The Mission Phoenix

What's on this page?

• What is the BFMS?
• Who is a member of the BFMS?
• What does the BFMS do?
• Is there a problem with the BFMS?
• Can an LCMS congregation send its own missionaries?
• Where can I get copies of the minutes of BFMS meetings?

The BFMS is the "Board for Mission Services" of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.  The BFMS is to "provide for an aggressive and united mission effort". (Bylaw 3.8.8.2)  The BFMS operates under the name, "LCMS World Mission".

The BFMS has nine members: four ordained ministers, one commissioned minister, and four laypersons.  In addition, each seminary is allowed to send a representative to meetings of the BFMS as a liason.

According to the 2009 Lutheran Annual, the current members include: (NOTE -  an * indicates members whose term expires in 2010, and the position will be elected at the convention.)

• Kermit "Butch" Almstedt, chair
• Rev. Dr. Paul Anderson*
• Roger Buck
• Rev. Eloy Gonzalez*
• Rev. Dr. Phillip Kuehnert
• Linda Reiser
• Gen. John Shaud*
• Rev. John F. Temple
• Virginia Von Seggern*

The BFMS does many things, but is perhaps best known for the following:

1. Calls, sends, and supports overseas missionaries.
2. Works with Districts to enhance their mission efforts.
3. Works with the CTCR and the President's office in partner church relations.
4. Is the "umbrella" for the Chaplaincy program, ethnic ministries, and many other worthwhile endeavors.

The problem isn't with what the BFMS is doing; the problem is with what it is NOT doing: calling sending, and supporting cross-cultural, evangelistic, church planting missionaries.

The key question is: Why isn't LCMS World Mission sending more missionaries?  Certainly, finances are a concern.  However, the budget of LCMS World Mission  today is about the same as it was in the 1990's, and we had nearly three times the number of missionaries on BFMS payroll.

I believe that there has been an intentional move away from the sending of evangelistic, church-planting, cross-cultural missionaries on the part of the BFMS.  Someone in LCMS World Mission will need to explain what the reasons for that are, because I cannot.  However, I find it to be unusual that this "shift" has not been openly presented to the Church at large. 

What is certain is that large numbers of career, evangelistic, cross-cultural, church-planting missionaries have had their calls terminated since 2002.  Replacements are not being sent.  Missionaries whose calls have been terminated against their will are not able to continue to serve as LCMS missionaries overseas, and they are helpless to do anything about it.

You would think so.  After all, the LCMS was established largely through the efforts of people like Wilhelm Loehe, who sent missionaries to America from a congregation-based mission society in Germany.  Rev. Arndt began Lutheran work in China by sending missionaries from his congregation.  The China mission was later adopted by the Synod in convention.  It has always been the right of congregations to call and send workers. 

HOWEVER, the BFMS takes the position that overseas missionaries can ONLY be called by LCMS World Mission.  They appeal to Bylaw 3.8.8.2.2: "The Board for Mission Services shall serve as the only sending agency through which workers and funds are sent to the foreign mission areas of Synod."  Any effort of an LCMS congregation, mission society, RSO, or institution to call and send missionaries is aggressively denied by the BFMS.

Does Bylaw 3.8.8.2.2 deny to congregations the right to call, send, and support overseas missionaries?  My opinion is, No - and for several reasons.

First of all, does the above-stated bylaw mean that no member of the LCMS can send money to congregations overseas?  Obviously not, because individuals and congregations send money overseas all the time.  This is called, "direct support".

Two:  Is the whole world a "foreign mission area" of the Synod?  For example, are partner churches "mission areas"?  I bet they would not see themselves in that way.

Three:  What about the countries where the LCMS has no mission presence?  On this note, it is interesting to see how LCMS World Mission calculates the number of countries where it is doing business.  Normally, a "mission area" would be a place where we have missionaries.  However, LCMS WM claims to be "working in" dozens of countries where no missionaries are present, and perhaps where they have never been present.  The list includes places where we have an "historic relationship", as well as countries that may only be receiving a couple thousand dollars for a specific project.  Maybe I'm just cynical, but this seems to me to be an effort to "lay claim" to a greater part of the world in order to preclude the sending of missionaries by other LCMS entities.

Four:  The big problem is this:  If the desire of the Synod is to call and send evangelistic, church-planting missionaries overseas, and the BFMS is not doing it, then is the BFMS fulfilling its role within the Synod?

You can't.  The BFMS does not make minutes of their meetings available.  You also can't get a copy of the BFMS policy manual.  Nor can you read a summary of the minutes, as no summary is prepared.