2019 Annual Ministry Impact Report
MILLIONS HEARD THE GOSPEL Because of You!
BY CHAD FIX
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
For the past 102 years, God has continually used Lutheran Hour Ministries to bring messages of hope to the downtrodden, the lonely, and the lost. Decade by decade, we have risen to the pressing challenges of the times to proclaim the Savior. Each milestone required a bold step of faith to share Jesus on a global scale. And now, more than ever, this mission is critical. Today, with billions of souls in danger of entering eternity apart from Christ, the need to go out into the world and grow, nurture, and expand the Body of Christ has never been greater. LHM will not rest until we proclaim the Gospel to as many of these souls as possible, in ways they can understand.
A YE AR IN R EVIE W How Your Gifts Helped LHM Share the Gospel in 2019 Lutheran Hour Ministries witnessed exciting progress in 2019 for each of the four strategic ministry priorities outlined in our comprehensive five-year strategic plan. Following are some of the ways in which LHM was abundantly blessed by God during the last year thanks to your generous support.
While the world has changed over the last century, the power of the laity remains strong today. Thanks to the sustained, generous support of faithful individuals like you, LHM reaches increasingly disengaged audiences as well as people who have never even heard about the love of Christ. On behalf of our entire staff, I’d like to thank you for your partnership in ministry, your prayers, and your financial support during the past year. Without you, we would not be able to share the Gospel with more than 135 million people around the world each week through a variety of culturally relevant outreach programs and resources. Your gifts, prayers, and volunteer involvement allow hurting people to find answers and relief in the Gospel. Please explore this year’s ministry impact
report to see just a few of the ways God is working through you. I hope you are humbled to see how God uses our talents and treasures to make His Gospel known. With your continued partnership, we can make an even greater difference in the lives of the lost and the hurting. I hope you will continue to join us in mission and ministry as we advance our efforts of Bringing Christ to the Nations— and the Nations to the Church. Thank you so much for your faithful support. I look forward to being with you in the mission field.
Your Partner in HIS Mission, KURT BUCHHOLZ PRESIDENT & CEO, LUTHERAN HOUR MINISTRIES
ENERGIZE, EQUIP, AND ENGAGE Laity for Outreach Our Spiritual Conversations Starter Kit provided thousands of individual Christians, groups, and congregations a one-stop solution for learning about our Spiritual Conversations in the Digital Age offerings produced from research conducted in partnership with Barna Group. The monograph published from this research was named the Resource of the Year for Evangelism by Outreach Magazine in its March/April 2019 issue. The acknowledgement by this widely respected Christian publication is a testimony to the timeliness of the research as well as its relevance to a wider Christian audience. After a successful year of resource development, presentations, and conversations around Spiritual Conversations, we released the monograph for our second year of partner research with Barna Group under the theme of Households of Faith. This research looked at Christian households in America and how the ever-changing household (the nuclear
family is not the norm anymore) interacts with the people under that roof and how faith is talked about and shared between household members. Our LHM Learn platform (lhm.org/learn) added several new outreach resources to its learning library to help individuals reach out with the love of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives. At any given time, around 2,000 active users are participating in the dozens of courses available under five categories: Christian Foundations, Cultural Concepts, Everyday Insights, Outreach Essentials, and Spiritual Reflections. Our successful Online Mission Trip transitioned to a new program called Gospel Adventures. The first year’s theme, Passport to Peru, offered an interactive website with videos, daily curriculum, theme music, and optional game and snack activities, all under an overarching biblical theme. Nearly 850 teachers, parents, and other educators registered for this year’s adventure—which means more than 35,000 elementary and middle school students saw firsthand how the Gospel is shared in another part of the world.
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GROW GOD’S KINGDOM Through Expanded Media Outreach
BRING THE GOSPEL to the Unreached Around the World
In addition to airing on more than 1,800 traditional radio stations throughout North America, The Lutheran Hour is also being heard today on new media platforms such as a mobile app, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Sirius XM satellite radio. As The Lutheran Hour entered its 87th broadcast season this past fall, we launched a sister podcast titled Speaking of Jesus. Each weekly podcast includes people from different walks of life, different stages of life, and different family backgrounds having real conversations about life, Jesus, and what He means to them. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, and Director of Christian Education Jessica Bordeleau, the podcast serves as an encouragement for listeners to invite Jesus into their everyday conversations. Responding to the needs of a growing Hispanic population in the United States that treasures relationships, community, and spiritual values that often clash with the more individualistic and secular American culture, LHM increased the frequency of our Sentido Latino podcast from biweekly to weekly. In addition to addressing the challenges Hispanics face when trying to adapt to a new culture, the podcast connects listeners to LHM’s Gospel-based resources. We also relaunched our Para el Camino Spanish-language sermons as a weekly podcast with archived sermons alternating with new ones preached by Rev. Hector Hoppe. A companion website includes sermon notes, a downloadable PDF with in-depth thoughts about the Bible text, reflection points, and questions for personal and/or small group study.
Our partnership with SAT-7 PARS in the Persian language group allows a children’s program to be broadcast that is having an impact among families in Central Asia. The live program, Golpand, focuses on children ages 5-13 and teaches morals and values through games, educational videos, and drama. Outreach efforts in Kenya and Cameroon continue to expand through vocational training programs where LHM educates young women in a practical skill that helps them earn money to provide for their families. In addition to the training, women are introduced to the Gospel and enrolled in Bible Correspondence Courses to learn more about Jesus. Several ministries throughout Asia are distributing MP3 players as a successful way to share the Gospel. They are given to illiterate people who want to learn about the Gospel as well as people living in rural areas where there are often no churches nearby. In addition to biblical readings and hymns, the devices contain portions of Luther’s Catechism as well as questions that guide listeners to recall what they have heard. The goal is for recipients to not only expand their personal knowledge, but to use the devices for sharing the Gospel with friends and family. Work has begun to bring our Spiritual Conversations philosophy and approach to several LHM ministry centers around the world. Even though the development of the Spiritual Conversations materials was based off Barna Group’s study done in the United States, we have found that the approach is transferable to cultural contexts outside of North America. This project will provide new educational resources for ministry centers to supplement our evangelism training seminars.
ENGAGE COMMUNITIES in the Digital Mission Field In today’s digital age, people increasingly go online to learn, connect, and even build relationships. The online community of THRED continues to deepen relationships with nonChristians through digital means by offering open and honest conversations with people of different backgrounds about life, faith, and Jesus. A revamped website focusing more on videos than blog-centric content functions more like media websites that nonChristians frequently visit and is sparking conversations with receptive and
12 | The Lutheran Layman Winter 2020
seeking people. THRED video views on Facebook increased more than 120,000 from last year and the program now has now surpassed 10,000 followers. People from more than 40 countries are coming to our Spanish/Portuguese digital platform, Vivenciar.net, seeking spiritual help and direction while dealing with stress, anxiety, fear, loneliness, and many other life issues. The platform allows people to connect from anywhere at any time for interactions on pertinent topics. Nearly 325,000 people visited the site for the first time this past year. Our staff in Kazakhstan has taken content from THRED and launched THRED.asia to connect with people in Central Asia who are looking for guidance on topical issues such as marriage, family, loneliness, relationships, and more. Although this site mirrors much of North America’s content, the information has been translated into
Russian through local authors so it is culturally relevant to the areas where it is being accessed. Social media outreach in the Middle East and North Africa continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In the past year, millions of messages have reached tens of millions of people, and nearly 500,000 people from more than 15 countries in the region now follow one of our prominent outreach pages.
BY THE NUMBERS
75,000
1,800 North American Stations Airing The Lutheran Hour®
LCMS/LCC Churches Using LHM Resources
ist t o t h e r h C Na g in
B ri
h
®
rc
t
he
hu
d
Annual Referrals to Churches and Christian Communities
Countries Reached by Ministry
ns
an
57,996
50+
ti o
ng
316 Staff Members Worldwide
4,500+
Supporters
Na
tio n s t o
C e th
94,614 People Trained in Evangelism Last Year
807,303
136 million
Annual Responses to Outreach Efforts
People Reached with the Gospel Globally Every Week The Lutheran Layman Winter 2020 | 13
9% - ADMINISTRATION
17% - FUND DEVELOPMENT
5% - TENANT RENT
LHM Board of Directors (As of Dec. 2019)
Chairman
Secretary
Vice Chairman
Treasurer
Phillip Johnson Lonsdale, Minnesota
Consolidated Operating
Consolidated Operating
Expenses
S
U 95
% - DONO
R
International Lutheran Laymen’s League and Subsidiaries Consolidating Statement of Activities (in thousands) Year ended May 31, 2019, with comparative totals for 2018 OPERATING SUPPORT AND REVENUE
INT’L LUTHERAN LAYMEN’S LEAGUE
LHM FOUNDATION
2019 CONSOLIDATED TOTALS
2018 CONSOLIDATED TOTALS
$27,994 1,427 232 29,653
$1,575 (280) 1,295
$29,569 1,427 (48) 30,948
$31,038 1,369 2,247 34,654
Donor support Building tenant rent Other income, net Operating income
OPERATING EXPENSES Ministries 23,842 Building tenant services 975 Administration and Fundraising 8,852 Operating Expenses 33,669
81 81
23,842 975 8,933 33,750
24,021 877 7,559 32,457
(4,016)
1,214
(2,802)
2,197
Endowment and other fund distributions
1,510
(1,510)
-
-
Change in Net Assets
(2,506)
(296)
(2,802)
2,197
Net Assets, Beginning of Year 30,121 Net Assets, End of Year $27,615
18,584 $18,288
48,705 $45,903
46,508 $48,705
Operating Income in Excess of Expenses
Lutheran Hour Ministries is the registered d/b/a name for the International Lutheran Laymen’s League. A copy of the full audit report is available online at lhm.org/report.
The LHM Board of Directors and The Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation want to thank you for being part of the LHM family in 2019. The work that we are blessed to do is only possible because of God’s grace and the tens of thousands of passionate lay members and volunteers who partner with this ministry every day. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we work to discern and follow the Lord’s guidance for LHM. 14 | The Lutheran Layman Winter 2020
Jack Ficken Fairview, Tennessee
T OR
I 71 % - M
Directors
PP
RY
S NI
T
3% TENANT SERVICES
Income
Gene Partlow Williamsburg, Virginia
Janice Wendorf Neenah, Wisconsin
Richard "Dick" Gast Canyon Lake, California
Robert “Bob” Rauscher Scottsdale, Arizona
Gretchen Jameson Muskego, Wisconsin
Edith Schoepp Onoway, Alberta, Canada
Jonathan Laabs Roselle, Illinois
Kurt Senske Austin, Texas
Michael “Mick” Onnen Stanton, Nebraska
Karen Soeken Ellicott City, Maryland
Leonard Pranschke St. Louis, Missouri
Douglas Werth Arrington, Tennessee
The Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation (As of Dec. 2019)
Officers
Phil Daniels Chairman Chesterfield, Missouri
Loren Podoll Secretary Riverton, Wyoming
Brian Mitchell Vice Chairman Lee’s Summit, Missouri
David Lanius Treasurer St. Louis, Missouri
Jeffrey Craig-Meyer President St. Louis, Missouri
Lois Engfehr Assistant Secretary Collinsville, Illinois
Rev. Jay DeBeir Vice President St. Louis, Missouri
Trustees
Kurt Buchholz LHM President & CEO Grant, Minnesota Glenn Gerber Katy, Texas Mercedes Hendricks Laguna Hills, California
John “Jack” Kidwell Bay City, Michigan Lee Kucker Oakdale, California David Leege Alexandria, Virginia Lloyd Probasco Lincoln, Nebraska
Scott Homan St. Louis, Missouri
Lynn Scudieri Naples, Florida
Phillip Johnson Int’l LLL Chairman of the Board Lonsdale, Minnesota
Jane Wittlinger Longboat Key, Florida
Kelly Keithly Yuma, Arizona
Douglas Werth Board of Directors Representative Arrington, Tennessee