Mission: More Than a Middle Name

Posted on Aug 31, 2023 in Uncategorized |

As an association of congregations, I love our name: Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. It brilliantly captures our aspirations: a network of autonomous congregations united by a Lutheran theological foundation and a common commitment to a greater mission for Jesus Christ in the world!
 
We recognize four core values that shape our association. We are 1) Free in Christ, 2) Accountable to One Another, 3) Rooted in the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions, and 4) Working Together to Fulfill Christ Great Commission to Go and Make Disciples of All Nations. While all values are important, it is the fourth one that defines our purpose… our mission.
 
Yet as I survey our congregations, this fourth value is far less obvious. If you were to ask someone to observe our member congregations and describe our association based on what our churches are doing and how they are spending time and resources, I doubt that our mission to go make disciples of all nations would be noted as our clear and obvious purpose.

It’s Gathering Time! #SENT2023

Posted on Jun 27, 2023 in Mission Moment, Uncategorized |

Each year one of our highlights as a District is to come together for what we call our Annual Gathering. If you’ve been before, then you know what a treat it is! LCMC Texas has Gathered each summer since it’s inception in 2009 with only one exception in 2020. On July 28-29, our District will gather for the 14th Annual Gathering at St. Paul’s, New Braunfels! I hope you will make plans to join us this year!
 
Our theme for the 2023 Gathering is SENT, based on Acts 1:8. As Jesus gathered with his disciples in his final moments before ascending into heaven, he sent them out saying “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What does it look like to be sent by Jesus in 2023? What does your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of the earth look like for you and your congregation as you respond in faith to Jesus’ commissioning?
 
We are privileged to welcome Pastor Tilaye Daba to be our keynote speaker this year. Tilaye is the Director of the Global Mission Society for the largest and fastest growing Lutheran church body in the world: Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. He has dedicated his life to the mission of Jesus and been a leader in evangelism and theological education.

What exactly is Harvest Workers?

Posted on Jun 27, 2023 in Uncategorized |

Four years ago, a group of pastors began dreaming about what it might look like to create an online ministry training program that was affordable, accessible, and effectively equipped those God was calling to greater ministry with a solid biblical and theological foundation while emphasizing practical mission and ministry instruction. After all, if we were ever going to plant and revitalize churches, we needed to invest in developing more mission-minded leaders. These conversations eventually led to the Texas District’s most ambitious project to date: Harvest Workers!

The program we set out to develop was not intended to be a seminary. Instead, we envisioned a ministry training program for those for whom traditional seminary might not be affordable, accessible, or the best fit. Harvest Workers actually inverts the emphasis of most seminary programs: instead of emphasizing academic studies in Bible and theology while providing a basic introduction to practical ministry, Harvest Workers introduces students to biblical and theological studies while diving more deeply into a wide variety of practical courses in mission and ministry.

Since the program is online and on-demand, there are no semesters or pre-scheduled class times. Students access courses through a personal online classroom portal and meet with their faculty one-on-one for four video conference sessions. There are quizzes, papers, projects, and lots of reading as well as video lectures, as one might expect. This online, on-demand delivery is what makes the program especially unique, allowing students to work their studies into daily life.

Certificate students from the Texas District pay a subscription of $165 a month for their tuition. We encourage congregations to partner with interested students by providing partial scholarships. St. John, Thrall has also established a scholarship fund in memory of Jon and Kathy Bielfeldt and contributions to this fund are welcomed from individuals or congregations. To make an online contribution, go to www.harvestworkers.net/support-harvest-workers.

Harvest Workers is not the only answer to the church’s need for pastors and ministry leaders, but it is an important part of our effort to better equip women and men for the Kingdom ministry to which God is calling them. Whether these students become contract pastors, church planters, youth or children’s ministers, care ministers or just better equipped church members to serve in their own congregations and communities, I am excited to see the growth and development in each student.

We currently have 21 students enrolled in our certificate program and more than two dozen others have participated in taking individual courses as audit students or as a part of a church group. If you are interested in learning more about Harvest Workers, whether that is starting a group course at your church, auditing a class of interest, or becoming a full certificate student, I would invite you to check out our website at www.harvestworkers.net and reach out to start a conversation about how Harvest Workers may help equip you and others in your church to answer God’s call to greater Kingdom ministry.


What exactly is Harvest Workers?

Posted on May 23, 2023 in Uncategorized |

Four years ago, a group of pastors began dreaming about what it might look like to create an online ministry training program that was affordable, accessible, and effectively equipped those God was calling to greater ministry with a solid biblical and theological foundation while emphasizing practical mission and ministry instruction. After all, if we were ever going to plant and revitalize churches, we needed to invest in developing more mission-minded leaders. These conversations eventually led to the Texas District’s most ambitious project to date: Harvest Workers!
 
The program we set out to develop was not intended to be a seminary. Instead, we envisioned a ministry training program for those for whom traditional seminary might not be affordable, accessible, or the best fit. Harvest Workers actually inverts the emphasis of most seminary programs: instead of emphasizing academic studies in Bible and theology while providing a basic introduction to practical ministry, Harvest Workers introduces students to biblical and theological studies while diving more deeply into a wide variety of practical courses in mission and ministry.

Wants and Needs

Posted on May 23, 2023 in Uncategorized |

One of the things that I love the most about my job is when I get invited to walk alongside congregations in pastoral transition. When a church council or call team asks me to share my thoughts on best practices for a good call process, one piece of advice seems to surprise them more than any other: Do not ask “What do we want in a pastor?”
 
As I speak these words, exasperated church leaders stare back at me and occasionally someone gives voice to the look on their collective faces: “How else are we supposed to figure out what to look for in our next pastor?!?” The answer lies in the sage wisdom passed down from generation to generation in understanding the difference between wants and needs.
 
Parents of young children learn to make this distinction with their sons and daughters. At some point we all learn the hard truth that we don’t always get what we want in life. Instead, we should rejoice and give thanks to God as he provides for our basic human needs. In our faith communities we are reminded of God’s goodness of provision as we pray and ask him to do it again in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Wants and Needs

Posted on May 11, 2023 in Uncategorized |

One of the things that I love the most about my job is when I get invited to walk alongside congregations in pastoral transition. When a church council or call team asks me to share my thoughts on best practices for a good call process, one piece of advice seems to surprise them more than any other: Do not ask “What do we want in a pastor?”
 
As I speak these words, exasperated church leaders stare back at me and occasionally someone gives voice to the look on their collective faces: “How else are we supposed to figure out what to look for in our next pastor?!?” The answer lies in the sage wisdom passed down from generation to generation in understanding the difference between wants and needs.
 
Parents of young children learn to make this distinction with their sons and daughters. At some point we all learn the hard truth that we don’t always get what we want in life. Instead, we should rejoice and give thanks to God as he provides for our basic human needs. In our faith communities we are reminded of God’s goodness of provision as we pray and ask him to do it again in the Lord’s prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”
 
Truth is that often the things we want in life are not always what are best for us. How many times have you finally gotten something that you have really wanted for a long time only to feel disappointed or let down? Sometimes we can even be led astray by our wants. Chasing after wants always leads to sin whenever our wants do not align with the will of God.
 
So, what is a call team supposed to do if they should not ask “What do we want in a pastor?” By now you probably guessed it: the much better question to ask is “What do we need in our next pastor?” To begin to answer that question requires church leaders first to do some honest self-assessment: Who are we? What are we good at? What do we struggle with? What is God calling us to do and where is God calling us to go in the next chapter? Only after that are we ready to begin to answer the most important question of a pastoral transition: What do we need most in a pastor for us to faithfully pursue the mission and vision God has given us?
 
We seem to have an uncanny ability to ultimately find what we are looking for, even if it does not happen right away. Therefore, it is vital to look for what is most important which rarely has anything to do with what we want. Whether your church is in pastoral transition or not, what are you seeking? Is your church trying to satisfy the people in the pews and focused on giving them what they want? Or are you focused on the Kingdom mission that God is calling you to pursue? I encourage you to prayerfully reconsider all the business of the church through this filter: What do we need to seek or do to be faithful to God’s call. Imagine what God could do with a church full of people working together in pursuit of a God-given mission and vision!

Raising up Future Ministry Leaders

Posted on Apr 3, 2023 in Mission Moment, Uncategorized |

In my work for the Texas District, I have the privilege of sharing about our association and have often been invited to give a presentation about LCMC. One of the questions that I have been repeatedly asked over the years I just love to answer: “Where do your pastors come from?” My answer: “Well pastor trees, of course!!” After a good chuckle, we then engage in an important conversation that many congregations have neglected for far too long. What my tongue-in-cheek answer points out is that the initial question presumes that pastors are “produced” from some external source. This line of thinking is problematic.
 
Many Lutherans in well-established American denominations have relied heavily on church camps and campus ministries to speak into young people the calling of God to vocational ministry. Over twenty years ago, a study of first-career seminary students in one Lutheran denomination revealed that the overwhelming majority personally experienced his or her call to pastoral ministry primarily through either a church camp or a campus ministry. While camp directors and campus ministers received this news as a great affirmation, it also exposed another weakness: a student’s home congregation was a far less significant factor.

Raising up Future Ministry Leaders

Posted on Apr 3, 2023 in Uncategorized |

In my work for the Texas District, I have the privilege of sharing about our association and have often been invited to give a presentation about LCMC. One of the questions that I have been repeatedly asked over the years I just love to answer: “Where do your pastors come from?” My answer: “Well pastor trees, of course!!” After a good chuckle, we then engage in an important conversation that many congregations have neglected for far too long. What my tongue-in-cheek answer points out is that the initial question presumes that pastors are “produced” from some external source. This line of thinking is problematic.
 
Many Lutherans in well-established American denominations have relied heavily on church camps and campus ministries to speak into young people the calling of God to vocational ministry. Over twenty years ago, a study of first-career seminary students in one Lutheran denomination revealed that the overwhelming majority personally experienced his or her call to pastoral ministry primarily through either a church camp or a campus ministry. While camp directors and campus ministers received this news as a great affirmation, it also exposed another weakness: a student’s home congregation was a far less significant factor.

How Deep the Father’s Love for You and…

Posted on Apr 3, 2023 in Uncategorized |

On Sunday, February 26 at 3:28 p.m. I got the kind of phone call that every parent dreads. My youngest son was calling… for a second time. I was in Zoom meeting and had ignored his first call. In our family, we have a code: if the first call goes unanswered and it is an emergency, call back a second time.
 
“Dad, I’m pretty sure my car is totaled. I’m really sorry.” My heart stopped. “Are you okay?” I asked. He replied, “I’m okay, but I’m pretty sure the car is totaled!” I responded, “I don’t even care about that right now, as long as you are okay!” He later was able to describe what happened, that another car lost control around a curve and came into his lane and collided with him head-on.
 
Oh, how it could have been so much more tragic! I really love cars, and I loved my son’s car, but I would much rather mourn a car than my son! Even though he faces lingering challenges of whiplash and the hassles of replacing his car, the main thing is that he was alive…and he was loved and cared for by his mother and father!

Kingdom Investing

Posted on Apr 3, 2023 in Uncategorized |

Recently I have had several conversations about finances that have led me to think more deeply and biblically about the subject. Even though the financial realities of investing over the past year and a quarter have been less than enjoyable, I thoroughly enjoy personal finance. I also take great pride (undoubtedly sinfully so) in being a good steward of God’s resources. As a full-time church worker, I am ever mindful of spending the resources entrusted to our ministry with great care. I have pridefully shared with others how much we do together as a district with how little resources we spend doing it like it is some sort of badge of honor.
 
While my sin of pride is something I need to confess and repent, good stewardship of kingdom resources is indeed a good thing. But I recently realized just how stark the difference in mindset can be between personal and ministry finances. In the name of good stewardship of precious resources, we in the church tend to strictly guard the financial resources entrusted to us. When dollars are spent, we often see it as kissing them goodbye! If this is the case, it is no wonder we think twice before parting with these dollars!

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