Who cares about Synod?

A while back when my parish was in a call meeting, a questioner wondered if a candidate's role in the larger Synod as an elected board member would take time away from the congregation.  Although the question was about him, I took it personally.  It was also about me.  I currently serve on the Commission on Constitutional Matters for Synod, am Secretary of the Mid-South District, have served in the past as Circuit Visitor, worked with the Synod's Commission on Worship, and a host of other particulars in District and Synod that actually do take time away from the parish.  Though the question might have been theoretical, I took it as practical and a question about the time I currently spend away from my parish, where I am in my 31st year as Senior Pastor.  The question was useful and provided a teaching moment.  The questioner was not being unreasonable.  It was no different than those who wondered why one of the pastors of Grace was away on Sunday serving a vacant congregation in our Circuit or at the monthly Circuit gatherings of pastors or the twice annually District Pastors' Conferences or any of the other things that take a pastor away from his congregation for the sake of Circuit, District, or Synod.

Well, of course it takes time away from the parish.  I am actually gone weeks out of the year due to the commitments I have to the larger church.  But what no one is asking is what our parish gains by this participation in the larger work of the church.  What no one is thinking is that our association with the District and Synod expects and requires us to give up some things (and not just money) for the sake of the larger good.

First of all, it is doubtful that my parish would have existed without the sacrificial service of pastors from district and Synod (not to mention some seminarians).  No one was able to see what the vision of the Western District of the LCMS saw in 1958.  Military chaplains from nearby Ft. Campbell had served some of the Lutherans here informally through the years as they were able.  The District then sent seminarians from St. Louis to canvas the area through the summer of 1958.  Then they called and paid for Pastor Harold Tessmann of Muskegon, Michigan, and before that Wheaton, Illinois, to gather up his family and head to Clarksville to develop a mission here.  Before we ask what it costs us for our church workers to participate in district and Synod, we ought to remember the costs borne by such as these so that this congregation might exist.  

Second, our life together is not entirely local.  This ought to be especially poignant to a congregation so full of people moving in and moving out.  We are profoundly connected to congregations across the US and to military chaplains across the globe because we have so many folks who move in and then move on in a few years.  I am forever requesting transfers and sending them.  No congregation is an island but this is even more true of us than it is of the ordinary parish.  It is a fool's errand to think of church only as our congregation and to forget the larger fellowship of parishes that makes us a Synod.  We need each other.

Third, our Synod has joined together for salutary purpose and not just for statistical ones.  The reasons for a Synod and for our uniting together are well spelled out in the Constitution of Synod:

1. Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy;
2. Strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world;
3. Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth;
4. Provide opportunities through which its members may express their Christian concern, love, and compassion in meeting human needs;
5. Aid congregations to develop processes of thorough Christian education and nurture and to establish agencies of Christian education such as elementary and secondary schools and to support synodical colleges, universities, and seminaries;
6. Aid congregations by providing a variety of resources and opportunities for recognizing, promoting, expressing, conserving, and defending their confessional unity in the true faith;
7. Encourage congregations to strive for uniformity in church practice, but also to develop an appreciation of a variety of responsible practices and customs which are in harmony with our common profession of faith;
8. Provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers of the Synod in the performance of their official duties;
9. Provide protection for congregations, pastors, teachers, and other church workers in the performance of their official duties and the maintenance of their rights;
10. Aid in providing for the welfare of pastors, teachers, and other church workers, and their families in the event of illness, disability, retirement, special need, or death.

Let's rehearse the value of our common life.  Promoting the unity of the faith and our common defense of that faith before the world.  Strengthen us in the work God has called us to do.  Recruit and train pastors and church workers.  Do the work of mercy together.  Provide Lutheran universities and seminaries.  Publish faithful resources for individuals and congregational work.  Provide ecclesiastical supervision to congregations and their called workers.  Protect the congregations and their workers as they do what God has called them to do.  Supporting called workers after their time of service is over.  How much of that can we do alone?  How much could any congregation of any size do alone?

We gain more from our walk together as a Synod than it costs us in money to support its work or in the time taken when our pastors or other church workers serve district or Synod.  Yes, it is messy to work together.  Yes, there will be inevitable conflicts and frustrations.  But the reality is that if we heed to those original objectives, our life together is significantly enriched by our larger fellowship.  Those who would insist that being a Synod costs more than it offers are free to leave but I will argue the opposite.  I am constantly renewed, refreshed, and encouraged by those pastors, church workers, and laity who give of their time and talents to serve beyond the local congregation.  You should be as well.  By the way, while you have been reading this, a couple of thousand folks have been giving up time off, vacation days, and sacrificing a great deal to meet in convention.  Let them know you appreciate their dedication -- at least before you start to complain about what went wrong in Milwaukee this year.