A JUNE NOTE FROM PASTOR DAVE:

     Congregations, will meet at the Warm Beach Christian Conference Center in Stanwood, Washington, June 20-23, 2006, with the theme “This Is a Day of Good News“ based on II Kings 7:9.  Your pastor will represent Zion Lutheran Church at this meeting.  It will be our first attendance in three years and will mark the last conference with President Pastor Robert Lee presiding.  In lieu of a pastoral note for June, I felt it might behoove us to take a look at the state of the AFLC through the eyes of Pastor Lee.  These are excerpts from his “President’s Report for this meeting.”

THE AFLC PRESIDENT’S REPORT

     ..This Is a Day of Good News! (II Kings 7:9). It is a proclamation that rings with Spirit-wrought confidence, a firm conviction that God has privileged us to serve in the day of grace, providing us with a powerful, life-changing gospel. He calls us to the humanly impossible task of making disciples of all nations, while assuring us with all the authority of heaven and earth that He will always be with us, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). ...

     It is our scriptural conviction that God has entrusted His work to the congregation, which is "the right form of the kingdom of God on earth" (AFLC Fundamental Principle No. 1). It is to the congregation that He gave the means of grace, Word and sacraments, that the lost might be saved and believers established in the faith for service. Scripturally, there are 115 instances in the New Testament where the word translated "church" or "congregation" is used, and 92 of them clearly refer to the local congregation. Others seem to be more abstract, such as Ephesians 1:22, including all Christians everywhere. One should note, however, that the kingdom of God as "all Christians everywhere" does not take on a form. The only form that the Bible knows is the local congregation.

     There is apparently a growing movement in the current church world that disagrees with this conviction, and some suggest that it may even be a mark of spiritual maturity to reject the centrality of the congregation to spiritual life and growth. One cannot dismiss or deny allegations against local congregations of immaturity and even carnality-- if only they were not true! A recent survey reveals that less than one out of every five adults firmly believes that a congregation is a critical element in their spiritual growth. Yet one cannot escape the divine plan: "I will build My church," Jesus declared, "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

     The answer is not rejection of the congregation, but revival! To be "free" does not necessarily mean that a congregation is "living." It was already true in the first century of Christendom that there were lukewarm congregations and even dead ones, and the same Lord still stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20). A message of sin and grace is the necessary key, the "quickening preaching" of the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit, not sentimental sermonic thin soup that proclaims everything is okay with everyone. We are a fellowship with a rich revival heritage, and God's promise still stands: "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14).

     The AFLC is a fellowship of congregations, and it is good to hear reports from many of them of what the Lord is doing in our midst. This is not necessary numerical growth, of course, yet unless the membership of a congregation is maintained--and hopefully increased--the doors will eventually be closed. We need to be reminded to lift up our eyes and see the fields that are white for harvest (John 4:35). ... Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to God's people.

     The AFLC is a growing family. The internet continues to be the main resource for many new friends who contact us for information, and an encouraging number of new congregations and pastors will be welcomed at this conference. Our home missions ministry also stands ready to reach into new areas with church plants, reminding us that the United States is a key mission field, too, meriting prayerful support. Home missions provides opportunities for hands-on service through the restructured Builders' Fellowship, under the direction of Lavon Bohling, and crews of skilled and unskilled laborers have been put to work on church building projects and disaster clean-up. It's exciting to hear, too, of the "satellite" church plant that our Glyndon, MN, congregation has established in Ulen, MN, providing us with a pattern that others might consider.

     We have been blessed with a growing student body at our Bible School and Seminary. The new seminary residence has been occupied since February, and was dedicated on graduation weekend in May. Remodeling plans for the seminary/ chapel building continue to progress, providing a very adequate facility for classes, offices, and worship, and we are so grateful for the many ways in which Heritage Hall serves our campus family. God has provided us, too, with a fine faculty and staff.

     The ministries of Parish Education and Youth are central elements in our AFLC program of common endeavors. ...

     It might be said that "Lutheran" is our middle name. Some may feel the need to apologize for this, in light of the apostasy that has swept mainline Lutheranism, yet we need to be reminded--and to remind others--that Lutherans were the first evangelicals and that we stand on solid scriptural grounds. There is a special danger in our day that a community-church spirit may influence some congregations, causing key distinctives to be minimized and compromised. The constitutions of our congregations include a subscription to the Lutheran confessions, and this is an important affirmation of our basic identity. Let's be who we are, humbly, without apology and without standing in judgment of other's convictions, and I believe that God will bless and prosper.

     Last year a statement on the ordination of women was presented to the conference. A resolution suggested by Committee #1 was approved, requesting the Coordinating Committee to present a final draft of the statement to the 2006 conference, and copies are included in your packets. It would be good if this statement could be approved by the conference this year, to provide us with a clear scriptural defense of our practice, since this issue almost always arises when congregations are considering AFLC affiliation. I believe that this statement strikes a scriptural balance, affirming the spiritual giftedness for service of our sisters in Christ while continuing to maintain that the pastoral office is intended for men.

     Gifts to AFLC ministries for 2005 averaged 116% of budget goals, for which we are grateful to God and our family of supporting congregations. I'm sure, however, that many of you would be as bewildered as I was when hearing that the seminary, for example, which received 140% of its goal, still had a $20,000 shortfall.

     The source of our bewilderment is the fact that our ministries operate with two goals: first, a subsidy goal that is approved by the Budget Analysis Committee, and, second, a budget goal that reflects the actual operating expenses of the ministry. The first is presented to the annual conference for approval, and printed each month in the Lutheran Ambassador with a report of receipts, while the second may not be publicly announced. One of our ministry directors says simply that they spend what comes in, regardless of budgets, while another says that their budget may change from month to month, depending on the gifts received.

     Speaking as a member of one of the earliest Budget Analysis Committees, it is my opinion that the original plan was for the subsidy and budget goals to be essentially the same for most of our ministries. Two exceptions would be Parish Education and AFLC Schools, both of whom have other sources of income, but the subsidy goals presented to the conferences were meant to represent the amounts necessary for this ministry to operate without deficit spending.

     Ten years ago the Budget Analysis Committee created a new approach to the process that was their responsibility. A mathematical formula was determined, basing the budget requests on previous years' income, plus a percentage annual increase. The conviction of the committee was "that the budgets should be based on the most recent years actual receipts plus a growth factor commensurate with inflation and historic giving patterns" (1995 Annual Report, page 289).

     A resolution was approved at the 2004 Annual Conference, seeking to address concerns about clear reporting of financial needs to our congregations. During discussion it was stated that our people need two numbers: what each ministry should expect to receive, and what each ministry needs. Attempts to arrive at the second number bogged down, and the problem seemed to be the definition of "need." Should it be based on everything that each of our ministries would like to do if the funds were available? Then what about all of the world and home mission possible new works? What about all of the potential parish education projects? So the list of "needs" could continue to grow.

     Is our current system broken beyond repair? Is it time for the Budget Analysis Committee to discard mathematical formulae and return to its former method of analyzing budgets in terms of operational needs and expansion, while still measuring them in the light of historic giving patterns? Is it possible for the AFLC to operate with subsidy goals and budget goals as essentially the same numbers? Perhaps it would be helpful, before each ministry subsidy is approved, for someone from the floor of the conference to ask if the amount is sufficient to serve as an operating budget. Lay people and pastors, as well as some directors, have expressed frustration and confusion concerning the present system. I encourage the conference to give careful consideration to this issue, so that our congregations might receive clear and relevant information as they determine their support.

     It is also important to be reminded each year that AFLC financial goals can and should be exceeded, as the Lord provides through His people, making it possible for our ministries to continue and expand the precious gospel-centered work that has been entrusted to them. We are grateful to our generous Father as He abundantly supplies through a praying family of congregations and individuals.

     The AFLC worldwide family is a special source of encouragement. Our Brazilian sister association celebrated a 40th anniversary this past winter, with a good delegation of US friends in attendance. The "nationalizing" process continues, not without growing pains, and it is a healthy sign to see the Brazilian leadership taking more responsibility for the work. The World Mission Committee has taken major steps of faith in approving several missionary candidates, as well as enlarging the director's position to full-time, and we expect to see new missionaries commissioned during this conference.

     We grieve with the Flores family in Mexico over the death of two daughters of Pastor Samuel Flores, president of our sister church body: Febe (Mrs. Raul) Hernandez, wife of one of our national pastors, and Letitia Flores. Our mission in Mexico is a church planting ministry, and the work also continues on translating Christian education materials into the Spanish language. The AFLC-Canada conducted its first annual conference with a new president, Pastor Al Pinno. Two of the ten Canadian congregations conduct services in languages other than English (German and French), making this association the most international of our worldwide partners.

     Most of our mission partnerships are closely connected with the training of workers, and this is an area where the AFLC has the potential of making a significant impact for Christ and His Kingdom. We are most familiar with the Bible School and Seminary in Campo Mourao, Brazil. Pastors Connely Dyrud and Steve Snipstead served as instructors to the pastors and other workers in India last February, and it sounds like this will be an important focus for Nate and Rhoda Jore with the new outreach in Uganda. We look forward to learning more of Pastor Kevin Olson's vision for pastoral training in Africa as he transitions from youth ministry to world missions.

     We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with East European Missions Network (EEMN). This was certainly strengthened when the Bible School Choir toured Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic in March and April, and many of our people continue to participate in the EEMN language camps. Also, Tomasz Chmiel, a graduate of the AFLC Seminary, looks forward with his wife Miriam to youth ministry and leadership training in Ukraine.

     What constitutes a world mission field? Is it simply defined by language or geography? Should it be primarily defined by need? When is a mission no longer a mission? When is it time to step back from our involvement in another country and begin new mission work in areas of the world where there is little if any gospel witness? Should we be doing more to reach the vast and growing international population in our own country? The maturing and nationalizing of the AFLC-Brazil in particular raises questions like these that our world missions committee should be seriously considering.

     My wife and I were privileged to attend the Lutherans for Life convention in St. Louis, Missouri, last November, and this certainly was an eye-opening experience. A commitment to the sanctity of life means much more than opposition to abortion, and we learned that an important battleground today is the ethics committees at our local hospitals, where the debates are currently taking place over end-of-life issues and the definition of "personhood."  ...

     AFLC common endeavors continue to benefit from the commitment of faithful friends who remembered our ministries in their wills. ...  Please remember the AFLC Foundation as an estate planning option for the ongoing support of AFLC ministries and local congregations after the death of the donors. The board has established a relationship with a competent organization ... that promises to provide the necessary expertise to make our program an excellent alternative for those who wish to make use of it.

     It has become a tradition to hold our annual conference in the Pacific Northwest District every ten years, and we are grateful to the congregations of the district and the Warm Beach Christian Conference Center for the excellent hospitality that they are extending to us again. This is our second year with a revised conference schedule that concludes before the weekend, and last year's conference seemed to suggest that it will take a few conferences in different locations in order to determine if this new approach best serves our fellowship. The conference committee has approved the following invitations:  2007--Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2008--Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and 2009--Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

     Next year my current term as AFLC president will be completed .... I will have served for over fifteen years.... My service as your president will conclude on September 30, 2007.  ... God is great and God is good. I am awed by His grace, and grateful to be serving Him and His people. Aware of the inadequacy of my service, yet forgiven and fully adequate in Christ, I respectfully submit this report.