as a gen z member of the lcms i think we need to stand our ground and continue being traditional confessional Lutheran, but i see many disagreeing with me in our synod sadly
I am also interested in knowing what you mean by “traditional”. In my grandparents day women had to sit on a different side of the church from the men. In early America the immediate need was for circuit riders to serve the needs of rural Lutherans. In the early church the apostles were saddled with evangelizing while local elders/deacons carried on the services of the church both spiritual and physical needs of the people. When I first came to any realization of the use of hymnals it was the red one. To most Lutherans anything else was anathema. I could go on but I think you get my drift. We need to get back to the great commission regardless of how we do liturgy.
I hoped and prayed to be able to attend either Ft. Wayne or St. Luis, but 4 kids to feed has me working full time while enrolled in online evening classes through the AALC seminary that was mentioned in this video.
The congregation where I was confirmed as a teenager in the 1970s it's idea of outreach is to sit around waiting for some Lutherans to move to their area today that congregation is on life support and sharing a pastor
We have an evangelism commitee and budget. The outreach that got me was having one man come my hospital bed post surgery and hang a simple wooden cross on me. What did that cost?
Listening to this conversation is truly inspiring! I give thanks to God for your courage and passion for the Gospel. As an ELCA pastor in Central Wisconsin, I am concerned about the cost of maintaining our aging church buildings. It seems that people are losing interest in giving money for new roofs, replacing old boilers, and heating church buildings that are under- utilized. This is making outreach difficult--especially to the younger generation who care deeply about the environment and sustainability.
A man named Heather? Or a rebellious woman? If the people you evangelize to care immensely about the energy efficiency / carbon footprint of a church, dare I say you’re scattering seed on the path
It is not that they have no interest, but they have their own homes to maintain and families to feed and their budgets are having a hard time doing that.
There are a few things that can save the LCMS. 1. Encourage high church liturgy and discourage contemporary worship. Internal documents show that churches that exclusively have contemporary worship decline at a faster rate. 2. Increase evangelism outreach, most parishes idea of out reach is waiting for a Lutheran family to stroll into town. Go to the places of unbelievers and recruit them. 3. Out reach to Gen Z, statics have shown Gen Z feels hopeless, lost and suffer from existential crisis. And many are seaking comfort in historical churches. And Lutheran's maintain the historic liturgy more than any other protestant branch. 4. Reach out to men, studies have shown when you convert men you tend to get the whole family converted. Men are also most likely to fall away from the church. And this is mostly due to the church abandoning them in favor of women. The modern church has painted a picture of the ideal man being meak and quiet. And not captures that we are the soldiers of the cross and God stead fast in our faith regardless of the adversity. 5. The LCMS need to increase church planting and lower the barrier to entry on pastoral duties. Pastors should still require seminary school but maybe lower the schooling requirements from a bachelor's to an associates. This would allow pastoralship to increase and maybe many to volunteer their effort part time rather than being paid. And studies have shown that of a church plant 70% were previously religiously unaffiliated and 50% of the congregation stays past the first year.
Our church has a weekly commitment to budget over $12,000 per week. On weeks with only 155 total members attending both services added together, that works out to over $75 per "ticket." The world economic powers know the current conditions are killing churches contribution to society. We had to sell the parsonage at a loss a few years ago because the tax laws became unfavorable toward churches owning property. So we pay our Pastor more to provide his family with accommodation. CDC documents have been leaked reveal the plan to padlock all churches during next pandemic. No time limits. Our solidarity to have communion is the backbone. The Decons program needs to be reconsidered. Outside forces are not to be feared. The temptation to resist the crush of the times with reinvigorated top-down autocracy must be avoided as Catholic.
We need different pathways not simply for pastoral ministry, but to all types of ministry. This includes those working with children, youth, Christian education, deacons and deaconesses, pastors, counselors, etc. But, at the same time we need to understand that our people in the church are ultimately responsible for what they want. We are in a declining Christian and Lutheran generation, at least in the United States. The real excitement is in overseas missions and in minority missions within the US.
Amen. There a some of us desperate for these roles, mine is music ministry bust many, not all, churches expect it to be a minor role and one done for free. There are no pathways to become rostered outside of up rooting you family to move to a Concordia and sink yourself financially.
I know that residential seminary was crucial for my formation. I may have been the kind of person (2nd career) who would have taken advantage of remote education, so I am glad it wasn't available. However, that is not the same thing as me saying I don't want it to be available. There must be some way for people with authority to attempt to discern that this or that student may be more suited to this or that route to ordination. I also know that lots of the brothers who were ordained at around the same time as I are no longer in ministry. What a complex topic!
The LCMS needs a robust 1 year Deacon program which is online. My problem with this issue is not the online idea of raising up pastors, it’s having no Deacons.
I have already written and submitted a 10 week Elder/leadership training course to my District DP. I will use it in my next congregation going into the call.
@@s.k.6616...Why limit the training to one deacon per congregation? Why not make the elements of the "Deacon" program the standard for discipling all men in the church? Why isn't Koine Greek and Hebrew taught in our K-12 schools? Restricting knowledge to a select few is contrary to the Great Commission. I understand starting off small--with a manageably sized group, but restricting access seems to be the current recipe for a reduced outcome.
Atlantic District does a 2 year online deacon program. I thought it was 1 year but we have four in our congregation going through it and I'm told it's two years.
I see many LCMS pastors that are well meaning and intellectually adequate, but are socially inept. We need to recruit young men with some social skills.
Do they preach Christ crucified and administer the Sacraments? High T males aren't drawn to ministry as a rule. The ones that are rise into leadership in the Synod machine and don't stay in the local congregation very long.
I left the LCMS after 27 years. I have never seen such hatred and hate speech in any Christian denomination in my life. I will pray for the denomination, but it's a mess and I cannot see the love of Jesus there anymore.
The LCMS does a poor job (intentionally) of recruiting men into the ministry as a second career. We need men who can do ministry for part time pay because there are many churches that can't afford a pastor. Clergy I've discussed this with call for more circuit pastors.
Listen to Issues,,Etc. for a month. There is an undercurrent of college smart boy snobbery combined with Boomer collusion to oppose needed change. One need not earn a PhD to serve a congregation. The LCMS is getting what it has paid for. See how the "expert guest" advanced degree holders allowed the latest Large Cathechism to be converged by w0ke ideology, while Quixotically charging the alt-righter they imagine behind every bush.
as a gen z member of the lcms i think we need to stand our ground and continue being traditional confessional Lutheran, but i see many disagreeing with me in our synod sadly
I'm a new convert, gen X, and agree completely.
I'm at the tail end of the millennials and I couldn't agree more.
Good conversation! What does it mean to you to be confessional and traditional Lutheran?
I’m gen Z and I agree
I am also interested in knowing what you mean by “traditional”. In my grandparents day women had to sit on a different side of the church from the men. In early America the immediate need was for circuit riders to serve the needs of rural Lutherans. In the early church the apostles were saddled with evangelizing while local elders/deacons carried on the services of the church both spiritual and physical needs of the people. When I first came to any realization of the use of hymnals it was the red one. To most Lutherans anything else was anathema. I could go on but I think you get my drift. We need to get back to the great commission regardless of how we do liturgy.
I hoped and prayed to be able to attend either Ft. Wayne or St. Luis, but 4 kids to feed has me working full time while enrolled in online evening classes through the AALC seminary that was mentioned in this video.
Ft. Wayne has covered tuition and many many resources for families. Not saying it would be easy but easier and certainly possible.
Can't speak to St. Louis, but I know that F.W. will work with you.
The congregation where I was confirmed as a teenager in the 1970s it's idea of outreach is to sit around waiting for some Lutherans to move to their area today that congregation is on life support and sharing a pastor
We have an evangelism commitee and budget. The outreach that got me was having one man come my hospital bed post surgery and hang a simple wooden cross on me. What did that cost?
Listening to this conversation is truly inspiring! I give thanks to God for your courage and passion for the Gospel. As an ELCA pastor in Central Wisconsin, I am concerned about the cost of maintaining our aging church buildings. It seems that people are losing interest in giving money for new roofs, replacing old boilers, and heating church buildings that are under- utilized. This is making outreach difficult--especially to the younger generation who care deeply about the environment and sustainability.
A man named Heather? Or a rebellious woman?
If the people you evangelize to care immensely about the energy efficiency / carbon footprint of a church, dare I say you’re scattering seed on the path
It is not that they have no interest, but they have their own homes to maintain and families to feed and their budgets are having a hard time doing that.
@wabajack9929 I am a beloved child of God who in baptism is marked with the cross of Christ forever....
@@heatherbrown5463 ma’am my reply to you many moons ago makes little sense in its entirety, but regardless- women can’t be pastors.
@wabajack9929 With God all things are possible
If you love me, feed my sheep.
There are a few things that can save the LCMS.
1. Encourage high church liturgy and discourage contemporary worship. Internal documents show that churches that exclusively have contemporary worship decline at a faster rate.
2. Increase evangelism outreach, most parishes idea of out reach is waiting for a Lutheran family to stroll into town. Go to the places of unbelievers and recruit them.
3. Out reach to Gen Z, statics have shown Gen Z feels hopeless, lost and suffer from existential crisis. And many are seaking comfort in historical churches. And Lutheran's maintain the historic liturgy more than any other protestant branch.
4. Reach out to men, studies have shown when you convert men you tend to get the whole family converted. Men are also most likely to fall away from the church. And this is mostly due to the church abandoning them in favor of women. The modern church has painted a picture of the ideal man being meak and quiet. And not captures that we are the soldiers of the cross and God stead fast in our faith regardless of the adversity.
5. The LCMS need to increase church planting and lower the barrier to entry on pastoral duties. Pastors should still require seminary school but maybe lower the schooling requirements from a bachelor's to an associates. This would allow pastoralship to increase and maybe many to volunteer their effort part time rather than being paid. And studies have shown that of a church plant 70% were previously religiously unaffiliated and 50% of the congregation stays past the first year.
Our church has a weekly commitment to budget over $12,000 per week. On weeks with only 155 total members attending both services added together, that works out to over $75 per "ticket." The world economic powers know the current conditions are killing churches contribution to society. We had to sell the parsonage at a loss a few years ago because the tax laws became unfavorable toward churches owning property. So we pay our Pastor more to provide his family with accommodation.
CDC documents have been leaked reveal the plan to padlock all churches during next pandemic. No time limits.
Our solidarity to have communion is the backbone. The Decons program needs to be reconsidered. Outside forces are not to be feared. The temptation to resist the crush of the times with reinvigorated top-down autocracy must be avoided as Catholic.
My son did some online seminary courses before going to seminary. He made great friends that continue to support each other.
We need different pathways not simply for pastoral ministry, but to all types of ministry. This includes those working with children, youth, Christian education, deacons and deaconesses, pastors, counselors, etc. But, at the same time we need to understand that our people in the church are ultimately responsible for what they want. We are in a declining Christian and Lutheran generation, at least in the United States. The real excitement is in overseas missions and in minority missions within the US.
I heard form a pastor in Australia and from 10 baptized, 1 is white and 9 are from a range of immigrant origins.
Amen. There a some of us desperate for these roles, mine is music ministry bust many, not all, churches expect it to be a minor role and one done for free. There are no pathways to become rostered outside of up rooting you family to move to a Concordia and sink yourself financially.
I know that residential seminary was crucial for my formation. I may have been the kind of person (2nd career) who would have taken advantage of remote education, so I am glad it wasn't available. However, that is not the same thing as me saying I don't want it to be available. There must be some way for people with authority to attempt to discern that this or that student may be more suited to this or that route to ordination. I also know that lots of the brothers who were ordained at around the same time as I are no longer in ministry. What a complex topic!
Great conversation, really wonderful guest, and excellent yt channel.
The LCMS needs a robust 1 year Deacon program which is online. My problem with this issue is not the online idea of raising up pastors, it’s having no Deacons.
@@thejoshuaproject3809 I would glad hire you and train you in a local congregation as a deacon/assistant to the pastor.
I have already written and submitted a 10 week Elder/leadership training course to my District DP. I will use it in my next congregation going into the call.
@@s.k.6616...Why limit the training to one deacon per congregation? Why not make the elements of the "Deacon" program the standard for discipling all men in the church? Why isn't Koine Greek and Hebrew taught in our K-12 schools? Restricting knowledge to a select few is contrary to the Great Commission. I understand starting off small--with a manageably sized group, but restricting access seems to be the current recipe for a reduced outcome.
@@patrickwinter7623 Not one deacon per year, but a 1 Year Deacon training program.
Atlantic District does a 2 year online deacon program. I thought it was 1 year but we have four in our congregation going through it and I'm told it's two years.
Hart HS class ‘89 😊 great talk guys
I see many LCMS pastors that are well meaning and intellectually adequate, but are socially inept. We need to recruit young men with some social skills.
Do they preach Christ crucified and administer the Sacraments?
High T males aren't drawn to ministry as a rule. The ones that are rise into leadership in the Synod machine and don't stay in the local congregation very long.
I left the LCMS after 27 years. I have never seen such hatred and hate speech in any Christian denomination in my life. I will pray for the denomination, but it's a mess and I cannot see the love of Jesus there anymore.
The LCMS does a poor job (intentionally) of recruiting men into the ministry as a second career. We need men who can do ministry for part time pay because there are many churches that can't afford a pastor. Clergy I've discussed this with call for more circuit pastors.
Listen to Issues,,Etc. for a month. There is an undercurrent of college smart boy snobbery combined with Boomer collusion to oppose needed change.
One need not earn a PhD to serve a congregation. The LCMS is getting what it has paid for. See how the "expert guest" advanced degree holders allowed the latest Large Cathechism to be converged by w0ke ideology, while Quixotically charging the alt-righter they imagine behind every bush.
I agree with this. We need Pastors that are able to perhaps work another job.
Just bought the book.
Me as well