Perceptions of the LCMS Convention via the Camera Aperture

Perception is reality. What is Missouri showing the world about itself.

Watching the LCMS Convention from afar through the narrow aperture of a producer’s decisions; directing the camera work and the subjects in their focus, a general perception emerges. Here are some specific reflections, in no particular order, and knowing that a screen lacks full context. However, the livestreams and recordings are the very long tail: a permanent record of what took place and which outsiders will consume. The old saw would be good to heed: perception is reality.

1. Undue haste and expediency: the floor somehow congealed into a North Carolina banked oval racing mentality.

   1. Resolutions are being floored to the checkered flag without the driver even being buckled in.

   2. Amendments are generally declined, and there seems to be irritation that they are even attempted.

   3. Consent calendars are beloved, and it’s nearly impossible to extract items from them.

   4. Comparatively little time is devoted to serious topics compared with that devoted to pomp and circumstance, and the inertial balloting process.

   5. Overall, the floor seems to believe its job is to pass as many resolutions as possible.

   6. The convention-wide split of activity is about 41% admin and reporting-related items, 39% debate and resolution balloting, and 21% election voting.

   7. Overall, the heavy alignment of United List endorsements with the final election results, plus the easy passage of so many anodyne resolutions, gives the impression of an old Supreme Soviet.

2. Low-quality debate: nobody will accuse Missouri of being too cerebral based on the resolution debates. There is some expectation that a church body that prides itself on Biblical and Confessional fidelity might reflect that.

   1. It is surprising that so many pastors, with so much training of the mind and in the art of public speaking, seem unable to organize their thoughts and deliver concise, impactful amendments or arguments for and in opposition.

   2. Appeals to emotion and personal anecdotes have been notable, in common with the spirit of the age.

3. Aged slovenliness: still photos and video project convention delegates who are much older than the average American and even the average parishioner. One cause is that retired lay delegates don’t have to consume paid time off to attend the convention, so there is an inevitable skew toward older representatives. Whatever the objective reasons, the visuals communicate a very aged church body.

   1. Homeless chic: Phoenix is hot in summer, but the convention center is a beneficiary of that great American human right: air conditioning. Consequently, it is hard to understand why so many people have adopted the fashions of the nearly homeless. Men whose heavily gestated gut is imminent to shatter the buttons of a garish shirt, along with the many unkempt beards (which bring to mind Grizzly Adams, but without any aura), should not position themselves at a floor microphone.

4. Technical problems: stage participants repeatedly complained about not being able to hear. This is common in large convention halls with poor acoustic treatment, but it is just an AV engineering problem that is easily resolved.

5. Staging and set: the set was designed for the in-person floor and did not have sufficient attention to what the cameraman and broadcast elements require.

6. Balloting screens: as mentioned yesterday, the balloting process and screens are poorly designed and executed. It would be relatively inexpensive and simple to develop a highly automated process and display that also increases efficiency.

7. Venue: with roughly 1,400 attendees, the Convention can reset to smaller venues. If you add spouses, exhibitors, and sundry fellow travelers, the total load is, perhaps, 1,800 people. The time has arrived to place the remaining conventions in St. Louis to save time and money.

8. Foreign visitors: the number of A&P personnel was staggering, and the cost, presumably on the Synod’s dime, will not be trivial. This is Missouri’s Convention, and it is unclear why so much time and treasure has to be devoted to foreign church bodies when the domestic Synod’s parishes are in crisis.

9. Hard issue avoidance: the lack of discussion and debate about the Synod’s demographics and generalized parish financial crisis is very surprising, if not shocking.

10. Microphone hogs: There are several delegates who love the microphone and should not. It might be blamed on foot soldiers for the United List imposing the will of the bosses, but it seems to be some form of attention-seeking. It would be healthy to have a standing rule that each delegate only gets one opportunity to call a question or two for a parliamentary inquiry. Parliamentary inquiries that are ruled out of order should result in a ban for the rest of the Convention.

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Cover Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash