Thoughts on the OK District, LCMS

Saturday I attended the Oklahoma District Board of Directors meeting at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Edmond. This is part of my duties as 3rd Vice President, and though I do not have a vote on the Board, I get to talk every once in a while.

The meeting was long and a little depressing. District finances are in a serious deficit and actually had to borrow some money from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund in order to pay bills–and this is a district with all part-time staff! I had an embarrassing moment when the President asked me for my Outdoor Ministry report; I knew I oversaw this in some fashion but I didn’t know I was supposed to give actual reports. Thankfully, two of the board members are actively involved in the two camps and updated us. I’ll correct this faux paux in the future.

One thing that is wonderful about the Oklahoma District is the churchmanship of all the pastors and heirarchy. While we do not always see eye-to-eye, even on some serious things, we have none of the iciness, the separation, the hatefulness that one finds in other districts. In many districts, after the business ends, the cliques form immediately: those in power surrounded by the lobbyists and wannabes, the old liberal guard in another corner, the grouchy confessionals somewhere else, and so on.

But Oklahoma is different. On the Presidium and the Board there are pastors who are openly Evangelical Catholic, others more generally Confessional, some Bronze-agers, and some more contemporary-minded. This would cripple any healthy function in many districts. Yet in Oklahoma we are able to treat each other as brothers and get along well. We even have a good time together.

I’m not sure what makes this work. Perhaps its our western “cowboy spirit.” One pastor in the District suggested that since we are so small, not much politically is at stake. Or maybe its our location in the Bible Belt; here in the wild west we make friends because we are few in number. I’m not sure. But it is a gift, and one that I am increasingly thankful for.

Possibly Related posts:

1. What Happened at the District Convention
2. OK District Convention
3. Other Information from the Convention
4. Bullet Points Are All I Have Right Now
5. Blue Ribbon Task Force Report and Analysis Part Two