolution 10-03A (page 280 of Today’s Business Issue 2B), for these reasons: + article XI A.1…that the President of Synod would be exercising the rights and duty not expressly conferred upon him (2016 Handbook page 15) + article XI B.1…that the President of Synod would be granted the authority to supervise an individual member of Synod not listed in his scope of ecclesiastical supervision (2016 Handbook page 15) + article XI B.2…that the President of Synod would be doing more than “reporting” the matter to Synod in convention (2016 Handbook page 15) + article XI B.3…that the President of Synod would be granted a power greater than to advise, admonish, and reprove (2016 Handbook page 15) + article XII 7…that the President of Synod would be directly supervising an individual member of Synod thereby exercising a power and authority granted ONLY to a District President (2016 Handbook page 17) + article XII 8…that the President of Synod would be placing an individual member of Synod under suspension thereby exercising a power and authority granted ONLY to a District President (2016 Handbook page 17) + bylaw 3.3.1.1.b…that the President of Synod would no longer be carrying out his ecclesiastical duties THROUGH the District President in the Districts of the Synod but rather he would be dealing directly with an individual member (2016 Handbook page 108) |