wfn.org | LCMS - Missions reorganization focuses on North America

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No. 43
July 19, 2002

Missions reorganization focuses on North America

A "mini-reorganization" within LCMS World Mission has taken the North
America missions office out from under the World Services umbrella and
placed it alongside World Services as an equal decision-making partner.

As of July 1, "North America Services" became the fifth LCMS World Mission
unit, operating on an equal footing with World Services, Missionary
Services, Information Services and Administrative Services.

The move was called for by Rev. Robert Roegner, executive director of LCMS
World Mission, to give the North America staff "a more administrative role
in mission."

North America, particularly the United States, has long been regarded by
LCMS mission leaders as a "world mission field" because of the large numbers
of immigrants and "unchurched" people, Roegner noted.

"I think, after 12 years, we don't have to prove that anymore," he said.
"The Synod includes many different North American groups now -- African
immigrants, Asians, Hispanics, Muslims." And, he added, "50 percent of the
people in our country have no religion."

The restructuring gives North America leaders "more administrative freedom
and a role on the [missions] leadership team," Roegner said.

The move, he said, "raises up the needs of North America, the challenges of
North America," and will make it easier for LCMS World Mission to work with
Synod districts -- "in whatever ways the districts determine" -- to address
the numerous mission opportunities in North America.

Those opportunities, he added, "are as great, if not greater, in some cases,
than those in other parts of the world."

North America Services includes offices for blind and deaf, urban and
African immigrant, campus and Hispanic ministries.

Dr. Robert Scudieri, director of the North America unit, called the
reorganization "the right thing to do at just the right time."

"It recognizes that there is an emergency situation in missions in North
America," Scudieri said.  Recent court decisions, such as the effort to
remove the word "God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, "have underscored the
need to focus more attention on bringing Christ to this country," he said.

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