The Lutheran Layman

THE

LUTHERAN L AYMAN Your Partner in HIS Mission!

November - December 2013

Facing Challenges of The Post-Christian World

T

by Robert Newton

he Post-Christian world presents incredible challenges for the lives and ministries of Christians and their churches, too many to mention in this brief article. Along with the challenges, however, come great opportunities for Gospel outreach. (see page 3)

Virtual Outreach Experience to Kenya

Dad and Daughter Enthused about Volunteering

Reaching ‘Disengaged’ Young Adults

page 6

pages 10-11

pages 14-16

speakingup Work Their Worldview!

by Rev. Gregory Seltz Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

O

ne of the best ways to build a bridge for effective witnessing is not only to seek to know people’s “core issues” (their worldview; the beliefs and actions that they try to adhere to for life to “hold together”), but to strive to really understand how those beliefs and actions work in their lives. It’s important to see how people put them to use and why. Such curiosity, done in a loving, caring way, will be helpful in your conversation towards the Good News of Jesus for those you care about.

How? By “working their worldview,” that’s how.

Let me explain. Remember, the Bible says that there are in essence Two Words from God concerning life and salvation, the Law and the Gospel. Both are God’s Word, both are holy, but they function differently in our lives because we are sinful people.

Paul says in Rom. 3:20-21: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.”

The Law shows us our sin and the Gospel literally forgives our sin and provides a righteousness from God that is a gift of His grace for all who believe.

Paul also says, in 2 Cor. 3:16: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” And Jesus Himself talks about the way of life and salvation saying in John 6:63, “The Spirit gives

L AYMAN

life; the flesh (our sinful flesh) counts for nothing.

The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”

When you know how the Word works, namely that the Law ultimately kills and the Gospel makes alive, then you can confidently be a neighbor to someone by working their worldview for their sake. Everyone has a worldview, a set of rules or truths that help them sort through the challenges of life. All such things, outside of the gracious person and work of Jesus, are under the Law —and the Law exposes sin, kills false initiative and makes people question their control of the situation.

When you work a person’s worldview, you lovingly involve yourself in their lives, you humbly learn what is important to them, what holds them, and you know that if that worldview is anything except the Gospel of Jesus, it won’t hold.

Come alongside people. Ask them how things are going. Ask them how they’re coping. Be a real friend to them, one who also struggles to keep things together, yet knows that only knowing Jesus by faith is the key to life now and forever.

Work their worldview. Allow the Law, and all things under the Law, to do their work, showing people that (just like you) they need a Savior. Have a conversation with your friends and neighbors because you love them, you’re listening to them, but you also know personally in your life, that nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ can ultimately hold.

“How are things holding together?” Such a question should eventually lead to the much larger question, “Wouldn’t you like to know about Jesus—the One who can hold you, just like He does me?” God bless your witness! n

The Lutheran

Vol. 84, No. 6 November-December 2013

Gerald Perschbacher (LL.D.), Editor • Denis Kloppenburg, Layout Subscription: $5. Printed bi-monthly. Send color photos for use. Photos sent to the paper may not be returned. Lutheran Hour Ministries, The Lutheran Hour, Bringing Christ to the Nations, BCTN, By Kids...For Kids, JCPlayZone, Life...revised, Living for Tomorrow, This is the Life, On Main Street, Ayer, Hoy y Siempre, Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones, Esta Es La Vida, Para el Camino, Woman to Woman, Family Time, Teacher to Teacher, Reaching Out and The Hoffmann Society are registered marks, or SM service marks. The Puzzle Club is a service mark and trademark of Int’l LLL. Copyright 2013, Int’l LLL

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Bringing Christ to the Nations — and the Nations to the Church

2 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Life is a ‘Gamble’ A former boxer is credited with saying that “Life is a gamble.” He added that difficult things happen every day to people who did not expect them. The point is that you can never know what will happen next in life, so you might as well live expecting good things.

Prudent people would probably feel more comfortable with a saying like, “Expect something good, but be prepared for something bad.” There’s nothing wrong with thinking ahead and preparing for the future. Most would agree that not doing so is foolish. In Luke 14:28-32, Jesus talks about sitting down and considering your options and actions before moving forward with decisions.

An option that can be beneficial for many people is to establish a charitable gift annuity. Charitable gift annuities allow an individual to make a gift of some asset – cash, stocks, property, etc.

– to a charity of their choice. That charity in return gives them fixed payments for life based on a number of factors, including their age, the amount they chose to give and the payment rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA).

Charitable Gift Annuity Rates* (Based on One Life, $10,000)

AGE

Annual Annuity Rate

Annual Payment

Charitable Deduction

69

5.0%

$500

$3,988

72

5.4%

$540

$4,239

75

5.8%

$580

$4,577

78

6.4%

$640

$4,813

81

7.0%

$700

$5,136

84

7.6%

$760

$5,522

87

8.2%

$820

$5,944

Lutheran Hour Ministries has a long and stable history of working with supporters to establish charitable gift annuities. These gifts benefit donors personally with options for guaranteed income and variable tax savings. The greatest satisfaction for donors comes through knowing that they are supporting this ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people around the world.

The reality for followers of Christ is that, as we plan for the future, we are always looking beyond to our eternity with the Father in heaven. While we await that eternity, we can make wise decisions here on earth. If you would like more information on how you can benefit God’s mission with a charitable gift annuity, please contact the Gift Planning department at 1-877-333-1963 or lhm-gift@lhm.org. n

Facing Challenges, from page 1 Making the most of these opportunities decrease affects the shift from a Pre-Churched to pends primarily upon our ministry approach and a Churched context. Ministry in a Churched Preapproach attitude to them. St. Paul exhorted context resides primarily within and proceeds PostChurched from local congregations. Furthermore, the the Christians in Ephesus, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, mak- Churched larger society accords the church significant ing the best use of the time, because the days are prestige, position, and influence in the comevil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand munity, including special privileges. Just as what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15the waxing of the church’s influence signals 17). In order to “make the best use of the time” the shift from a Pre-Churched to a Churched we need to understand better the Post-Christian ministry context, its waning indicates the shift context for ministry and how it impacts our roles from a Churched to a Post-Churched context. As Churched and procedure for proclaiming the Gospel. the church’s position and influence diminish our society begins to reflect the cultural characteristics of Defining “Post-Christian” a “Pre-Churched” world. We find ourselves no longer livWhat exactly is meant by the phrase “Post-Christian”? It does ing and serving in a church-influenced society, but rather, in a fullnot mean the demise of Christ’s Church or the gracious reign of our fledged mission field.

Lord Jesus Christ on earth (Revelation 5:10). Despite the raging of human rulers and nations against the Lord and His Church, Jesus Two Distinct Groups reigns over all things for all times (Psalm 2). Furthermore, we are Communities tend to divide into two distinct groups: Cultural Inassured that Jesus’ personal reign will continue unabated until His siders and Cultural Outsiders. They’re often portrayed as “haves and last enemy—death itself—has been destroyed (1 Corinthians 15). have nots,” or “advantaged and disadvantaged” referencing their Having restored God’s creation to its complete imperishable and ability to access the culture’s power, opportunities, and resources. glorious nature, our Savior will deliver the “Kingdom” to His Father. Christians in each ministry context will find themselves serving eiPost-Christian, then, does not mean the ther from the influential position of “cultural insiders” or from the end of the Gospel’s proclamation in position of “cultural outsiders”—“aliens and exiles” as St. Peter inthe world, but rather a profound de- forms his readers (1 Peter 2). Understanding the position that we crease of the institutional church’s hold in society greatly affects how we approach proclaiming the influential role in society—the Gospel in our world. role upon which we Christians Cultural insiders, in the inheavily depended in order to terest of preserving their way of proclaim the Gospel. Thus, this life and its advantages, “proCultural Insiders phenomenon is often referred to as tect” their cultural borders or PROTECT “Post-Christendom” or the phrase I boundaries from other peoBoundaries prefer, “Post-Churched.” ples and cultures that they beThe “Post-Churched” lieve are “alien” and, therefore, world is one of three potentially harmful to them. At the same time, Cultural Outsiders ministry contexts in cultural outsiders, in an effort to access the PERMEATE which we are called “insiders” cultural position, try to “permeate” Boundaries to proclaim the Good these cultural boundaries. Either they acculturNews: Pre-Churched, ate themselves to the insiders’ culture or they Churched, and also work hard to change the dominant culture to accommodate, or even Po s t- C h u r c h e d . We adopt, their way of life. associate Pre-Churched As the name Pre-Churched suggests, the church has not been ministry with mission work established and so the Gospel message precedes its presence and among people groups where proceeds into the culture without the benefit of its influence. (Conthe Gospel has not been sider the ministries of The Lutheran Hour in communities where proclaimed and, therefore, no Christian churches exist.) Having no local churches have not been identity, the institutional church established. As the Gospel prosNon-Christians are lacks credibility in the eyes of the pers among these people, churchdominant culture. Individual Cultural Insiders es are born and their influence Christians (missionaries) must in the society increases. That inbegin, then, as cultural outsiders and labor to permeate the boundaries Christian of the Non-Christian community in order to proclaim the message Missionary is a of Salvation. They strive to learn the insiders’ language and underCultural Outsider stand their worldview, always looking for cultural bridges that will (see page 4) The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 3

Facing Challenges, from page 3 enable the Gospel to permeate their world. Missionaries never forget that they are “foreign guests,” living and serving in the community by permission of those “in charge,” conducting their ministries without the aid of rights and benefits belonging to insiders.

Mission work might be best defined as “Christians proclaiming the Gospel in places and situations in which the church is not in charge.”

Past Progress Christians lived and served in a predominantly “Pre-Churched” world for three hundred years following our Lord’s ascension.

The Edict of Milan (313 A.D.) enabled Christianity to become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire and Christian Churches assumed a dominant position in the culture (cultural insiders).

At least for the Western world that cultural status remained in effect for the next 17 centuries. We still hear echoes of the Churched era even today when people refer to the United States as a Christian nation. Many Americans, especially following World War II, equated membership in a Christian Church with good citizenship. Communities decorated their public spaces for Christmas and businesses closed on Good Friday between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 PM in honor of our Lord’s suffering and death. Churches multiplied and grew while enjoying the respect and appreciation of their communities. Church membership was not only valued in America, it was culturally expected. 1 A Shift in the 1960s The cultural significance of civic religion shifted in the 1960s especially among young people. Protesting institutional authority in almost all of its forms, many rejected the dominant role that Christian churches and organized religion played in determining cultural values. The Post-Churched era was upon us.

Different from the other two, the Post-Churched era finds both Christians (churched) and Non-Christians (unchurched) assuming that they are, or rightfully should be, the cultural insiders.

Christians are Communities around our churches become increasingly unchurched, more Cultural Outsiders and more reflecting the “pre-churched” context of ministry (Non-Christians are cultural insiders; Christians are cultural outsiders.) At the same time, our churches continue to minister with the assumptions of a Non-Christians are “churched” society or context (Christians are cultural insiders; Non-ChrisCultural Insiders tians are cultural outsiders.) Viewing the other as threatening to its best interests, each group focuses on protecting its own boundary. Neither group desires to engage the other or permeate the other’s world. Therein lies the heart of the Post- Churched or Post-Christian challenges: Boundaries prevail. Three contributing challenges particularly stand out: Fear, grief, and uncertainty.

Fear arises with the growing reality that the Christian church is besieged by significant cultural and social forces in our commu1

Robert Putnam and David Campbell in their book, American Grace, noted, “It was not just private fervor that brought people to church in postwar America. At least as important was social pressure….For many of the families now packing the pews, religious attendance was less an act of piety than an act of civic duty, like joining the PTA or Rotary” (American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. 2010, 87).

4 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

nities. Reflecting on the recent case before the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the defense of traditional marriage (DOMA), Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod President Matthew Harrison apprised us of this mounting hostility: “No matter how the court rules, the fight has just begun….What’s at stake is our First Amendment right to the free exercise of our religious conviction in the way we act in society. As the same-sex marriage train gains steam, we find ourselves increasingly under attack, our social ministry agencies are forced to either capitulate to the state or lose funding and even licenses. All opposed to same-sex marriage for conscience grounds are and will increasingly be labeled bigots in line with slave-holders and those who were opposed to ending of legalized racism in this country.” 2 Fear of the World The world’s antagonism toward God’s Word presents a great challenge to the church’s evangelistic task. A greater challenge, however, grows out of our own fear of the world. Our fear tempts us to become defensive and as such to retreat from the world, fortify our ecclesiastical “boundaries,” and consolidate the proclamation of the Gospel into the hands of the professional ministry, believing that only the ordained pastor is sufficiently prepared to enter the fray. We must resist this temptation, taking to heart our Lord’s promise: “I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). St. Peter encouraged the besieged Christians of his own day by reminding them that they were elect (chosen) by God Himself to live as “aliens and exiles” in the midst of a hostile world. Like Daniel and this his friends, or Esther and her uncle—faithful lay men and women exiled in Babylon—we have been specifically called by God to serve as “royal priests” to those who by nature are enemies of the Truth in order that we “may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (see 1 Peter 1 and 2).

Grief tag-teams with fear to further immobilize us from engaging our communities.

For those who hold little appreciation for the Christian Church and, perhaps, harbor deep seated hurt or anger against it, the Post-Churched era heralds a new day of human freedom and opportunity. For Christians, however, the phrase breaks our hearts. We grieve the lost influence the Christian faith and church once exercised in our society and the intentional loss of memory and gratitude exhibited by our public leaders for the contributions made by Christians in society, economics, education, science, medicine, law, and the arts. We do not weep alone. A recent study on religion in America noted that 66% of the general public in the United States believe that religion is losing its influence on American life and the great majority of those people (74%) lament its loss as a bad thing. 3 2 3

The Lutheran Witness. Vol. 132, #5. May, 2013, p.1 “Nones” on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation.

Pew Research Center, Washington, D. C. October, 2012. p.25.

We grieve this loss as much for the sake of those who seem to welcome a “Post-Christian” world (or those who couldn’t care less) as we do for ourselves. They do not comprehend that a world devoid of Christian influence invites tragedy both in this life and the next. What human innovation will fill the vacuum? We Christians maintain that humankind left to itself will self destruct. This predicament moved our Lord to enter our broken world and to provide a sure escape through His death on the cross. His death, resurrection, and free offer of forgiveness are the sum and substance of the Christian faith. Essential to our presence on earth is proclaiming God’s Good News of restoration and new life for all through faith in Jesus Christ. Post-Christian essentially means that humankind has outgrown God’s role in this world and His remedy for its terminal illness (at least it believes that it has). That, too, spells great challenge for the Christian church. How do we share the Gospel with a world that is apathetic at best and even hostile to our presence and message?

In response the Lord promised two things. First, He promised that He would remain with them (Matthew 28:20) bestowing on them His Spirit (Acts 2:4). His Spirit would lead them into all Truth and provide all that they would need in order to speak His Name with all boldness (Acts 4) regardless of context or circumstance. Secondly, He promised that they would be His witnesses, not huddled in Jerusalem, but scattered throughout Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Far from the historic “diaspora” they so feared and grieved, He would scatter them in the power of His own resurrection (Acts 8), a holy sowing of the sons and daughters of His Kingdom (Matthew 13) in the weed-filled world. There they would bear much fruit and so prove that they are His disciples. As they were led by the Spirit to place their confidence and trust in the resurrected Lord rather than in their mortal selves, their Our “grief” is Killing Churches human uncertainty became less an Keith Anderson, a Lutheran pastor in Massachusetts, wisely obstacle and more an opportunity for warned his people that our grief more than anti-Christian cultural true faith to flourish in devotion to His forces is responsible for “killing” our churches. Grief over our lost Word, prayer, and sacrificial service to past blinds us to present opportunities. “The problem is that while the nations. the church grieves the death of this post [World War II] culture, Gen Like those first disciples, we overX and Millennial Culture are quickly passing us by. In our grief for come our uncertainty by dying to a culture we knew and loved, we are missing the ones that are right ourselves. Jesus instructed them, before...us. Worse, the way we express our grief makes it sound to “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless these folks as if their cultures—their passions, concerns, a grain of wheat ways of relating and communicating—are just tattered falls into the earth our grief and dies, it remains remnants of what used to be this once great and glomore than alone; but if it dies, rious culture.” 4 He recommends that despite it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). What dies in a seed our grief, we need to “engage the culture antiso that it morphs from a single grain to a fruit bearing on its own terms.” In order to do that Christian plant? Surely not the seed itself. If it did the seed would we must fortify ourselves, not with cultural become worthless. What must die is the seed’s husk or thicker walls, but with the Gospel’s shell, its protective boundary. While the shell or skin promises, so that we “may not forces is of a seed remains intact, the seed may survive forever. grieve as others do who have no responsible (Seeds found in Egypt’s tombs have survived for over hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Paul reminds his readers that for “killing” 4,000 years!) But in all that time they remained single but not fruitful. The first (and also the eswe have a sure hope anour churches seeds—alive, chored in the resurrection of sential) step in becoming fruitful is to break open its our Lord. This hope enlivshell so that its life’s energy can go to work. ens us to look forward to and embrace The same can be said for our churches. As long as our priority the ministry that lies ahead of us in is survival, we will focus on protecting ourselves—be it traditions, Him. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be financial assets, buildings, ethnic makeup, etc. And as long as our steadfast, immovable, always abound- focus is preservation, we cannot reproduce. In Jesus’ words, we ing in the work of the Lord, knowing will remain a single seed. The life giving Gospel, which by its very that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” nature produces much fruit, will remain sealed off from the world (1 Corinthians 15:58). to which God sent it (John 3:16-17). God forbid! Now as it was Finally, we face the challenge of our then, our human anxiety which gives rise to the need to protect own uncertainty. We felt more competent ourselves remains the greatest of the Post-Churched challenges to and confident to “lead the Gospel charge” the Gospel’s spread. Our Lord comes to assure us in the midst of into our world when we thought that we were great uncertainty with the same words He spoke to our father in “in charge” of that world. Now that we’re not faith, “Fear not Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” in charge we’re at a loss as to what to do. Jesus’ (Genesis 15:1). He who does not change is more than up for the disciples were caught in the same dilemma. They Post-Churched challenges we face. n couldn’t imagine Christ’s Kingdom on earth without Israel (and Jerusalem) sitting at the center: “Lord, will You Rev. Dr. Robert D. Newton is president of the California/Nevada/ Hawaii District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and is at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). based in Livermore, California.

4 “The Culture isn’t killing the Church. Our Grief is.” Leading Ideas. August 17, 2011.

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 5

LHM’s Online Mission Trip to Kenya will show North American students how Lutheran Hour Ministries—Kenya reaches families through its Christ-centered activities for children.

What’s so interesting? In this scene from one of the Online Mission Trip to Kenya videos, school children watch a drama presented by a group of students who are also LHM—Kenya volunteers.

A small sign on a Nairobi street points the way to the LHM—Kenya ministry center. This is where the Online Mission Trip adventure begins!

6 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

L

A Virtual Outreach Experience: Online Mission Trip to Kenya!

utheran schools are getting ready. In early 2014, Lutheran school students across North America will join Lutheran Hour Ministries on an African adventure. Some good news: there will be no bags to pack, no passports or visas to apply for. More Good News: because of this adventure, people on the other side of the world will hear the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

How? This adventure is LHM’s 2014 Online Mission Trip to Kenya!

Since Lutheran Hour Ministries introduced its annual Online Mission Trip in 2012 with a virtual trek to Paraguay, about 21,000 Lutheran school children have learned about—and joined in supporting—LHM’s outreach work outside North America. This year, through the use of pre-recorded and live streaming video presentations, schools will learn about the East African nation of Kenya and about the many ways the Lutheran Hour Ministries center there shares the love of Jesus through education, everyday witness and holistic care for children, families and individuals.

Lutheran Hour Ministries’ 2014 Online Mission Trip to Kenya will be held during National Lutheran Schools Week, January 27-30, from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Students will meet co-hosts Eric Gates, Lutheran Hour Ministries’ regional director for Africa and the Middle East, and John Maina, director for the Lutheran Hour Ministries—Kenya ministry center. Through video and live interaction, Eric and John will present both the culture of Kenya and LHM’s work there; students at participating schools will have opportunities to ask them questions via live chat. Each school that participates will be encouraged to support Lutheran Hour Ministries—Kenya with its chapel offerings.

Registration for Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Online Mission Trip to Kenya is free. Your school can sign up right now to be a part of this virtual mission adventure! Visit www.lhm.org/onlinemissiontrips to learn more. n

Float Riders Reflect the Theme

LHM Golf Tournament in Florida

The theme for the 2014 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade is “Dreams Come True” and the LHM Float theme is President Matthew Harrison “Jesus Welcomes All.” and wife Kathy 2014 marks our 64th year of participation and the float continues to be the only Christian one in the world’s most famous media event. The float is a project of the Southern California District LLL and is supported by various LLL contributors.

One dream that can come true is that all tribes and nations will come to know Christ as Lord. (By the grace of God, there is salvation for all who believe—Rom.1:16.) To depict the “nations,” float riders will include LCMS President Matthew Harrison and wife Kathy plus LHM’s Gunya NaThalang (regional director for Asia), Berhanu Moges (LHM – Ethiopia director) and Lisa Carreon (LHM Float Committee member). n

On February 21-23, Lutheran Hour Ministries will host the Men’s NetWork World Golf Championship at Mission Inn Resort & Club, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Golfers far and wide are invited for three days of friendly golf competition, fellowship, and Bible study with Rev. Gregory Seltz, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour, and Bruce Wurdeman, who has had years of service as executive director of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Early bird pricing for those booking by December 15 is $600 for golf and a three-night stay (double occupancy) or $800 (single occupancy). For those not needing accommodations, the cost is $400. For those booking after December 15, the cost is $700 for golf and a three-night stay (double occupancy) and $900 (single occupancy). For those not needing accommodations, the cost is $500. Each golfer (whether booking resort accommodations or not) gets breakfast and lunch all three days, with dinners included on Friday and Saturday. Eighteen holes of golf are included each day, and additional rounds can be purchased for the exceptional rate of $25.

The closest airport is Orlando International Airport, but there are numerous smaller airports in the vicinity, if you’re flying your own plane. Transportation costs from the airport to the resort are not included in the above pricing.

Over the weekend, there will be three different golf formats.

Friday is the Team Tournament. For this, golfers can bring their own four-man team, or the Men’s NetWork can create a team. Each man will play his ball, and the best team will be crowned “Men’s NetWork World Champion.”

On Saturday the competition will be a Flamingo Shamble. Here men will be assigned to teams based on their scores on Friday. The winning team will be the one with the best flamingo ball score.

On Sunday a regular Scramble will close out the tournament. Here teams will be formed based on each player’s individual scores from Saturday.

To find out more about this opportunity to beat the winter blues, be sure to visit www.lhmmen.com and click on www.lhmmen.com/golftournament. n

! a y n e K Online Mission Trip to

Jan uary 27-30, 2014 1:00-1:30 p.m. (central time)

Help Lutheran students experience rural outreach in Kenya from the classroom.

Learn more at www.lhm.org/onlinemissiontrips.

Register ay!

Tod

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 7

Radio is a Powerful Tool in Africa

by Eric Gates

Deep in the tropical forests of southeast Liberia, Elder Kulee Slebo is alone in the night. By the faint light of his lantern he studies God’s Word, provided to him by Lutheran Hour Ministries—Liberia. Slebo spends his days exploring the forests, trying to identify suitable quality trees for a wood exporter.

One program that Lutheran Hour Ministries—Madagascar broadcasts in the three cities of Antananarivo, Toamasina and Antsirabe is “Listen to His Voice,” on which youth and ministry leaders discuss issues of moral and spiritual education.

It is estimated that over 90 percent of Africans have access to radio, making it the continent’s dominant form of mass communication. LHM supports evangelism outreach in ten countries in Africa. In eight, LHM uses radio as a powerful means of spreading the Gospel in an expanding effort.

LHM’s Beirut-based Arabic-language radio program was reinitiated on Reformation Day, October 31, 2011. Since then the Middle East has seen unprecedented turmoil and revolution. LHM’s program has brought the unwavering message of God’s love and His plan to listeners in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. This resulted in several thousand responses. The program has especially been well received by refugees or politically oppressed listeners in Syria and Egypt.

This year in Liberia LHM launched a new radio program together with a new ministry center.

The program first aired on June 1 from the national radio station in Monrovia and is broadcast nationwide. Elder Slebo, whose story we told at the outset of this article, is just one of several hundred people who responded by registering for Bible Correspondence Course.

8 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

In Madagascar, LHM has tripled radio broadcasting over the past two years! Radio is inexpensive (costing as little as U.S. $25 per 30-minute slot). Programming now is heard in the coastal city of Toamasina (population: 135,000) and in the third largest city (Antananarivo: 180,000). Strong relationships with many congregations of the Malagasy Lutheran Church allow LHM to connect people to nearby faith communities.

The Malagasy Lutheran Church is passionate about reaching out with the love of Jesus.

And in the nation of Malawi, July saw the launch of a completely new weekly radio program, “Growing in Faith.” This 30-minute program airs in the local Chichewa language in Lilongwe, a city of nearly 700,000.

Malawi is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. Since Islam is on the rise in Malawi, people need to hear the message of hope and redemption in Christ.

In Malawi LHM broadcasts are aimed at the young urban population, and social challenges such as drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, and family breakups. The program offers youth a Biblical perspective on engaging with elders and coping with the loss of family members.

When Elder Slebo visited the Liberia ministry center in Monrovia, he was on his way to the heart of the jungle on a month-long quest for trees to export. He had one reason for stopping: to ask for copies of some upcoming Bible Correspondence Course lessons to work on during his journey! Now in the dim light of a lantern, he is learning about Jesus Christ.

You can learn more by checking www.lhm.org/international. n

Running with the Rev.!

Eighteen runners joined Rev. Gregory Seltz, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, for “Run with the Rev.” at the MO’ Cowbell Half-Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri, Oct. 6. This event allowed individuals to connect with Rev. Seltz and other Christian runners and walkers in training for the half-marathon (13.1 miles). The goal of the 12-week training program was to get the team ready physically, emotionally and spiritually for the day of the race. Check out the team’s Facebook page soon at www.facebook.com/gregory.seltz.9.

Sign Up for an International Volunteer Trip!

Ready to step outside your comfort zone? Ready to put your faith into action so others can experience the love of Jesus in their lives?

Now is a great time. Lutheran Hour Ministries is offering a variety of International Volunteer Trips on four continents! Your team could help lead an English-language workshop in Indonesia or Russia... help build houses in Vietnam or a multipurpose community hall in Nicaragua or Malawi... help meet a community’s health needs through a mobile medical clinic in Cambodia or an eyeglass clinic in Paraguay—and this is just a sample of the hands-on outreach opportunities available to you.

Interested? Visit www.lhm.org/teams to browse our full list of projects and learn more about Lutheran Hour Ministries International Volunteer Trips. Talk to others in your congregation who have a heart for hands-on outreach and relationship-building.

Then call or email Chris Myers at Lutheran Hour Ministries (800944-3450, Ext. 4268, christine.myers@lhm.org) to get your International Volunteer Trip adventure underway.

Lutheran Hour Ministries International Volunteer Trips are part of LHM’s International Ministries Partnership program, which offers a variety of ways you or your congregation can customize your involvement in international Gospel outreach. You can also partner with a ministry center through financial support and regular prayer and interaction.

Visit www.lhm.org/partner for details. n Washington State University student Curyn Lenz made lots of young friends when she helped lead VBS activities on her group’s trip to Guatemala.

Regina Fair Goers ‘Grab the Gospel’

Shift change at the Regina Ex: (from left) Dorothy Hollinger (Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina); Adeline Statz (Prince of Peace); Garry & Betty Jackson (Good Shepherd)

Thirty-five volunteers from the Wascana Zone Lutheran Laymen’s League witnessed to fair goers at the Regina Ex (exhibition center) this past summer in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Under the banner “Lutheran Hour Ministries” and “Abundant Living,” Christ centered materials, Bibles, and New Testaments were given to interested fairgoers.

People with issues stopped to talk, asked for prayers, and picked up materials to help their situations.

A variety of about 20 Project Connect topical booklets were displayed as free items. The most requested booklets dealt with depression, stress, angels, why bad things happen, death, reasons to believe, and how to pray when you don’t know what to say. Bibles, New Testaments and Children’s prayer booklets were also requested by different age groups.

If people requested a Bible or New Testament the booklet titled “The Bible: What? When? Why?” was offered and well received. JC PlayZone bookmarks along with Man Cards promoting the LHM Men’s NetWork were good conversation starters.

A lady working with foster children and a counselor wanted materials with a Christian perspective.

The materials displayed were exactly what they wanted.

“The last number of years Saskatchewan has become a much more multi-cultural society,” reports Ed Tiefenbach, who is very active in his LLL zone. “Our volunteers noticed this trend at the fair as well—and these cultures appeared to be more interested in the handout materials.

Our volunteers feel it is important that our church become more visible in our communities. People stopped by just to thank Lutheran Hour Ministries for being at the fair and for doing this outreach.”

The Wascana Zone Lutheran Laymen’s League is thankful for those who support this outreach and appreciates prayers for the visitors who were touched by the love of Christ. n

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 9

Q&A

Dad & Daughter Enthused About Volunteering Through LHM “A mission trip will ‘grow’ your faith.”

Chuck Drewett speaks from experience. In the past four years he has traveled to Guatemala on three Lutheran Hour Ministries International Volunteer Trips with a team from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson, Mo. Chuck’s daughter Valerie, 21, served as a digital marketing intern for LHM during the summer of 2013; she has accompanied him on two Volunteer Trips. In August, as she concluded her internship in St. Louis, Mo., The Lutheran Layman spoke with Chuck and Val about the challenges and joys of their volunteer experiences.

Part of the International Volunteer Trip experience that left an impression on Val Drewett was how eager the children they visited were to learn. “I think the kids get a lot out of the VBSs,” she says.

“They are so respectful and attentive.”

10 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

What did you do on your International Volunteer Trips?

Apart from a new home, a new ramp, and improved health for the children at the center you talked about, how did the people in these communities benefit from your visits?

Chuck: On my first trip with LHM, our team built a house for a lady who lived in the city of Gualán. Then we helped rebuild a concrete ramp that children at the Lutheran school in Gualán used to walk between the school’s buildings, which are built at different levels on a hillside; the previous ramp had been washed away by a storm.

Val: I worked at a place called “Hearts in Motion.”

This was a health center that would take in children who were malnourished, feed them, nurse them back to health, and then return them to their families. We also helped lead a vacation Bible school at a village near Gualán called Los Limones. On our second trip to Guatemala, I visited a government center that cares for children while their single mothers are at work.

Chuck: It’s not easy to put into words, but the people I worked with seemed to have a deeper sense of their own worth. If you were to interview them, they would probably say something like, “These people from the U.S. thought enough of us to raise money and take time out of their lives to come be with us.” Those of us who have gone more than once—well, the people in Gualán remember us! The lady we built the house for—we met her again on subsequent trips, and both times she told us how thankful she was for the home we helped provide...she got pretty tearful; it was very emotional.

Val: The kids are the same way! I met one little boy on my first trip; when I went back, there he was—bigger now—and he recognized me and came right up to me. I think the kids get a lot out of VBS, too. They are so respectful and attentive—and always ready for the next thing you have to teach them.

So would you say that relationships are where a lot of the benefits are?

Chuck: Yes, and not just between the team and the community we served. The relationships we built together within our group strengthened us both as a team and as individual followers of Christ.

Val: Right—the experience really allowed some of our team members to open up and express our faith and our personal impressions. We saw a whole new side of a team member who was moved one day to lead a prayer in front of a group—something he doesn’t ordinarily do “back home.”

Chuck: Then there’s the idea of “team” itself. In reality, our mission team was our whole congregation—those of us who went but also those who helped raise funds, those who donated, those who prayed for us…. These mission trip projects bring our church community together. We grow in faith together.

Val, front row, center, and Chuck, back row, third from right, pose with their team in Gualán.

the “right path.” And it has been especially great for me personally. While I was in Guatemala in 2011, I met Bruce Wurdeman, who had also come to visit the ministry center there—and he encouraged me to look into intern opportunities with LHM in St. Louis.

And here you are.

Val: Here I am.

What would you tell somebody who is thinking about going on a Volunteer Trip for the first time?

What are the advantages of working with Lutheran Hour Ministries as your partner in volunteer mission service?

Chuck: LHM has done a great job of providing educational tools that helped us prepare for our trips. And the staff at the ministry center help guide us and keep us on task.

Val: LHM has been a good choice for us. Rebeca [Lutheran Hour Ministries—Guatemala Director Rebeca de Franco] is amazing—she is always making sure we are headed down

Val: The places where Lutheran Hour Ministries plans Volunteer Trips are where people need real help throughout the world. It’s a great opportunity.

Chuck: For me, the decision to go was a response to an urge...a calling—the Holy Spirit working inside me. Afterwards, I have always felt as if I’ve received more than I gave. Hey—if Chuck Drewett can do this, you can! Listen for the Spirit’s call.

Want to learn more about Lutheran Hour Ministries International Volunteer Trips? Visit www.lhm. org/teams or call 1-800-944-3450 (ext. 4268). n

R E H T E G O T SERVE ! !

N O I S S I M S IN GOD ’ Put your team into action through a short-term International Volunteer Trip.

Discover how God empowers you to make an extraordinary difference!

Learn how LHM, your partner in His mission, can help you answer the call to bring Christ to the nations.

Visit today!

WWW.LHM.ORG/TEAMS The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 11

n o i t u l o v e R d r i i h T s Five14 k r o Y w e N o t s r e t Minis T

he five14 Revolution took to the stage—and the streets—in New York on Saturday, October 5. Coming to The Stoop, a musical venue operated by the LCMS Church for All Nations, this third five14 Revolution featured musical artists QFYRE, An Epic No Less, and MYNISTA. This free performance drew nearly 100 people who listened to the music and message, interacted with LHM staff and volunteers, and were given the truth of the Gospel.

Musicians and performers played to a common theme: hope in Christ. Music, video and “live” drama from five14’s Jordan Reinwald and others emphasized the Good News of God’s love in His Son. While evangelism and outreach took place inside The Stoop, there were inroads made into people’s lives on the streets of New York as well.

“God did great things this weekend,” said David Haberer, pastor of Church For All Nations. “People from the neighborhood were spoken to outside. Some came in ... and heard the Gospel. I spoke with people who have walked by the church for years.”

Street service was a vital component of New York’s five14 Revolution, according to LHM’s Sarah Guldalian and Suzie Sallee, who assisted in managing the concert. The human needs were multiple and diverse. Homeless and hungry people were given encouragement and money for nourisment; people who were “down and out” were prayed for; chronic drug users shared how narcotics dominated

12 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Music and

their lives: “It’s like you’re standwords of ing with a road block between you Christ-centered and Him, and the barricade is liv- encouragement ing the life of dope,” one man said. were at the Another encounter was the chap heart of the recent five14 who felt compelled to take (i.e.

Revolution. steal) a small handbag from one of the five14 volunteers. This gentleman required some convincing, but he got it, saying how sorry he was for what he tried to do. He was told he only had to say it once, just like when we ask God to forgive us with a true heart; we don’t have to keep repeating ourselves. It’s done, over and forgotten.

MYNISTA, one of the evening’s performers, spoke and prayed with a homeless man from the Dominican Republic who offered a confession of faith after their prayer.

On Monday he checked himself into a 21-day rehab plan, requesting to meet with Pastor Haberer during treatment. The needs from the street far exceeded the capacity to meet them, but progress was made in people’s lives. MYNISTA put it this way: “Last night was a revolution via the revelation of The Word! Everyone got exactly what Thanks to Lutheran Hour Ministries, first-year semiwas needed. We’re going deeper. nary students at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort The Gospel is a revolutionary revWayne, Ind., recently received free copies of the book, elation that never stops revealing!

What Luther Says. Shown giving a book to a student is Jesus is Lord!”

Kurt Buchholz (at right), who was transitioning into For more information on five14, his new position as LHM executive director. A similar including all the cool resources, go event at the Seminary in St. Louis involved LHM staff members Bruce Wurdeman, Rev. Dr. Doug Rutt, and to www.whatsfive14.com. n

In Fort Wayne—

Rev. Dr. Mark Larson. For more on Buchholz, see next page.

onthemove

by Phil Krauss ll Chairman, Int’l LLL Board of Directors

“May You Live in Interesting Times.”

Many people think the above phrase is an ancient Chinese proverb. I discovered this pithy statement is not ancient (first recorded in 1936), nor a proverb (it’s actually a curse); and probably not Chinese (at least not in that form). Before I get sidetracked talking about etymology, let me say ancient or not, a proverb or not, Chinese or not, it is certainly true that we all live in interesting times. What makes our times so interesting? In my opinion it is CHANGE! It seems like everything around us is changing at an ever increasing frequency and rate.

For me, in the past 18 months, I have realized four new bosses, one new job, replacement of all of my TV technology, plus a child who married and another who has mostly moved out of the house due to college.

In my work for the International Lutheran Laymen’s League, I have seen my election to the International Lutheran Laymen’s League Board of Directors (BOD) as your vice-chairman, served as chairman of the Lutheran Hour Ministries Executive Director Search committee, and finally, as a result of the latter two, was appointed as chairman of the BOD. All this to say I have been asked to write a column for The Lutheran Layman as your new chairman of the board—and I want to speak for a moment about change.

We have seen significant changes of late in both LHM and the Int’l LLL. As a ministry, we have seen a renewed focus on outreach; take the Regional Outreach Conferences for example, and men’s issues (the Men’s NetWork). The Lutheran Hour is available in formats we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago—have you checked The Lutheran Hour app for your smart phone?—and a new Bible study was just added not too many weeks ago. Now, as touched upon above, the executive director who guided us through many of these changes is retiring and a new one takes the reins.

Change is causing us to say goodbye to Bruce Wurdeman with a certain sense of loss and trepidation even as we welcome Kurt Buchholz with nervous excitement. Change is leading to interesting times at LHM. As an organization we have a new governance system that is affecting us from the grass-roots to the BODs. Governors are “directors” now and instead of representing regions, these directors represent us all. Voting is done through the mail and over the internet, the conventions are now happening every other year (don’t miss Detroit next July!), and zones and districts are adapting to new purposes. Change is definitely leading us into interesting times.

Through the changes in our lives, both those specific to LLL/LHM and those that never seem to relent in our daily living, we can count on one constant. We can rely on the constancy of Jesus; He never changes, His love for us never changes, the salvation He bought for us with His precious blood is ever before us. As interesting as these times get, we

Change is leading to interesting times at LHM.

Phil Krauss ll Chairman, Int’l LLL Board of Directors

have the Lord’s Kingdom as our goal. In my most recent change, becoming your board chairman, I hope to serve you and the ministry well. I am interested in your opinions and can be emailed through www.lhm.org. n “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

Buchholz Installed as Executive Director

Retiring Executive Director Bruce Wurdeman (left) congratulates Kurt Buchholz on becoming Lutheran Hour Ministries’ chief administrative and executive staff member. Buchholz, who joined the LHM staff at the end of August to train alongside Wurdeman, was officially installed as LHM Executive Director on Oct. 30 during a special chapel service at LHM headquarters in St. Louis. Rev. Gregory Seltz, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, preached during the service and Rev. Dr. Ray Mirly, president of the Missouri District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod, conducted the installation ceremony.

Buchholz most recently was the vice president for special initiatives and executive director of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative for Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore, Maryland, after serving in a variety of leadership positions for LCMS World Mission. From July 2012 until August 2013 he served as chairman of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League’s Board of Directors, which governs LHM. He stepped from that position to accept the call to become Executive Director. n

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 13

Reaching ‘Disengaged’ Young Adults

by Gregory Fairow

S

“

uzie” (not her real name, but her story is real) moved hundreds of miles to attend a university whose student population was nine times the population of her hometown.

At that time I served as the campus pastor at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) chapel across the street from this university. My student leaders and I would have contacted Suzie, who was a member of her hometown LCMS church, to welcome her and invite her to join us, but no one told us about her.

Perhaps she would have chosen to join us without a personal invitation, but no one told her about the chapel.

Shortly after the start of her first semester, Suzie was sitting alone in the student union when a seemingly friendly male student approached her and started a conversation. He invited her to attend a Bible study with him. She accepted.

Several months later I was contacted

by Suzie’s parents and hometown pastor, who told me the young man’s initial invitation turned out to be the first of many steps that led her to become deeply involved with a cult.

Suzie had been convinced by cult members that her parents and pastor—and everyone else outside her new circle of friends—couldn’t be trusted, so she refused to meet with them.

14 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Her parents and pastor asked me to invite Suzie to meet with me. “If she won’t meet with you, why would she meet with me?” I wondered. But I pledged to do my best to help.

After trading a few emails with Suzie over the next few weeks, she finally agreed to meet with me. She openly acknowledged that her motivation was nothing more than to appease her father in order to get him off her back.

It was the most awkward conversation I’ve had as a campus pastor, and I’ve had lots of awkward conversations with lots of college students. Months later Suzie’s father told me she finally realized the group was a cult and she had left it.

He also said Suzie trusted no one and she wanted nothing to do with God. Several years have passed. I haven’t heard from Suzie or anyone else regarding her. But I often think of, and pray for her.

The Research

“You lost me.”

With those three words, the title of David Kinnaman’s 2011 book summarizes the significant disengagement of many young adults “from the church— and sometimes from Christianity altogether.”

“You lost me” doesn’t mean they’re not listening. It means they don’t understand what we’re saying. They see

Christianity as “hypocritical, judgmental, too political, and out of touch with reality,” said Kinnaman, who is president of the Barna Group, a private, nonpartisan research and resource company.

“You Lost Me signals their judgment that the institutional church has failed them,” he said. “Whether or not that conclusion is fair, it is true that the Christian community does not well understand the new and not-so-new concerns, struggles, and mindsets of young dropouts.”

Multiple studies reveal that teenagers are among the most active Christians, but a high percentage of them are no longer actively involved after high school — and twenty-somethings are significantly less likely than any other age group to attend religious services.

“Some never return,” said Kinnaman, “while others live indefinitely at the margins of the faith community, attempting to define their own spirituality.”

Kinnaman said teenagers’ activity doesn’t result in depth—their connection to the church is shallow, “having to do more with cultural identification than it does with deep faith,” and they “do not share the cultural identification of previous generations.”

Chad Lakies, assistant professor of theology at Concordia University Portland, where I serve as campus pastor, speaks of a new kind of faith emerging among American teenagers called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and its effect on young adults.

_______________________________________ What was most meaningful to you when you attended a campus ministry.

I appreciate your past campus ministry experience, I really do. I also have blessed memories of the positive impact that campus ministry had on me as a college student, and the Lord eventually used it to help lead me to seminary to prepare to be a pastor and to campus ministry to serve as a campus pastor. But even if you’re serving (as paid staff or a volunteer) the campus ministry you once attended, what worked then isn’t necessarily going to work now. The message—God’s Word—never changes. The culture has changed, however, and it impacts how to deliver the message.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is a term first popularized by Christian Smith in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Smith is lead researcher for National Study on Youth and Religion (NSYR).

This faith—which is more like a parasite that attaches itself to a religion—sees God as distant but benevolent, available when needed but not interfering; that is, it’s a deistic faith. The goal of life is to be happy, and happiness is attained by following rules, being good, not getting in trouble, etc.; that is, it’s a moralistic faith. Since the goal of life is happiness, calling upon God to intervene in times of trouble or need is therapeutic; that is, it’s a therapeutic faith.

“Moralism, then, is the assumed means of attaining the happiness that is life’s goal,” Lakies said. “Being a good person, it is believed, has positive consequences.”

Not only is Moral Therapeutic Deism false theology—Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33 ESV) and “if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23 ESV)—Smith said it’s handed down to America’s young people by their parents and other adults.

“The vast majority of the teenagers we interviewed, of whatever religion, said very plainly that they simply believe what they were raised to believe,” said Smith. “They are merely following in their family‘s footsteps—and that is perfectly fine with them.”

What works well at another campus ministry.

The students at the college you serve are different from the students at any other college.

And what leads students to attend another campus ministry, even if it’s next door to your campus ministry, isn’t necessarily what will lead students to attend the one you serve.

Attempting to copy another ministry may even drive away current members and other participants, including college students.

What young people are taught, therefore, is “that Christianity is not a big deal, that God requires little, and the church is a helpful social institution filled with nice people focused primarily on ‘folks like us,’” said Kenda Creasy Dean, one of the researchers involved in the NSYR. While pastors, parents, and other adults wouldn’t intend to communicate such a message, it is the What you and your leadership message teenagers and young adults are receiving. team want to do.

Even when theologically sound language is used, Unless you and your team can accurateit is often received simply as a message that helps ly speak for a larger group that includes the hearers cope with stress and otherwise feel better. ripe-for-harvest mission field, what interests It shouldn’t be surprising, therefore, to learn that you and your team may not interest others. the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and ______________________________________ Public Life reported in 2010 that Americans who are 18 to 29 years old are considerably less religious than With a passion for campus ministry and the older Americans, as nearly one-third of adults under best intentions, I admit that I tried all three strat30 have no religious affiliation. egies during my first six months as a campus pastor, and I quickly realized that they would never be fruitful. I have also watched helplessly as new What not to do Before offering any “what you can do” sugges- and existing campus ministries, ignoring my tions, let me dissuade you from attempting what advice, have failed while trying to use the same strategies. won’t work effectively.

These approaches may be good sources for First, parents, pastors, and other influential adults cannot assume that their young adults will attend ideas during a brainstorming session, but if the worship services, Bible studies, or any other minis- most compelling case you can make for one is try events or activities when they are away at college. “I liked it when I was a college student” or “this Long gone are the days when the church was the works well at…” or “it sounds good to us,” then spiritual and social hub for most Christian families. you most likely don’t have a viable idea.

Finally, and by far most important, don’t comEven students who were active church participants while in high school will be much less inclined to re- promise God’s Word, in word or deed. College students and other persons may turn away, permain active when they go to college.

Next, here are three “tried and failed” strategies haps for your lack of authenticity as much as your that campus ministries, including churches with beliefs, but God calls you to be faithful. see next page colleges in their communities, need to avoid.

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 15

yet. Meet them where they are—on campus—and start with activities that interest them.

Patience and persistence. It took time for your closest relationships to develop. Be willing to stick with it.

Finally, always keep in mind that God’s mission is, well, God’s mission. It’s our joy and privilege to be given opportunities to take part in His mission, but it never becomes our mission in the sense of total ownership.

‘Disengaged’, from page 15 What to do

Every campus ministry, college, and community is different. As such, each campus ministry needs to discover its own God-given plan. This includes gaining a clear understanding of the campus ministry, college, and community, and developing and implementing a viable ministry plan that faithfully serves all three. This takes time—possibly a year or more—and the process is ongoing.

There is no magic wand or silver bullet or one-size-fits-all ministry program. There are no shortcuts. It takes patience and persistence. But it’s worth it.

It includes getting to know leaders at your local college and asking them to identify, from their perspective, the college’s unmet needs. The list of leaders may include the president or chancellor, dean of students, registrar, directors of the counseling center, Americans who residence life, student are 18 to 29 organizations, international students, etc. years old are In addition, meet with considerably less leaders of other campus religious than ministries that serve older Americans, your local college— many will be happy to as nearly one- assist you, including third of adults introducing you to camunder 30 have pus leaders.

Compare the unmet no religious needs you uncover with affiliation. the gifts God has given your ministry to serve and look for places where they overlap. Seek persons at your ministry who demonstrate spiritual maturity and have a natural interest in serving college students to be a part of the leadership team.

This may include students, faculty, and staff at your local college, parents and grandparents of current college students, former campus ministry participants, recent college graduates, and others who desire to share Christ’s love on campus.

You don’t have to complete every strategic planning step before you start serving college students. Once you discover a ministry opportunity that aligns with 16 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Leadership team

your church’s giftedness and a motivated core team of servant leaders is identified, equip and empower that team to seize the opportunity.

Yes, this will require an investment of financial and other resources. But you may be surprised how little money it requires, and how willing people are to provide the financial support that is needed, when you have a compelling mission and vision, and a dedicated leadership team that’s willing to share them with others.

Throughout the process, here are essential components to emphasize: Relationships. College students crave meaningful relationships, yet they often feel very isolated.

Many of them want older adults to serve as their mentors. Love college students as God loves you. Invest more time with fewer students. Teach your leadership team and others to do the same.

Authenticity and transparency. Young adults are very good at spotting fakes, so be yourself. This includes confessing your sins then asking for forgiveness. Be willing to share your joys and sorrows.

Listen. College students have much to say, including the questions they ask, but they often don’t feel heard. Listen carefully. Ask questions for clarification, then continue to listen.

Servant leadership. Following Christ’s example, lead by serving. Teach everyone on the leadership team to do the same. Servant leadership eventually becomes contagious.

Teach content and application. The unique cultural challenges college students face make it more difficult to apply what they learn from Scripture. Dig deep as you teach the Bible’s fundamental truths and help students apply it in ways that are relevant to their lives.

Embrace skepticism. An overwhelming majority of the messages that bombard college students daily conflict with what the Bible teaches. Skepticism leads to questions, and questions open doors for God’s Truth.

Go on campus. Many college students aren’t willing to step inside a church building, at least not

I may never have another opportunity to tell Suzie about God’s love for her, but I trust that He will continue to provide others who will do so. I’ll strive to seek and seize the opportunities He gives me to share His love with college students today. I’ll also pause for a moment to pray for Suzie.

Rev. Greg Fairow is campus pastor at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. He had served in campus ministry in Wisconsin and currently directs Transforming Campus Ministries, a nonprofit corporation he helped form to “help others make Christ-followers on campus.”

Connecting with Young Adults Are you or your congregation looking for meaningful ways to reach young adults effectively?

For more information about starting a campus ministry at your church, or transforming an existing campus ministry, contact Pastor Greg Fairow, Transforming Campus Ministries executive director and Concordia University Portland campus pastor, at gfairow@cu-portland.edu.

Pastor Greg Fairow Fairow has equipped hundreds of LCMS church leaders from coast to coast to share God’s love on college and university campuses, and he is certified as a mission coach by the Synod’s Center for United States Missions.

You can learn more about Fairow and Transforming Campus Ministries at www.transformingcampusministries.org.

To find an LCMS campus ministry or to connect a college student with a campus ministry, go to www.lcms.org/lcmsu/findcampus. n

Save the Date:

Lutheran Hour Ministries Sunday is Feb. 2, 2014

‘Bully’ booklet is a Hit JCPlayZone’s The Bully has quickly become a hit with parents and kids. Released in mid-August, The Bully, a colorful, pocket-sized volume of rhymes that addresses bullying and how to respond to bullies, is quickly connecting with audiences around the country. The story follows David, a youngster who is badgered by Billy, a loud-mouthed classmate who is making David’s life unbearable. Distraught at his daily ordeal, David leans on God to give him strength and support when dealing with Billy. David even discovers how to pray for him.

“Unfortunately, everyone at one time or another has crossed paths with a bully,” says Suzie Sallee, the booklet’s author and coordinator of witness tools for LHM. “Our goal has been to tell the story of a youngster who is facing a bully, and how he can stop the threats and verbal abuse.”

With more than 40,000 copies ordered and shipped since introduction, “it tells us this is an important issue on the minds of many but, more importantly, that we need to keep in mind how Jesus wants us to deal with His children. It’s important little ones know to tell a grownup about a bad situation, but it’s also vitally important to keep praying for even those who don’t treat us well,” admits Sallee.

The booklet’s straightforward message is resonating.

Upon reading the booklet, many want to pass it along.

For instance, a Lutheran Laymen’s League member first encountered it at this year’s New York State Fair. Afterwards, he ordered 750 to distribute to various locations. A week later, he and his wife presented the booklet to their local Thrivent Financial for Lutherans chapter meeting.

The Thrivent rep, also impressed, called in a 50-copy order to pass along to other chapters in the area. Another individual took the booklet and shared it with a public school in his community.

Sadly, bullying and harassment are too prevalent in our society. Even so, this little booklet can help kids— and adults—engage in a conversation where both sides benefit. Be sure to check out this and all the other kidfriendly resources available on the JCPlayZone website: www.jcplayzone.com. n

We are SENT. At our baptism God called each of us to His mission to reach the lost. He is calling us—and sending us—still today, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ among our families, our neighbors, and all people everywhere.

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is SENT. Around the world, Lutheran Hour Ministries responds to God’s call by proclaiming the Gospel through The Lutheran Hour radio program and the work of ministry centers in more than 30 countries.

But LHM has also been sent to help you respond to God’s call. Our programs and resources can equip your congregation to witness effectively in your community—and equip you to reach the unreached in your family, your neighborhood and beyond.

Speak to your pastor now about celebrating Lutheran Hour Ministries Sunday in your congregation on February 2, 2014—or any Sunday of your pastor’s choice! You’ll discover how we can work together to spread the Gospel to every nation—and how to respond with confidence when God sends you to share the eternal hope you have with your friend or neighbor.

A promotional packet of LHM Sunday materials will arrive at churches through the mail in mid-to-late November. For more information, call 1-800-876-9880 or visit www.lhm.org/lhmsunday. n

Giving Tuesday is December 3 Giving Tuesday is a national movement to address the idea that in America we have days for getting deals – Black Friday, Cyber Monday – but we don’t have a day for giving back. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, nonprofits around the country are encouraging supporters to stand against this tide by making a gift to support an organization that is meaningful to them.

This day is not about budgets or campaigns;

it’s about remembering that giving is a joyful practice. When you give, you grow—closer to God and closer to humankind. Please consider a gift to Lutheran Hour Ministries on Giving Tuesday 2013. You can give through the following methods: Online: www.lhm.org/give; Mail: 660 Mason Ridge Center Dr., St. Louis, MO 63141; Phone: 1-877-333-1963. n

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 17

Christmas is just around the corner.

? y d a e r y b b Is your lo

What is Christmas?

What is Christmas?

affair t and cheery always the brigh for a family Christmas isn’t movies. Can it be merry or tion, and found in songs gh unemployment, aliena ch-Missouri struggling throu Written by Lutheran Chur conveys s?

Is Christmas?

What terminal illnes er, lt time of r Wayne Palm licated and difficu Synod Pasto can be a comp feelings, how this season es working through hurt death of a famili the oncoming the year. For onships—even strained relati tmas can be a trying time. loved one—Chris Christmas, from the first elf tural narrative man to Hims Providing Scrip has reconciled hope when ys how God us Palmer conve and how His love gives ers. The Son through His with family memb connections impossible re-establishing Christmas are often those ed love, best things about ime spent together, renew on—t brings. to put a price of our Savior joy the birth and the true are of Christmas ood memories hed time For many, childh lights, deep snow, and cheris passage the magical—bright ers. Sometimes, however, elusive, and with family memb memories distant and recapture to those s le make possib of time er it’s ering wheth leaves one wond tmas.

Chris the wonder of the reader this: Palmer asks ” Wherever the booklet, this Christmas? God’s Concluding elf yours find that “Where do you be, the reader is reminded t wound and that place migh can heal every Jesus Christ gift of love in onship. broken relati repair every

FREE with Star t-up Kit ORDER NOW! 660 Mason Ridge

6BE133

63141-8557 St. Louis, MO rg Center Dr. • • www.lhm.o 1-800-876-9880

18 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

As guests, friends, and family members visit your church this holiday season, let Project Connect topical booklets give them something to take home.

When you buy a Project Connect Start-up Kit for $250 (including shipping), you get 230 of our most popular booklets. What’s more you’ll receive 10 free copies of the booklet What is Christmas? and a copy of two Men’s NetWork Bible studies: The Real St. Nick: Leader, Legend or Lie and Joseph: Carpenter of Steel!

Go to our special ordering page at www.lhm.org/lobby and enter the code LMLOBB13 to receive this special offer.

Hurry, offer ends December 30th!

(includes shipping)

Bible Study Users Discover Lost Books

The DVD in-the-making!

Lost Books?—the latest Bible study from the LHM Men’s NetWork—has had a brisk boost in sales and usage since its release on August 13. More than 600 DVDs have been purchased and nearly 500 have been downloaded from the Men’s NetWork website at www. lhmmen.com. In addition to the discussion guide that accompanies the Bible study itself, more than 100 guides have been purchased, and nearly 1,000 have been downloaded.

Lost Books? deals with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of Scripture’s canonization, which is the process by which the books of the Old and New Testaments were determined to be God’s inspired Word. It explores the apocrypha, pseudepigrapha, and the Nag Hammadi codices. It considers texts like Pseudo-Matthew, the Protoevangelium of James, the Gospel of Judas, and the Gospel of Thomas. It puts forth the case as to why the 66 books of the Bible are considered the inerrant Word of God—a trustworthy cover-to-cover revelation from God to man.

“The content of Lost Books? taps into a deep-running interest people have in the world of antiquity. Whether they’re lifelong Christians, new to the faith, or just curious, there’s something for everyone in this powerful Bible study. Also, the fact that we have first-rate scholars and experts—Maier, Kloha, Price and Lampe—giving their viewpoints on these ancient texts only strengthens this presentation,” says Dave Dawson, assistant director of United States Ministries at Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Dawson adds, “As with the other Men’s NetWork Bible studies, Lost Books? also features an in-depth discussion guide written by Rev. Wayne Palmer, LHM’s theological editor and writer. In it, Scripture passages and related commentary are given for each of the sessions.

To dive in further, Digging Deeper Internet links give the user a rich supply of information that can be pulled from online sources dealing with these ancient and, often, mysterious books.”

Churches, men’s fellowships, and Bible study groups are making use of the customizable promotional material available for Lost Books? On the website you will find a promo video, bulletin inserts, a theatrical-style movie flyer, and a PowerPoint slide perfect for showing at the beginning of a service or at church group meetings.

Complementing this study and also available on the Men’s NetWork website is the Project Connect booklet, The Bible: What?

When? Why? Authored by Dr. Carol Geisler, this instructive text exam-

Were some “books” ever really intended to be in the Bible?

ines in brief the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. Geisler writes, “The words of the Bible did not come down from heaven on golden pages or in a secret book delivered by an angel. The Bible is an amazing miracle, but it is a quiet kind of miracle that joins together the words of God Himself with ordinary human language.” Nearly 3,000 copies of this booklet have gone out since the release of Lost Books?.

To learn more about this and other men’s ministry resources, visit the Men’s NetWork at www.lhmmen.com. n

The devil thrives on our destruction.

He’s the accuser, the father of lies, and the ruler of this world. The Great Deceiver, a new video Bible study from the Men’s NetWork, will show you how prayer, God’s Word, and fellow believers can help you resist temptation.

SPECIAL OFFER: Order The Great Deceiver DVD and receive 5 FREE copies of the discussion guide with every purchase. Enter promo code LMDEVIL13 at www.lhmmen.com/greatdeceiver to order today!

(Orders cannot be placed through the regular Men’s NetWork page).

Hurry, offer ends February 15, 2014!

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 19

What is Your Story?

E

very day, with every decision you make, you are writing a story. Have you ever thought about it that way? What we eat for breakfast on Tuesday or what we do on Friday or where we worship on Sunday are not random decisions. They are part of the narrative that shows how God is at work in your life every day. If any of us knew the story that God wants to write in our lives, we would be blown away.

Believers in Christ get to be a part of a larger story, one without a beginning and an end.

We are coming to the season that celebrates how that story took a human turn on earth—when the Lord Christ Jesus was born among us for our salvation. There are many ways to celebrate this part of the Christian story— praising our Savior in Church, fellowship with family and friends, sharing with those who are less fortunate. Hopefully, amid the holidays’ stresses, you will have time to celebrate the Christmas story.

You can also celebrate the story of Christmas by sharing the Good News with people who need it. Simply make a prayerful end-of-year gift to support the mission work of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

God is writing a story for Lutheran Hour Ministries as well—a story where we are able to share the Gospel with millions through media ministries such as The Lutheran Hour and more next year. It’s a story where thousands of Christians will be taught how they can boldly and lovingly share their faith with members of their own communities—a story where unreached souls around the world will be given an opportunity to hear of God’s love.

You can be a part of that story and partner with Lutheran Hour Ministries to share the Gospel with the nations in 2014. Lutheran Hour Ministries can help you with any kind of gift that fits your needs. You can make a one-time or monthly gift online at www.lhm.org/give or by mail or phone at 1-800-876-9880. You can also learn more about making a planned gift such as a charitable gift annuity or

IRA rollover by contacting our

Gift Planning department at

1-877-333-1963 or

lhm-gift@lhm.org.

May God bless “your story”

this Christmas season! n

20 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Fishing Tournament Numbers on the Rise From farm ponds, meandering streams, and trickling creeks to man-made reservoirs and the Great Lakes, the Fifth Annual Men’s NetWork North American Fishing Tournament is now one for the record books.

Altogether the tournament registered 320 fishermen this year (almost doubling the number who signed up in 2012). Of these, 186 were first-timers. The entire contingent represented 39 states and included six Canadians. A total of 60 guys won at least once during the tournament in one of the 12 categories. The top three anglers winning the most times during the contest were Dave Galloway (13), Mike MacDowell (12) and Tom Schramm (12).

Winning $10 Bass Pro Shops gift cards for anglers were freshwater salmon and catfish tipping the scale at more than 20 pounds, along with loads of perch, bluegill, crappie, and sunfish in the pound or less weight class. In the non-fish category, fishermen landed a woman’s sandal, a clam cluster, a bow (no arrow), a bike tire, a jumble of copper lead line, a turtle, and an assortment of fishing lures, netting a number of not-too-proud anglers a $10 gift card—and cleaning up the environment in the process. Bruce Wurdeman, LHM executive director at the time of the tournament, said this about these feats of fishing prowess: “It’s been fun watching the fishing tournament, and this was a particularly interesting year—great fish and lots of creative junk in the non-fish category.”

But the big winner this year was a Kansas angler: David Saving. He took home the $500 Grand Prize of a VISA gift card by being the lucky one plucked from this year’s tackle box of weekly winners. Saving is the executive director of the Children’s Christian Concern Society/ Lead a Child, a Topeka, Kansas-based organization, which shares the love of Jesus Christ through Christian education with more than 20,000 children in 22 countries.

For Saving—as we’ve heard from other anglers in the past—this annual tournament is about more than just catching fish. “One thing I love about fishing is being in the middle of God’s creation; there I can get away from the responsibilities of work. I can go and fish all day, enjoying the lake, God’s many blessings, and the freedom to do such a thing just for fun. It also lets my mind air out. Fishing gives me a chance to talk with God about important things in my life, helping me understand everything I have is a gift from Him.” Time alone, talking with God—yet another benefit anglers enjoy when fishing in this annual contest. To see pictures of the weekly winners and get inspired about next summer’s fish fest, go to www.lhmmen.com. n

Fouth DVD Now Completes The Baloney Shop Series Looking for something spiritually meaty to mentally “snack on” during the upcoming holidays? Lutheran Hour Ministries has a robust, new entrée on its menu: a fine selection of premium chops from the 42-episode series of The Baloney Shop. This is a good time to sink your teeth into these delectables, as they are the final episodes of this popular feature of the Men’s NetWork.

And what will your pre-Christmas planning get you this year? How about 10 sizzling episodes featuring the sterling, Christ-centered wit of Pastor Ken Klaus along with his good humor, piercing insight, and—of course—a heapin’ helpin’ of healthy sarcasm. Here you’ll find choice

cuts of this world’s premium bunkum straight from that master spiritual decipherer of baloney-gone-south. Listen in as he puts the meat axe to a delicatessen’s worth of smokin’ twaddle, simmerin’ claptrap, and downright hooey in these hearty episodes that set the record straight.

In “Memas (Me-mas) Cards” Klaus divines the difference between Christmas cards pointing to Jesus as Savior and Memas cards pointing to the sender’s life or family and what’s been going on over the last umpteen months. Another gem has Pastor Klaus shedding light on “real religion” and how religion in action (church and charity work, pastoral counseling, disaster relief, youth programs, congregations joining together to aid others, etc.) shows God’s people united and honoring Jesus with their lives. It is this global service by organized Christian religions that—instead of being put down as something to be abolished—should be applauded for the immeasurable good it does.

On a sad note, Klaus considers the shocking issue of “after-birth abortion,” where newborns wouldn’t be considered a “real” person but, instead, only a “potential” person, at least according to two Australian ethicists. And how about the $1 million offer made by a company to any woman who can verify Tim Tebow was not celibate during his first year as an NFL quarterback? Klaus tackles this one with characteristic aplomb. Other episodes in this volume have the good Reverend applying his butcher-shop analysis to laws in the church and society; who’s qualified to run a Christian organization; and the importance of 400,000.

For a full platter-load of all 42 episodes of The Baloney Shop as well as numerous other LHM Men’s NetWork resources, go to www.lhmmen.com. There you’ll find goodies galore and a host of Christ-centered materials to beef up your faith walk. Bon appétit!

Final Chance for 2013 Combined Federal Campaign For the sixth year in a row, Lutheran Hour Ministries is participating in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace giving opportunity that is available now through mid-December to United States military and federal employees worldwide. Established in 1961, the CFC is the only campaign authorized to solicit and collect contributions from federal employees in the workplace on behalf of charitable organizations.

If you or someone in your congregation is a federal employee or a member of the military, take this opportunity to pledge a donation to Lutheran Hour Ministries! This is also a wonderful chance to talk with co-workers about what Lutheran Hour Ministries is all about, and why you believe that sharing the love of Christ is so important in today’s world where so many people are looking for hope.

See LHM’s ad in the “Best of the CFC” newspaper insert, online at www.bestcfc.org, or in your area campaign’s CFC brochure. If you are not a federal employee or member of the military, you may still be able to make a donation to LHM through your corporate campaign. Many corporations include the charities provided by the Independent Charities of America into their corporate giving opportunities. Ask your employer for details. n

Outreach Activity at New York State Fair A total of 6,460 Christ-centered items were given to fairgoers at the 2013 New York State Fair, Aug. 22- Sept. 2, thanks to the efforts of the Eastern District—Central New York Zone of the Int’l LLL. This included Scripture activity booklets for children. This is a major evangelism activity of the zone, reports Fred Neebe, project organizer.

“Attendance at the state fair for the 12 days was 851,157 people compared to 845,595 in 2012,” says Neebe. In total, 144 volunteers worked at the booth and came from 16 area Lutheran congregations. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was involved in supporting the effort. n

The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 21

Obtain Three Advent Devotions from LHM

This year Lutheran Hour Ministries offers three seasonal softbound devotional booklets for Advent. The first, The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us, is written by Rev. Wayne Palmer, LHM’s theological editor and writer. The second, Advent People: Waiting for the Coming Savior, is penned

by Pastor Lonie Eatherton. The third is Un camino diferente (A different way), Spanish devotions written by Rev. Dr. Hector Hoppe.

In The Word Became Flesh, Palmer mines the Gospel of John for its wealth on the Savior’s life. Typically, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we think about Gabriel’s announcement to Mary; Joseph and Mary’s trek to Bethlehem and Jesus’ lowly birth; the angels’ joyous proclamation to the shepherds; and the wise men visiting the King of the Jews from afar, according to Palmer.

Per John’s narrative strategy, however, Christ’s birth is rendered “from a different point of view,” Palmer said. In the fourth Gospel we are immediately informed of Jesus’ divinity, His creative power, and His timelessness.

Spoken of as the One heralded in the Old Testament, in John’s Gospel and writings Jesus is referred to as the One who has become flesh and dwelt among us, “full of grace and truth” (see John 1:14).

Next, Advent People: Waiting for the Coming Savior is a meditation for young people.

Here Eatherton illuminates a procession of Old Testament characters such as Adam, the sons of Noah, Deborah, David, Daniel and more, all the way to Zechariah. He chronicles their march through the centuries, awaiting the Branch of Jesse, the promised Messiah, the Babe of Bethlehem.

A four-verse poem and a prayer of gratitude complement the day’s Scripture read-

ing. Each component highlights the Old Testament person, who trusted in God as he or she looked to the fulfillment of His promises. “I thought it would be cool for kids to see with each passing Advent day, a timeline that grew closer and closer to the time of Jesus’ birth,” Eatherton said.

Available to read online at www.lhm.org/advent, both The Word Became Flesh and Advent People will be available as PDF downloads. The Word Became Flesh will also be available as a podcast and as an e-mail subscription throughout the Advent season. Churches can download, personalize and print these seasonal devotions to give to congregation members or use as an outreach tool. The audio version begins December 1.

Be sure to check out LHM’s Advent Devotions in Spanish, too.

Amplifying the title, Un camino diferente, Hoppe writes this for the January 6, 2014, message (translated): “After the wise men worshiped Jesus, and following God’s directions, they returned to their homeland ‘by a different way.’ Their story could well serve as a metaphor for our own Christian walk: through His Holy Spirit (the star) God guides us so we can find Jesus and, after bending our knees and pouring our hearts in worship before our Savior, we go back home …by a different way .… God warns us not to go back to the evil king who’s trying to destroy our faith. There’s another way He wants us to take. One that, although unknown, is overflowing with His forgiveness.”

These devotions can be found at www.paraelcamino.com/adviento, where they can be read online or downloaded and printed as PDF files. n

Free Advent devotions for all ages!

Celebrate the anticipation of Jesus’ birth with daily Advent Devotions!

In The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us, the Gospel of John is mined for its unique wealth on the Savior’s life. Typically, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we draw images from Luke’s detailed account: Gabriel’s announcement to Mary; Elizabeth’s Spirit-inspired recognition of the Child whom Mary would bear; Joseph and Mary’s trek to Bethlehem and Jesus’ lowly birth; the angels’ joyous proclamation to the shepherds; and the wise men visiting the King of the Jews from afar.

ADVENT PEOPLE Waiting for the Coming Savior (for young people) & THE WORD BECAME FLESH and Dwelt Among Us (for adults) Log on to www.lhm.org/advent to sign up to receive them daily or to download the free PDF.

With John it’s a different story.

Per the fourth Gospel’s narrative, the advent of Christ is rendered in a new way. Here we are immediately informed of Jesus’ divinity, His creative power, and His timelessness. Spoken of for centuries as the One pointed to and proclaimed in the Old Testament, in John’s Gospel, Jesus “the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” God’s own Son, our Savior, has arrived, and it is He who became flesh and dwelt among us, “full of grace and truth.”

660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO 63141-8557 • 1-800-876-9880 www.lhm.org • www.lhm.org/advent

22 The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013

Name of Church, Street Address, City, State, ZIP, Phone,

onthemove

by Bruce Wurdeman Executive Director Lutheran Hour Ministries

Literally, Moving On Right up front, I’m a rotten prognosticator. I’ve never been able to forecast the future. In fact, while many people have wonderful, high sounding personal philosophies and mission statements, I’ve decided that mine is: “I never saw it coming!” When a cute little blond sat down next to me at a party at the seminary after a basketball game, I never saw it coming—less than a year later she was my wife. I graduated with a teaching degree—that, at least, I saw coming. But after teaching for three years, I received a Call to serve as a Director of Campus Ministry and I never saw that coming. Then to start a school and be a principal, I never saw it coming. To work at Lutheran Hour Ministries the first time and, yep, I never saw it coming. To Texas and then back to LHM— and I never saw it coming. And, oh yes, when we finally adopted a son in 1978 after 8 years of marriage, we almost immediately found out that Mj was pregnant and I definitely never saw that coming—two blessings within 8 months!

So, with that disclaimer, I’ll do what I promised to do when I wrote my article for the previous edition of The Lutheran Layman—and I’ll try to take a look at the future of this ministry.

• The ministry will flourish and grow under the leadership of Kurt Buchholz and the leadership team. Kurt would have been my choice for my replacement had I gotten to choose, so I am most happy having him take the reins from me.

• The Lutheran Hour will undergo some changes but still be the flagship of the ministry proclaiming the Gospel over the airwaves clearly and consistently.

• Rev. Gregory Seltz will increasingly be seen as a primary spokesman for Lutheranism in America.

• LHM will develop new and dynamic TV specials in the years ahead.

• There will be new and exciting ways to engage the laity.

• There will be a new emphasis on training and equipping the laity to be God’s ambassadors in their communities, their families and the world. LHM will be the catalyst for a strong lay movement in our church body.

• LHM will be making creative use of new kinds of media to communicate the Gospel around the world.

• We will see ever increasing interest from non-LCMS sources in the use of our resources. Men’s NetWork is being used extensively in other denominations, and I’m confident this trend will continue and probably increase dramatically. We will remain firmly Lutheran-Christian in our theology but are happy to have others use those materials we produce from that theological perspective.

• Our international ministry centers will continue to reach more and more people with the Gospel.

• LHM will open new ministry centers around the world and strengthen existing offices.

• LHM will continue to place a high priority on hiring for experience, training, and expertise. We will continue to attract the brightest and best for our staff.

• The experiment in coordinated outreach with the Florida-Georgia District of the LCMS will get adjusted and fine tuned until we have a process that will be used by God to bring more and more people into the kingdom. Once “tweaked” to the point of effectiveness, this concept will be made available to other LCMS districts. Most districts will

Bruce Wurdeman

eventually be a part of this process, and those districts that are participating will not only stop the loss of membership but see membership growth—and, more importantly, kingdom growth.

• Lutheran Hour Ministries will continue to place a high commitment to being not only faithful but also effective. We will continue to measure outcomes and place emphasis on outcomes over mere activity. In this regard, LHM will always work to be the best stewards of the resources that God provides. Donors have a right to expect that their gifts will be used wisely and that LHM will work hard to place resources where God wants to multiply His Church.

• LHM will be the “go to” agency in the LCMS and beyond for:

• Evangelism resources (MISSION U, for example)

• Men’s ministry

• International outreach—bringing the Gospel to new people

around the world and linking them with local churches

• Creative use of media to reach people with the Gospel

• The 91,000 donor base of people who support LHM with their

prayers and their gifts will grow dramatically in the coming years.

I really do think the above bullet points will take place in the near future, and I believe LHM will continue to work in “God’s sweet spot.”

Our new home in Texas has a three car garage. Right now there is a bass boat in one stall and a golf cart in another. That might tell you something about what I plan to be doing in my spare time in retirement. I’m looking forward to that. But this has been an amazing ride at Lutheran Hour Ministries—14 years in two stints. I have loved it all and I remain highly committed to this organization.

I said many years ago that I believed that LHM had the best shot at being used by God to help the LCMS turn the membership losses into membership gains and to reach an amazing number of people worldwide. As I walk out the door at LHM, I’m absolutely certain that is true. It’s a good feeling. And in between the time in the bass boat and the golf cart, much of my time, my treasures, and my prayers will still be directed to supporting what God is doing here. Thanks for the 14 years of partnership we’ve shared. I came back 6 years ago because I believed in this ministry, and I leave now believing in it even more. n The Lutheran Layman November - December 2013 23

Online Mission Trip to Kenya Page 6

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, Missouri 63141-8557

St. Louis, MO. Permit No. 619

Lutheran Hour Ministries, 660 Mason Ridge Center Drive • St. Louis, Missouri 63141-8557 • (314) 317-4100 or 1-800-944-3450 Philip Krauss II, Chairman • Bruce Wurdeman, Executive Director • Kurt Buchholz, Executive Director Elect The Int’l Lutheran Laymen’s League, with its outreach through Lutheran Hour Ministries, is an auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and Lutheran Church—Canada.

LHM Sunday

page 17

Reaching ‘Disengaged’ Young Adults pages 14 - 16