Purpose: To remind the Lutheran Church of the high value of campus ministry to those who are directly involved in it and to the Church as a whole, and to advocate on behalf of campus ministry, campus ministry leaders, and increased funding for campus ministry to the Lutheran churches and their districts, synods, bishops, presidents, congregations, and regional councils, committees, and assemblies of the Lutheran Church.
Whereas, Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) is one of the most valuable ministries of the Church: dynamic, exciting, servant-focused, evangelistic, full of life and the daily visible action of the Spirit;
Whereas, LCM serves the young adult, student population of the Church which is chronically misunderstood and under-served or ignored by other ministries of the Church, and which is a vital part of the current and future Lutheran community of faith;
Whereas, LCM lives out the Lutheran dedication to higher education, serves as a public witness to the intellectual institutions and future leaders of the country, engages in ecumenical dialogue and ministry, brings together Lutherans of all backgrounds, and, like campus pastor Martin Luther, fulfills an important prophetic and visionary role in the Church;
Whereas, increasingly heated ideological and theological tensions within and between the Lutheran churches have created a situation within the Church where campus ministers, particularly in a non-congregational setting, might be reluctant to exercise their freedom of expression and fulfill their prophetic and visionary role for the Church because of concerns over reactions or retribution regarding their public statements;
Whereas, synodical, district, and national church budgets have been declining in recent years and might continue to do so, and decision-makers in the Church often look to LCM as an area to cut funding in order to balance the budget, to the extent that campus ministry funding nationwide dropped substantially in recent years;
Whereas, the reality of diminishing resources in campus ministry makes ecumenical and intra-Lutheran cooperation in campus ministry even more important as a practical measure, beyond the theological need for unity in ministry;
Whereas, the purposes of LSM include to “advance the understanding of the Gospel… especially in the sphere of higher education,” “to promote Lutheran unity in every possible way,” “to encourage active participation in the life and mission of the Lutheran churches,” and “to provide… for the expression of fellowship in Christ and of the social and intellectual concerns of campuses, of communities and of the entire world;”[1]
Whereas, LCM is the most vital partner in ministry of the LSM-USA, without which LSM would not have begun, would not now continue to grow in faith and service, and will struggle to exist in the future;
Therefore be it resolved that:
1. LSM-USA reaffirms the critical importance of Lutheran Campus Ministry to the overall ministry and mission of the Church, and directs the LSM-USA National Council to advocate strongly concerning the importance of LCM through regular communication in all ways possible with all of the leaders, congregations, committees, assemblies, and councils throughout the Lutheran churches,
2. LSM-USA urges the Lutheran Church at all levels, situations, and contexts to increase funding for campus ministry as a commitment to serving the spiritual needs of young adults who are students, as well as an investment in the future health, membership, and leadership of the Church, and directs the LSM-USA National Council, as well as all members and leaders of LSM-USA, to be extremely vocal advocates for campus ministry funding in the budgetary discussions of the Church at all levels,
3. LSM-USA will work through its local chapters, along with campus ministers, to respond to diminished funding and other growing challenges to campus ministry through a renewed dedication to pan-Lutheran, unified ministry at the campus level and increased sharing of resources and ministry with ecumenical partners,
4. LSM-USA strongly supports the freedom of expression on the part of local campus ministers so that they can continue to fulfill their prophetic and visionary role for the Church, and directs the LSM-USA National Council to express that position to the national and regional campus ministry officials of the Lutheran churches and to all local campus ministers,
5. LSM-USA acknowledges that the responsibility to speak up and act on behalf of campus pastors and LCM is not left up to the National Council alone, but is shared by all members of this organization, so that, in every aspect of their life in the Church, LSM members will do their best to work for the strength, health, and prominence of campus ministry, as campus ministers are similarly dedicated to LSM-USA,
6. LSM-USA members are encouraged to engage in ministry by working with Youth, Outdoor, Campus, and other applicable ministries in all expressions of the Church in order to strengthen relationships between the ministries and to increase respect and understanding of young adult ministries in the Church and society.
Sponsor: Mid-Atlantic Lutheran Student Movement
October 24, 2004
Colebrook, PA
[1] Lutheran Student Movement In The United States of America Constitution, Article II, Section B, D, E, and F.