2014 Lutherans Engage The World - November - October

Lutherans
ENGAGE the WORLD

November December 2014, Vol. 3, Issue 2
MORE
TOGETHER
Lutherans
ENGAGE the WORLD

November December 2014
vol. 3, no. 2
inspire
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Radically Free to Serve
A Holy Calling
Beating the Bushes
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Engaging the Church in the work of witness and mercy across the globe in our life together.
LUTHERANS ENGAGE THE WORLD is published bi-monthly by The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod.
2014 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. Reproduction for parish use does not require permission. Such reproductions,
however, should credit LUTHERANS ENGAGE THE WORLD as a source. Print editions are sent to LCMS donors, rostered workers and
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gift for LCMS global witness and mercy work. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are property of the LCMS.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001
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inform
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engage
MORE TOGETHER
10 Questions
It is both bane and blessing to serve in the
Doing More Together
Auxiliaries: Helping Extend the Gospel
Synod & Tanzania Lutherans Partner to Spread the Gospel
RSOs: Walking Together to Bear Mercy
Partnering in Mercy
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involve
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Cutting Unnecessary Costs
The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
designate your gift here
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S TA F F
Mark D. Hofman
David L. Strand
Pamela J. Nielsen
Erica Schwan
Melanie Ave
Megan K. Mertz
Erik M. Lunsford
Carolyn A. Niehoff
Chrissy A. Thomas
executive director, mission advancement

executive director, communications
executive editor
manager, design services
staff writer
staff writer
photojournalist/staff writer
designer
designer
LCMS Communications department. Bane, in that we

are responsible for keeping abreast of the news and
information about the LCMS multiple ministries and
efforts to share the Gospel and communicating all of it
in a timely and engaging manner. My colleagues and I
often go home fully spent.
The blessing is that we are responsible for keeping
abreast of the news and information about the LCMS
multiple ministries and efforts to share the Gospel
and communicating all of it in a timely and engaging
manner! My colleagues and I go home exhilarated and
thankful to be part of it all.
From where we sit, we have a pretty good view of the
work of the LCMS and just between you and me, that
view thrills me. I love that in our name, The Lutheran
ChurchMissouri Synod, we tell the world how we
relate to each other. Synod means to walk together,
and wow, is God ever blessing that walking together!
Universities, colleges and schools; global witness
and mercy work; urban; rural; black; Hispanic; youth;
life and health; campus; and worship ministries are
but a few examples of the amazing work going on in
partnership with parishes, districts, partner church
bodies, Recognized Service Organizations and our two
mission-minded auxiliaries, the LWML and LHM. And
this is just the tip of the iceberg!
In an age that worships individual achievement, we
in the Church have a better way. I know from where
I sit that we accomplish more together and sustain it
longer and more fully than any of us working alone.
Thats the theme for this issue of Lutherans Engage the
World as we focus on stewardship and the many rich
partnerships we have in the LCMS.
Join us in celebrating how God blesses and brings us
all together to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
This is your story, and its amazing!
Walking with you for Christs sake,
Pamela J. Nielsen
Associate Executive Director,
LCMS Communications
EDITORIAL OFFICE
314-996-1215
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295
lutheransengage@lcms.org
www.lcms.org/lutheransengage
Cover image: Shara Cunningham,

an LCMS career missionary in Kenya,
East Africa, assists a woman to a van
for transport to the hospital during a
Mercy Medical Team clinic. Cunningham
is able to share the Gospel in Africa
thanks to a network of support that
includes individuals, congregations,
Mission Central and groups like the
Lutheran Womens Missionary League.
PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD
Radically Free
to
Serve
nspire
n the midst of the Galatians controversy

over circumcision, Paul gave the Church
its seminal teaching on how Christians
should relate to each other in all matters not
specifically commanded or forbidden by the
Scriptures. No man is an island. No pastor
is an island. No layperson is an island. No
congregation is an island. No district is an
island. No church body is an island.
The Gospel gives us extreme freedom.
We are free from the Law. There are very
few prescriptions or rules in the Bible on
just how we are all to relate to each other
as members of the same confessional
fellowship. There are few laws about
worship, fewer about polity. But the New
Testament teaches over and over again that
the Church is a body in fact, the mystical
body of Christ. If one member suffers, all
suffer (1 Cor. 12:26). We are baptized into
Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). All parts of the body
are needed, but they are different and serve
different purposes. The eye cannot say to
the hand, I have no need of you (1 Cor.
12:21). And we all have different vocations,
or gifts, for service to the greater body.
2
lcms.org/LUTHERANSengage
Over the past decade and a half, as Ive

viewed (especially) many tribal cultures,
it has become evident to me that we
American Lutherans have a very hard time
working together as a body. We are first
and foremost individuals, even rugged
individualists! My way or the highway!
And so the description of the ancient
kingdom of Israel is true all too often in the
Missouri Synod: Everyone did what was
right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6). We very
often get cross-ways with each other. We
have conflict within congregations, between
congregations, within districts and even
with partner churches!
Luther summed up Pauls teaching
brilliantly in a tract called On Christian
Liberty (1520). Luthers two theses are
as follows: A Christian is a perfectly free
lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a
perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
Forgiven in Christ, we are absolutely
free. We have a free conscience. We are free
to act according to that free conscience
so long as its informed by Holy Scripture.
But freed in Christ, we are servants of our
NovemberDecember 2014
neighbor. We self-impose limits for the sake

of love and the well-being of our neighbor.
We are willing to use our radical freedom
to serve and be subject to all. Think about
Christ washing His disciples feet. Think
about His death. The Son of Man came not
to be served but to serve (Matt. 20:28).
And so it is with us. In our homes, in
our congregations, in our circuits and
districts, in this Synod and in its worldwide
connections, we are always cognizant
of the greater good, for the sake of the
Gospel. We like to go it our own way. And
thank God, He very often works such
human failings for good. Nevertheless,
we are called to be one body, through
one Baptism, into one Lord. And as youll
see from this issue of Lutherans Engage
the World, what the Lord allows us to
accomplish together is mind-boggling!
Pastor Matthew Harrison
President
lcms.org/givenow/globalmission
St. Paul really nailed it. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not
submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use
your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is
fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another,
watch out that you are not consumed by one another (Gal. 5:1, 1315).
nspire
by Pamela J. Nielsen with H.R. Curtis
hildren to baptize. Newcomers

to catechize. People in the
pews who are glad to be in
church, receiving the Lords grace
and giving Him their praise. Thats the
mental picture we have of a thriving
congregation. We certainly dont think
of tense budget meetings, stressed-out
treasurers and being forced to choose
between this or that ministry due to
a lack of funds. Yet after the Baptisms
have gotten fewer and farther between,
and the attendance is suffering, and
folks are grumbling, its often the
stewardship symptoms that force
a congregation to face the fact that
something needs to change. So they
set out on a stewardship project or a
financial overhaul but the solution
is not financial because the problem is
not really financial either.
A Holy Calling
Instead, its the other way around.
Revitalized stewardship comes from
revitalized Christians: people of God who
see and understand the purpose for which
God has set them on earth in a particular
congregation, family and community.
Communicating this message is the task
of LCMS Stewardship Ministry. As part of
the Office of National Mission, Stewardship
Ministry helps pastors and congregations
teach the Word of God regarding one aspect
of Christian sanctification: imitating God in
sacrificial generosity.
The Rev. H.R. Curtis, coordinator for
LCMS Stewardship Ministry, and the Rev.
Nathan Meador, assistant coordinator, are
both parish pastors, practicing what they
preach in their service to the Synod.
We know the struggles that pastors and

parishes are facing in terms of finances, says
Curtis, because we both face them every
day. For me, thats in a small church in a
rural setting. For Pastor Meador, its in the
setting of a large church and school with a
huge staff. The challenges are different, but
the biblical theology and practice are the
same.
Curtis says that the Lutheran approach
needs to keep stewardship firmly placed
within the pastoral and theological task.
Stewardship doesnt stand on its own: its
part of our sanctification. And that means
stewardship begins with Law and Gospel,
repentance and faith and then moves
toward educating people with the Word
concerning the new Christian life.
t A child is baptized at Ascension Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Mo.
Christians who understand

the great purpose for which God
has called them become joyful,
Gospel-motivated givers who see
their local congregations for what
they are: colonies of the kingdom
of God.
Rev. H.R. Curtis
One key concept for LCMS Stewardship

Ministry is vocation. God has given each of
us a holy calling in the home, in the Church
and in society. These holy callings give
purpose to our lives and make a claim on
our presence and our support.
Stewardship Ministry gets this message
out through the many resources it produces
and the speaking engagements Curtis and
Meador conduct throughout the year as
well as through specialized conferences and
training sessions.
At www.lcms.org/stewardship, pastors
and congregational leaders will find
all kinds of things to help them teach
stewardship in a biblical manner. The A-Z
Stewardship Resource collection includes
everything from nuts and bolts advice for
building a yearly stewardship emphasis to
theological essays laying out the biblical
case. The most popular resources are
the devotional and educational pieces
designed to keep stewardship in front
of the congregation throughout the
year: weekly devotional blurbs for the
bulletin based on the lectionary readings,
4
monthly newsletter articles and a monthly

resource for stewardship leaders called
StewardCAST.
Online resources are a big help in
leading the congregation, but when it
comes to training new leaders in the realm
of stewardship, nothing beats face-to-face
contact. Last spring, Stewardship Ministry
held the National Stewardship Leadership
Conference, and more such conferences
are in the works. Pastors and lay leaders
from across the country were introduced
to Stewardship Ministrys approach and
were challenged to be more intentional
in teaching vocation, stewardship and
sanctification in their own ministry settings.
This fall, both Curtis and Meador will be
speaking at district conferences and at
a variety of other events. The focus is on

teaching pastors how to bring the Word of
God to bear on stewardship in a faithful and
godly way.
Christians who understand the great
purpose for which God has called them,
says Curtis, become joyful, Gospelmotivated givers who see their local
congregations for what they are: colonies of
the kingdom of God.
And who wouldnt be excited about being
part of the kingdom of God?
Pamela J. Nielsen is the associate executive
director for LCMS Communications.
The Rev. H.R. Curtis is coordinator for LCMS
Stewardship Ministry.
u Learn more: www.lcms.org/stewardship
p Participants sing during a worship service at

St. John Lutheran Church, Sewards, Neb.
t The Rev. James Rust participates in a worship

planning session at Trinity Lutheran Church,
St. Louis, Mo.
q Deaconess Lynnette Fredericksen leads the
childrens choir at St. Paul Lutheran Church,
Hamel, Ill.
10 Q
nform
Acquiring
residence permits, setting up a home in a foreign land,
CHURCH
WORKERS:
learning a new language, petting a crocodile, even dealing with a
Showing & Sharing
Questions
bout of malaria. These are a few of the experiences the Rev. Dale and
Suzanne Kaster, new LCMS career missionaries to Ghana, have had
since moving from Jacksonville, Fla., to the West African country on
May 11. Despite the challenges, Kaster says they have been continually
blessed, and he encourages LCMS members both church workers
and laypeople to consider serving the Lord in Africa.
Gods Love
by Melanie Ave
Dale Kaster
by Megan K. Mertz
what is Law and what is Gospel, what is sin and

what is grace, and, most importantly, who and
what is our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.
1.
7.
Describe your work in Ghana.

The work that brought us here was to
help the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana
train men in the northern part of the country for
the pastoral ministry. To do that, we have based
ourselves in Tamale, the largest city of northern
Ghana. Tamale used to have a Lutheran
congregation that has since folded, so I have
been holding Lutheran worship here for the
faithful and as an outreach to non-Christians
and non-Lutherans alike.
2.
What prepared you for this work?

Twenty-four years of parish ministry
in the States has been a huge factor. Daily
struggling with the Word of God and applying
it to the lives of the hurting, broken and sinful
have helped me understand how life in the
Church is a rich blessing of God, imparting to
us His grace for our every need. But without
a doubt, it is our daily prayers asking for
wisdom, strength and grace to accomplish our
task that keeps us constantly prepared.
Added to these are the prayers of the many
who have partnered with us as supporters.
3.
As a network-supported missionary (NSM),

from where does your support come?
NSM missionaries raise the funds needed to
support their work through visits with parishes,
ministries and partners. We have been blessed
to have what we need and then some. The
monies needed to pay for our ministry come
completely out of that account.
4.
What is the most extraordinary form

of support youve received?
A young lady in Iowa was moved to offer all
of her confirmation gift monies to our work
through Mission Central. She has since saved
up other monies and donated them to our work.
5.
How does the Synod support you as

a missionary?
The most important thing is that the Synod
encourages us through prayer. It gives us much
strength to know that those who supervise or
work with us here are praying for us. Also,
the staff of the LCMS Office of International
Mission helps us finance large items (car,
computer, etc.). They also make sure that we
are not in any danger.
6.
What is most challenging about your

work?
No matter how long one lives with an ethnic
group, you never can fully understand their
worldview and culture. So when you take the
universal message of salvation in Christ Jesus
to them, you need to make sure that they are
being reached where they are. Therefore, you
need to begin with the Small Catechism
Most rewarding?
A young man who was driving our cab in
Accra [the capital city] was asking us about our
faith. He had attended a church that had not
properly preached Christ. I had an opportunity
to share the cross of Jesus with him and how it
delivered to him full forgiveness of his sins. His
response was: Finally, I get it! Those things
make the sacrifices here most endurable.
8.
What has surprised you about your

new home?
That when the rain comes down hard, our floor
slab actually leaks, and we are OK with it!
9.
What do you miss from home?

Not to be trite, but our family and time with
them around the dinner table. But we also miss
the conveniences of the States: fast food, premade food, a grocery store!
10.
What advice do you have for people

who are considering missionary
service?
Be flexible! Things change here from day to day.
You just have to trust it all to God, who sees the
whole picture.
Megan K. Mertz is a staff writer for LCMS

Communications.
Find a missionary to support: www.lcms.
org/missionarysupport
Follow the Kasters missionary journey:
www.facebook.com/KastersinGhana
PHOTOS: DALE KASTER
with the Rev.
nspire
Beating
Bushes
THE
by Adriane Heins
Were willing and ready to go out

and beat the bushes. The Rev. Dr.
Carlos Hernandezs voice proves he
means business. We go into their
homes and ask them how we can
care for human beings with human
needs, waiting for the Holy Spirit
to move them, he explains. And
often He does. Whenever we share
the Gospel, people say, Really?

Salvation by grace? Its a free gift?
Some people cry.
t The Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS
Church and Community Engagement

q Vicar
Pastors, teachers, deaconesses,
parish
music
directors
and other
Jason
Gullidge
(left),
the Rev. Doug
church workers serve the Church
in its vital
ministries.
Evenson
(center)
and children cheer
PHOTO: JASON GULLIDGE
during a break in the vacation Bible

school action at St. Johns Lutheran
Church, Beardstown, Ill.
Beating the bushes is easy,

because Hernandez, director of
LCMS Church and Community
Engagement, isnt doing it
alone. Partnerships between
congregations, districts and
the Synod are making in-roads
across the country.
By invitation, we assist
districts or congregations that
are interested. Usually, its a
double partnership, because the
district is often already helping
the congregation, he explains.
St. Johns Lutheran Church,
Beardstown, Ill., is one such
example of a lay-led joint
venture. The congregation
is in a community that has,
over the last 20 years, become
increasingly Hispanic, says
Hernandez. The members of
the congregation said to the
pastor, We really need to reach
out to the growing Hispanic
population in this town. The
pastor agreed, but he also knew
the church didnt have much
money.
When the Rev. Doug Evenson

mentioned this obstacle, one lay
member took it as a challenge.
He simply asked, How much
does it cost? recalls Hernandez.
Thats when the congregation
brought up the idea of a
partnership both in terms
of finances and as a mission
development between the
congregation and the district
and the Synod.
The ball was already rolling.
Using the Synods Gospel Seeds
model where congregations
focus on mercy, finding out
from their neighbors what
human-care needs the church
can help them meet, which
leads them to opportunities
to bear witness to Christ
Hernandez and congregation
members got to work. You
cant just put up a sign and
say, Yall come, Hernandez
says. When I met with the
congregation in Beardstown, I
asked them, What Hispanics
do you know? Do you know
Spanish?
The congregation made a

lengthy list of names and then
started knocking on doors. We
asked them, Were from St.
Johns. Were reaching out to
the Latino population. What are
some of the needs you see in
our community? Hernandez
recalls.
Starting conversations
through acts of mercy sets
Lutherans apart from other
groups who knock on doors, he

notes. We start with mercy and
then bear witness according to
the Holy Spirit and then move to
life together as He draws them
into the Church.
What Do Lutherans
Believe?
The congregation offered the
Latino community the use of
the gym, which was no longer
in use since the churchs school
Lets partner. Lets reach

out with the Gospel.
We have an enormous
mission field. Why
shouldnt we?
Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez
Our need for funds to assist church workers has

quadrupled, especially during the recession. Were still
feeling the effects of that. Our need far exceeds what
we budget. When your church worker is in need, the
church suffers. The church is in trouble if we dont care
for our workers in times of crisis. I would challenge
individuals and congregations to care for the workers of
the church so that the clear proclamation of the Gospel
is made through workers who arent burdened with
economic concerns.
PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD
closed. Then the church started

English-as-a-Second-Language
(ESL) classes. People were
drawn in quickly, Hernandez
recalls.
Then a woman from the
community named Maria
Guijosa offered her help, both
in translating and in locating
local and county services
families could use. Before
long, St. Johns became a
Hispanic center for people to
inquire about human needs,
Hernandez says. And then
they started asking the same
question they always ask: What
do Lutherans believe?
The Rev. Pablo Dominguez,
pastor of a Hispanic mission
in the LCMS Central Illinois
District, was quickly on the
scene, visiting every couple of
weeks while simultaneously
leading a Bible class. Soon,
though, the congregation
members pushed for even
more: Can we get a vicar?
Hernandez recalls them asking.
We need someone here for
them every day!
And they did. Jason Gullidge,
a vicar from Concordia
Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, Ind., who is still
learning Spanish, now assists
with a variety of Hispanic
ministry opportunities, like
hosting Sunday school to our
community and our members,
and every other Saturday, a
gathering similar to a church
service (religious movies, songs,
a message and a prayer), led by
Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez
Pastor Dominguez, Gullidge

says, noting plans for more are
in the works.
Acts of Mercy
Ultimately, Gullidge and
Evenson believe, this
partnership enables them to
share the Gospel of Christ
through acts of mercy while
helping with daily needs.
The Central Illinois District
is now putting funds on the
table in addition to what the
congregation gives, while the
Synods Hispanic Ministry staff
members continue to offer time,
counsel and expertise.
This tri-fold partnership
allows new ideas to be shared,
resources to be increased and
our work to be synchronized
around the world, explains the
Rev. Bart Day, executive director
of the LCMS Office of National
Mission. All of this means the
Gospel is proclaimed to the
ends of the earth, and Lutheran
churches grow as the Word
is taught and the Sacraments
are administered. Walking
together in our life together is
a tremendous witness to the
world of our shared mission.
And as for that witness? Ive
never seen this much love and
excitement in reaching out
to Hispanics in all my years,
acknowledges Hernandez. Its
an amazing thing.
Adriane Heins is managing editor
of The Lutheran Witness and
editor of Catechetical Information.
Taking Care of Church Workers
nother opportunity for collaboration involves

the care of the Churchs workers. A church
may be small and cant afford a pastor
anymore, or a pastor has an illness. These are
financial crises, and church workers are not immune,
especially since they dont get a whole lot of
money to start with, explains Hernandez, who also
spearheads Soldiers and Veterans of the Cross,
two programs that provide emergency support and
pastoral care for LCMS church workers, active or
retired, based on financial need.
Its a team effort, President Dwayne Lueck of the
LCMS North Wisconsin District says, referring to the
way in which his district cares for its church workers,
especially those in financial or emotional crisis.
Often, the district and the Synod will go 50-50 on
providing financial assistance to a worker in need.
If a worker needs $3,000 to cover medical bills not
covered by insurance, the North Wisconsin District
pays $1,500 and asks us if we can grant $1,500,
explains Hernandez. President Lueck has become
really adept at watching for those kinds of issues.
Hes able to identify the needs, and he responds
quickly by saying, Heres the situation. Can you help
us? Can we work together? Can we respond together
to the need of this particular worker?
And together, they do, often getting funding to the
person in need in a week or less. Once we learn of
the need, there is great communication between my
office as district president and the Synod office about
how we can address the need, Lueck acknowledges.
There are generous people who have stepped
forward with their financial gifts to assist workers at
a difficult time in their lives. We are asked to steward
those gifts, and together we are able to meet the
concerns that arise. The gift allows me to assist the
workers of our district flock. What a blessing!
We are always looking for partners! Hernandez
agrees. So, lets partner. Lets reach out with the
Gospel. We have an enormous mission field. Why
shouldnt we? Why wont we? We have such a
wonderful gift in the gift of the pure Gospel!
Learn more: www.lcms.org/
gospelseeds
Doing More Together

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every
prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of
your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
CONGREGATIONS
2,255
NOD
6,136
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LU
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(Phil. 1:35)
LUTHERAN
SCHOOLS
10
SE
MINARIE
THE LCMS
SYNODWIDE ENTITIES
Congregations and Schools
Concordia University System (CUS)
Individual Christians are joined together around the Word

and Sacraments within the congregation. Congregations,
the basic units of the Synod, have joined together to form
the Synod and relate to one another through it. There are
6,136 congregations and 2,255 Lutheran schools.
Districts
The Synod divides itself into districts and authorizes its

districts to create circuits. Districts and circuits are included among the component parts of the Synod. There are 35
LCMS districts.
AUXILIARIES
International Lutheran Laymens League (LLL)
www.lhm.org
As the official mens auxiliary of the LCMS, the LLL is the
governing body for Lutheran Hour Ministries, a Christian
outreach ministry.
Lutheran Womens Missionary League (LWML)

www.lwml.org
As the official womens auxiliary of the LCMS, the LWML
encourages and equips women to live out their Christian
lives in active mission ministries and to support global
missions.
RECOGNIZED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS (RSOs)

www.lcms.org/rso
The LCMS works with 325 RSOs including 175 organizations and 150 schools to extend its mission outreach,
education and social ministry. These independent organizations agree to foster the mission and ministry of the LCMS
and to ensure that their programs and services are in
harmony with the doctrine and practice of the LCMS.
www.cus.edu
CUS provides for the education of pre-seminary students,
ministers of religioncommissioned, other professional
church workers of the Synod and those desiring a Christian liberal arts education, and it coordinates the activities
of the Synods colleges and universities.
Concordia Publishing House (CPH)

www.cph.org
CPH, the official publisher of the LCMS, offers more than
8,000 products for use in Christian congregations, schools
and homes.
Concordia Plan Services (CPS)

www.concordiaplans.org
CPS is the benefits provider for more than 6,000 LCMS
congregations, schools, universities, seminaries and other
organizations in the United States and in mission fields
worldwide.
Concordia Historical Institute (CHI)

www.lutheranhistory.org
CHI maintains the official archives for records of the LCMS
and its agencies, congregations and workers.
Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF)

www.lcef.org
LCEF facilitates faith and the reaching out to others with
the Good News through investments, loans and services
that help build, transform and keep our church vital.
The LCMS Foundation

www.lfnd.org
The LCMS Foundation provides Lutheran donors with
charitable expertise and opportunities to ensure that
families are provided for and beloved ministries are
supported.
35 PARTNER CHURCH BODIES
INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL (ILC)
www.lcms.org/partnerchurch
There are 35 church bodies worldwide with which the LCMS
is in altar and pulpit fellowship.
www.ilc-online.org
The ILC is a worldwide association of established confessional Lutheran church bodies that exists for the purpose of
encouraging, strengthening and promoting confessional
Lutheran theology and practice centering in Jesus Christ,
both among member churches and throughout the world.
11
Auxi li ari es :
Helping Extend the Gospel
by Megan K. Mertz
hroughout The Lutheran Church

Missouri Synods (LCMS) history, its
two auxiliaries the International
Lutheran Laymens League (LLL) and the
Lutheran Womens Missionary League
(LWML) have played a vital role in
extending the ministry and mission of
the LCMS.
In their own unique ways, these two
organizations provide the support,
resources and staff to increase the reach
of the Gospel both at home and around
the world.
One example: the creation of a selfsustaining Lutheran church body in Korea.
That was the goal of the LCMS when it sent
three American missionaries and a Korean
pastor to Seoul, South Korea, in 1958.
Soon, others joined the mission effort,
walking together to share the Gospel among
a people still struggling to recover from the

devastation of war.
Lutheran groups in the United States
sent material aid to the countrys widows,
orphans and blind.
In 1959, the LLL established an office in
the LCMS mission headquarters. By 1962,
The Lutheran Hour was being broadcast
in Korean on eight radio stations, and 80
individuals were enrolling in the LLLs
correspondence courses every day.
In 1971, God blessed the work of these
partners when the Lutheran Church in
Korea (LCK) became an independent
church body in altar and pulpit fellowship
with the LCMS.
During the next two decades, the
LWML gave $357,000 in grants to support
a multi-ministry center, new church
plants, construction of a dormitory at
the LCKs seminary and scholarships for
seminary students.
Heres a brief history of each auxiliary

and its impact on the Synod:
International Lutheran
Laymens League
In June 1917, a group of 12 laymen
attending the Synod convention in
Milwaukee met together to discuss
the perplexing problem of the Synods
$100,000 debt a staggering sum at
the time. In one evening, they pledged
$26,000 and came up with a plan later
blessed by the convention to deputize
lay delegates to reach each district and
congregation to raise the additional funds.
Six months later, despite the
uncertainties of World War I, the newly
formed LLL delivered $114,000 to the
Synod, and the debt was wiped out.
From this extraordinary beginning, the
LLL went on to raise $2.7 million to fund
a pension plan for professional church
A History of the Synods Auxiliaries
1917
1930
1940
1942
1943
LLL founded in
Milwaukee
First broadcast of
The Lutheran Hour
LLL opens first

international ministry
center (Philippines)
LWML founded in
Chicago
LWML publishes first

issue of Lutheran
Womans Quarterly
12
nform
PHOTOS: THE LUTHERAN WITNESS, LUTHERAN HOUR MINISTRIES, LUTHERAN WOMENS

MISSIONARY LEAGUE, CONCORDIA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE, ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
workers and their widows and orphans.

The interest from this endowment fund
continues to help retired church workers
today as the LCMS Veterans of the
Cross Fund.
LHM currently has ministry

centers run by local staff
in 34 countries. These
centers carry out LHMs
mission of Bringing Christ
to the Nations and the
Nations to the Church.
Next, the LLL turned its focus to
supporting Gospel proclamation through the
establishment of KFUO Radio and equipping
laymen to serve the Church. In 1930, it began
a weekly radio program called The Lutheran
Hour, which is now the longest-running
Christian outreach broadcast in the world,

airing on 1,400 stations across the United
States and Canada.
Today, the LLL carries out media
outreach through Lutheran Hour
Ministries (LHM) in St. Louis. LHM
currently has ministry centers run by local
staff in 34 countries. These centers carry
out LHMs mission of Bringing Christ
to the Nations and the Nations to the
Church through mass media ministries,
including radio and TV programming,
the Internet, dramas, music, Bible
Correspondence Courses, printed materials
and other culturally relevant programs.
LHM provides a significant and highprofile voice for the Gospel and the LCMS,
said LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew
C. Harrison. Rev. Gregory Seltz is an
outstanding preacher, and we are blessed as
a church body to have him as the Lutheran
Hour speaker. Additionally, LHM provides
Above: Lutheran Hour Ministries international

ministry work includes holistic outreach. Pictured
here, LHMLebanon cares for Syrian refugee
families in Lebanons Bekaa Valley.
Top: On Pentecost 1959, Dr. Won Yong Ji (right)
confirmed seven adults and baptized six more. This
was the beginning of Immanuel, Seoul, the first
congregation of the Korean Lutheran church.
1945
1948
1952
1967
1971
LWML gives first mission

grant ($15,000 for Christ
Church for the Deaf,
Cleveland, Ohio)
LWML accepts
first international
members
LLL and the LCMS

create first Lutheran
TV show (This Is
the Life)
First LWML Sunday

celebrated
LWML publishes first

Mustard Seeds
mini-Bible studies
for women employed
outside of the home
13
Medicine. Bibles. Church

buildings. Respite for
missionary families. Care
for the disabled and
orphaned. These are just
a few of the many projects
in 42 countries that the
LWML has supported with
its mighty mites during
its 72-year history.
p LWML members tie lap quilts for
distribution to shut-in members of
St. Peter Lutheran Church, Vincennes, Ind.
Lutheran Womens
Missionary League
In July 1942, just weeks after World War IIs
Battle of Midway, more than 100 women
from 15 LCMS districts met in Chicago for
the inaugural convention of the LWML. This
new national womens organization was
more than a decade in the making.
The mission of the organization,
delegates agreed, was to assist each
woman of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri
Synod in affirming her relationship with
the Triune God so that she is enabled to
use her gifts in ministry to the people of the
world. An important component of this
was to gather funds for mission projects not
covered by the Synods budget.
The LWML encouraged its members to
save their pennies, nickels and dimes in
Mite Boxes, a practice that was common
among Lutheran women in the 1900s.
Through these voluntary offerings, the
LWML has provided more than $100 million

for Christian outreach at home and abroad.
Medicine. Bibles. Church buildings.
Respite for missionary families. Care for the
disabled and orphaned. These are just a few
of the many projects in 42 countries that
the LWML has supported with its mighty
mites during its 72-year history.
We are truly blessed by the LWML,
said Harrison. The LWML offers profound
encouragement in Christ for thousands of
women of the Missouri Synod. Through
a simple device called a Mite Box, these
faithful women have provided millions
of dollars for the proclamation of the
Gospel and the advance of the Lutheran
church all over the world. The organization
encourages women to learn leadership
skills, while deepening their knowledge of
and joy in Christ.
What Is an Auxiliary?
Learn more about Lutheran Hour
Has a membership made up of

baptized members of LCMS or
partner church congregations.
(Bylaw 6.1.2.1)
Ministries: www.lhm.org
Learn more about the Lutheran Womens
Missionary League: www.lwml.org
The Synods two auxiliaries have a

special relationship with the LCMS that
is like none other. The 2013 Handbook
of the Synod states that an auxiliary:
Is national in scope and voluntary
in membership;
Identifies with the Synod but is not
part of the Synods constitutional
structure;
Operates with freedom and selfdetermination as a ministry, while
complying with Synod Bylaws;
Coordinates plans and programs
with those of the Synod through
regular sharing and contact;
Is classified as a 501(c)(3)
organization; and
1987
1992
1993
1995
2009
LWML adopts first

$1 million mission goal
LLL establishes Lutheran

Hour Ministries (LHM) as
the overall identity for its
outreach programs
First broadcast of
LHMs Woman
to Woman radio
program
LHM begins
broadcasting its
On Main Street
TV program
LHM begins the Mens

NetWork
14
PHOTOS: LUTHERAN WOMENS MISSIONARY LEAGUE
a Gospel voice worldwide in many far-flung

places. The reach is astounding.
WITNESS MOMENT
Pastor Deus Medard, of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in Tanzania, performs a Baptism.
Synod & Tanzania Lutherans
Partner to Spread the Gospel
nform
PHOTOS: LCMS MID-SOUTH DISTRICT, ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
by Roger Drinnon
At nearly 20,000 feet above sea level,
Tanzanias Mount Kilimanjaro is the
highest point in Africa, and not too far from
its peaks, theres a high point for LCMS
international partnership efforts.
Through a 12-year partnership with the
LCMS Mid-South District, one Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT)
diocese grew into two, and now a growing
number of clergy for the newest diocese
receive theological training with the help
of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, Ind.
The Mid-South District began a
relationship with the East of Lake Victoria
Diocese (ELVD) of the Lutheran church in
Tanzania in 2002 at the recommendation of
the mission board of the LCMS, said Bob
Allen, the districts mission director. The
focus of this partnership was an evangelism
effort to the Sukuma people of the Lake
Victoria region.
An estimated 60 percent of the Sukuma
tribes roughly 5-8 million members hold
to indigenous pagan beliefs. Yet tens of
thousands have been receptive to the
Gospel, which the Mid-South District
helped deliver, in part, by providing Bibles
translated into Kiswahili (Swahili), the
official language of Tanzania.
In recent years, the number of
churches and sub-congregations in the
region went from 120 to 372; seven more
mission training centers supported by
the district were added; the number of
ordained clergy grew from 25 to 45; and,
most notably, the number of baptized
Christians in the diocese increased from

37,500 to over 100,000.
From the growth of the ELVD and
because of its size in land mass, the diocese
was split into two dioceses in the fall of 2012
the ELVD and the South East of Lake
Victoria Diocese (SELVD), said Allen. In
May 2014, Pastor Emmanuel Makala was
consecrated as bishop of the new diocese.
As a result of mission work by LCMS
missionaries from neighboring Kenya and
short-term mission trips sponsored by the
Mid-South District, Bishop Emmanuel
Makala was led to seek further theological
education in the LCMS, said the Rev. Dr.
Timothy Quill, director of Theological
Education for the Synods Office of
International Mission (OIM). Quill also is a
professor and dean of International Studies
at the seminary in Fort Wayne.
In his OIM role, Quill works with the
Rev. Dr. Albert Collver III, LCMS director
of Church Relations and director of
Regional Operations for the OIM, and with
OIM regional directors and the Synods
seminaries. In 2012, Collver met with
the Mid-South District and worked out a
partnership in which funds were raised
to enable Makala to enter the Doctor of
Ministry program at Concordia Theological
Seminary. Makala has now completed all of
his course work and is nearing completion
of his dissertation as a result of district
mission work and the Synods Global
Seminary Initiative coming together.
At Makalas request, Quill and others from
the Fort Wayne seminary helped establish
a two-year pilot program to train about 30

pastors and deaconesses. Some Fort Wayne
seminary faculty members also helped write
a 16-course curriculum for the school.
The city of Shinyanga is a two-anda-half-hour drive south of Lake Victoria.
Another 45 minutes drive into the bush
takes you to the Bishop Makala Training
Center. The school provides a two-year
residential program, training leaders for
the fast-growing SELVD, said Quill. Most
of the classes are taught by visiting LCMS
professors. The first graduation will take
place in March of 2015, and plans are
underway for a new class in the fall of 2015.
Both Allen and Quill are in awe, as the
Holy Spirit works in the region.
What we have seen in Tanzania during
the years of this partnership has been a
tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit
that is leading people to respond to the
Word in a way that is experienced in few
places in the world today, said Allen.
Roger Drinnon is the manager of editorial
services for LCMS Communications.
Learn more: www.lcms.org/tanzania
Mount Kilimanjaro
15
nform
Recognized Service Organizations:
PHOTO: DIGITAL VISION/THINKSTOCK
Walking Together
to Bear Mercy
by Melanie Ave
To Pastor Donald Wilke, it made perfect
sense.
It was the early 2000s, and he was
the chaplain at the Good Shepherd
Community, which provides a full range
of care for older adults at two Minnesota
locations, Sauk Rapids and Becker. The
nonprofit organization is a Recognized
Service Organization (RSO) of The Lutheran
ChurchMissouri Synod (LCMS).
At the time, Wilke held chapel services
every Sunday at Good Shepherd, which
16
about 100 people regularly attended. But he

had an idea. So he went to Good Shepherd
CEO Bruce Glanzer and its board of
directors with a question.
With 450 people living on campus, why
not start an LCMS church on-site at Good
Shepherd?
The Lutheran Church of the Good
Shepherd was established in 2003 at
Good Shepherd in Sauk Rapids. It is
believed to be the only LCMS congregation
located at a long-term care center.
RSOs serve by showing

the mercy and compassion
of Christ.
Deaconess Dorothy Krans,
director, LCMS Recognized Service
Organizations (RSOs)
The church on a Sunday morning is

full, Glanzer said. We have to remove
dividers in the back just to make room for
everybody.
Good Shepherd is but one of the many
examples of LCMS RSOs doing good
works, said Deaconess Dorothy Krans,
director of LCMS RSOs.
Its been such a blessing for the
residents because many people in that
age group have been worshiping their whole
life, and they are no longer able to go to
church, she said. They can now take part
in it just like at their home congregations.
Its such a blessing for that facility.
EXTENDING MERCY, LOVE

RSOs independent nonprofit
organizations extend the mission and
ministry of the LCMS. The LCMS currently
has more than 320 RSOs working in
various areas, including ethnic ministries,
youth, disabilities, retreat centers, aging,
counseling, veterans, education and
immigration.
When an organization receives RSO status,
after an application and review process,
it agrees to foster the LCMS mission

and ministry and to act in harmony
with LCMS doctrine and practices.
Organizations must re-apply every five
years to retain their status. RSOs have the
ability to call ordained and commissioned
ministers on the LCMS roster, use the
LCMS logo, participate in the Concordia
Health Plan and obtain loans through the
Lutheran Church Extension Fund.
RSOs, Krans said, help the LCMS extend
its reach by offering mercy and love to
meet the needs of those who are suffering,
poor, sick or lonely. RSOs serve by
showing the mercy and compassion of
Christ, she said.
What Are LCMS Recognized

Service Organizations?
SERVING CHILDREN AND

FAMILIES IN NORTH DAKOTA
Issue calls for ordained and

commissioned ministers on the LCMS
roster;
To extend its mission outreach, education

and social ministry, the LCMS works with
independent nonprofit organizations
known as Recognized Service
Organizations (RSOs). Organizations
granted RSO status agree to foster the
LCMS mission and ministry and to act
in harmony with LCMS doctrine and
practices. RSOs operate ministry programs
that reach out with mercy and love to help
those who are suffering, poor, sick or lonely
by addressing human, social, economic,
educational and spiritual needs.
LCMS RSOs can:
For another LCMS RSO, the Dakota Boys

and Girls Ranch in North Dakota, helping
children and their families is at the heart
of what it does.
Established in 1952 as a mission of
the LCMS North Dakota District to serve
neglected and deprived boys, the ranch
is now the largest Lutheran social-service
agency in the state.
Use the LCMS logo;

Apply for loans through the Lutheran
Church Extension Fund;
Seek LCMS grants;
Participate in the Concordia Health Plan;
and
Participate in the LCMS Group
Purchasing Agreement.
Established in 1952 as
a mission of the LCMS
North Dakota District,
the Dakota Boys and
Girls Ranch is now
the largest Lutheran
social-service agency
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO/THINKSTOCK
PHOTO: DAKOTA BOYS AND GIRLS RANCH
in the state.
17
t Children from the Dakota
PHOTO: DAKOTA BOYS AND GIRLS RANCH
Boys and Girls Ranchs

Bismarck, N.D., campus
write what they are most
thankful for on a paper
hands tree.
Each day, the ranch serves 107 boys and

girls ages 10 to 18. It offers residential and
shelter care on its main campus in Minot,
N.D.; a residential program in Bismarck,
N.D.; and residential programs in Fargo. It
also serves children in grades four through
12 in day-treatment programs offered
through its private, nationally accredited
Dakota Memorial School.
When the agency celebrated its 60th
anniversary in 2012, it had served 30,000
children in 36 states throughout its history.
Our mission is to serve at-risk children
and their families in the name of Christ,
said Gene Kaseman, Dakota Boys and Girls
Ranch president. We are truly faith-based.
It is that approach, he said, that greatly
improves the ranchs success. For every
child who comes to the ranch, he or she
receives four evaluations, one of which is a
spiritual assessment.
The Lutheran understanding of Law and
Gospel determining right from wrong
and forgiving others permeates the
ranchs approach with children, many of
whom are seeking services at a low point in
their lives, Kaseman said.
The faith-based approach makes a big
impact, he said, adding, It gives us some
greatly improved outcomes.
In the 1980s, one of the teen boys the
ranch served was Ian Harr. Some 30 years
later, Harr sent a letter of gratitude to
Kaseman and the ranch for helping him.
Despite the troubled times that brought
him to the ranch, Harr explained in his
letter, he found a caring and nurturing
environment, and he began a spiritual
18
journey, thanks in large part to the ranchs

chaplain. Harr was led to Christ and today
describes himself as an active Christian in
my community church.
After leaving the ranch, Harr said he
finished high school, graduated from
college, and became a certified public
accountant and vice-president of a publicly
traded international real estate services
company.
I now have a daughter of my own who
is about the same age now that I was when I
was in Minot, and I take pride in being able
to teach her some of the same life lessons
I learned at the ranch, such as honesty,
integrity and the value of working hard
toward a goal, he wrote. I cannot express
the depth of my gratitude to the ranch.
HELPING OLDER ADULTS IN

MINNESOTA
Good Shepherd Community is sponsored
by 17 LCMS congregations, which also
provide representatives to the organizations
board of directors.
At Good Shepherds Sauk Rapids
facilities, located on 30 acres, some 600
people are served. It offers a wide range
of care for the elderly, ranging from
independent living to a skilled nursing
facility. Its on-site church is but one of the
RSOs attributes.
In 2007, Good Shepherd opened a
second location in Becker, which offers
69 units of apartments, assisted living and
memory-care units. It is attached to Grace
Lutheran Church by a community center,
which is shared.
Glanzer said all services at both Good

Shepherd locations are provided from a
Christian perspective, addressing a persons
mind, body and spirit.
In 2011, Good Shepherd revamped its
entire approach in its skilled nursing rooms.
It converted from an institutional model to a
household model.
It now has 154 private rooms, with their
own private bathrooms, and only four
shared rooms. The rooms are divided into
eight households with their own individual
decor to better resemble a persons private
home. Each household has its own nursing
team, dining room, kitchen and spa.
Instead of a set breakfast time for all
residents, they can now choose to eat
between 7:30 and 9 a.m. Bath time is when
the residents prefer it.
We went from a set routine to patientcentered care, Glanzer said. We used
to say Tuesday at 2 is bath time. Today,
its, When would you like your bath, Mrs.
Jones? We work it in. We now have some
people who want it in the morning. Some
people say, I sleep better at night. Can I
have it in the evening?
Glanzer said Good Shepherds shift to
a household model is a career highlight
for him.
People dont like to be in a nursing
facility, he said, but if you need to be in
one, this is the place you want to be.
Melanie Ave is a staff writer and the
social media coordinator for LCMS
Communications.
Learn more: www.lcms.org/rso
MERCY MOMENT
Partnering
in Mercy
nform
From the visionary
leadership of board
members who
are LCMS to the
hospitality shown by
local congregations,
the LCMS is an integral
part of our mission as
Lutherans to welcome the
stranger in Christs name. Together the
LCMS and LIRS have brought a Christcentered perspective to ministry with
new Americans, created new programs
and resources, engaged congregations in
life-changing mercy work and influenced
systemic change.
by Melanie Ave
Mercy. It is what connects the LCMS to

three independent Lutheran organizations
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service, Lutheran Services in America and
Lutheran World Relief.
The LCMS has a special partnership with
these organizations and provides annual
grants to each one, allowing the LCMS to
extend its reach and to walk together with
them in bearing mercy.
The Rev. John Fale, associate executive
director of LCMS Mercy Operations, said
the LCMS and the three organizations
complement one anothers strengths and
weaknesses. The organizations have unique
capacities that go beyond the realm of the LCMS.
The LCMS, Fale said, values its collaborative relationships with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Lutheran Services
in America and Lutheran World Relief.
Mercy is at the heart of what they do,
he said. Thats really the connection. Our
proclamation accompanies the mercy
component that they bring.
Heres a bit of information about each
organization, its annual funding from the
LCMS and what each chief executive has to
say about working with the LCMS:
PHOTOS: ISTOCK, LUTHERAN SERVICES IN AMERICA,LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND

REFUGEE SERVICE (LIRS)
$140,000
Linda Hartke, president and CEO of Lutheran

Immigration and Refugee Service
Because of our deep and abiding

relationship with The Lutheran
ChurchMissouri Synod, Lutheran
Services in America is a thriving
network of Lutheran social-ministry
organizations that touches one in
every 50 Americans with Gods love
and mercy each year. Together we
extend Gods mercy here in the
United States serving homeless
youth, vulnerable seniors, the
unemployed, those displaced by
natural disaster, the chemically
addicted, the medically fragile and
many others in communities across
the country. The Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod is a guiding force, a
partner in faith and a critical ally as
we expand the reach of Gods love
and mercy to His most vulnerable.
Charlotte Haberaecker, president and
CEO of Lutheran Services in America
LWR deeply
values our
partnership
with the
LCMS. Working
together in the
ministry of mercy,
we are able to help
so many of our brothers
and sisters around the world who are
suffering. It is thanks, in part, to this
partnership that LWR was able to reach
7.8 million people in 35 countries
in 2013 and deliver $14.3 million
worth of quilts and kits to more than
841,000 people. The Lutheran Malaria
Initiative is a wonderful example of
cooperation.
Daniel Speckhard, president and
CEO of Lutheran World Relief
Founded in 1939 and based in Baltimore,

LIRS is the second-largest refugee
resettlement agency in the United States. It
is nationally recognized for its leadership
in advocating for refugees, asylum-seekers,
unaccompanied children, immigrants in
detention, families fractured by migration
and other vulnerable populations and for
providing services to migrants through
over 60 grassroots legal and social-service
partners across the United States.
LUTHERAN SERVICES IN
AMERICA (LSA) $140,000
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF

(LWR) $630,418
Based in Washington, D.C., Lutheran

Services in America is a nationwide
network of more than 300 Lutheran health
and human services organizations. LSA
members serve a broad range of people
children, youth and families, seniors, people
with disabilities, veterans, the homeless
and those recovering from disasters and
provide a spectrum of services.
Lutheran World Relief in Baltimore works

to improve the lives of smallholder farmers
and people experiencing poverty in Africa,
Asia and Latin America, both in times of
emergencies and for the long term. With
the financial support of U.S. Lutherans
and other donors, LWR strengthens
communities through programs in
agriculture, climate and emergency support.
Learn more: www.lirs.org
Learn more: www.lutheranservices.org
Learn more: www.lwr.org
19
GIVE GRACIOUSLY, GIVE GLOBALLY

DEC. 2, 2014
The LCMS is joining in
Giving Tuesday a day
set aside for giving back
with a special effort to increase
the capacity of its Global
Mission Fund. Gifts to the Global
Mission Fund are immediately directed
wherever they are needed most in the world
to carry out the churchs Witness, Mercy,
Life Together ministry. You can help.
Giving Tuesday
www.lcms.org/GivingTuesday
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one
another, as good stewards of Gods varied grace.
1 Peter 4:10 ESVV
#GivingTuesday
THE WITTENBERG PROJECT
is restoring a place
where Lutherans and especially those who dont
yet know our Savior Jesus Christ can gather,
learn and confess. Now your Bible study, mens or
womens fellowship or other church group can join
The Wittenberg Projects Reformation 500 Club!
} Commit to raising just $500 over the course of the coming year.
} It could be through group offerings, bake sales or a designated donation
you decide!
} Submit photos and stories to the LCMS at www.thewittenbergproject.org.
Make The Wittenberg Project YOUR groups outreach project for 2014-2015!
Visit www.thewittenbergproject.org for more details.
nvolve
STEWARDS CORNER
Cutting
designate your gift here
Unnecessary Costs
year ago, I wrote an article about deployable dollars

(Lutherans Engage the World, September-October
2013 issue). November is Stewardship Month in the
LCMS, so lets take a look at how we are doing at stewarding
donations for the sake of deployable dollars.
Two years ago, giving to

the Global Mission Fund was
promoted as a new, efficient
way to support our Synods
Witness, Mercy, Life Together
work. We made a commitment
to steward your gifts wisely,
and we strive to maximize
the deployable portion of
every gift.
Thousands of people
across the LCMS combined
their gifts through the Global
Mission Fund last fiscal year
and supplied more than $4
million in agile, immediately
deployable mission funding.
Im pleased to share that
the fundraising costs for the
Global Mission Fund were
nearly 5 percent lower than
other, more restricted giving
options. Only unrestricted
gifts to the Synod cost less to
solicit and acknowledge.
Those precious Global

Mission Fund gifts
supplemented more tightly
restricted dollars and allowed
our national and international
mission teams to adequately
fund urgent and effective
work. If a project didnt have
sufficient designated funds
to initiate or continue work,
leaders were able to draw
from the Global Mission Fund!
Were learning because you
joyfully responded to the
idea of giving Synod workers
the chance to collaboratively
utilize a unique type of
donation to fund boardapproved work!
But there is more we can do
together to be wise stewards of
the Gospel using the blessings
God entrusts to us.
When Gods people in the
LCMS donate to the vital
national and international

work of the Synod, we often
see checks made payable to
specific programs or even
certain funds. The problem
is that this requires extra
processing steps, and the
extra steps increase our bank
fees, which are charged as
fundraising expenses.
If, starting today, each gift
sent to us would be made
payable to The LCMS (or
The Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod) and the
designation of the gift (Global
Mission Fund, for example)
was instead written on the
memo line, donors could help
save the Synod as much as
$40,000 in annual bank fees!
We could push those saved
dollars out to do meaningful
mission work. Under a
multimillion-dollar budget,
$40,000 may not sound like
all that much money, but the
principle stewardship is
at stake.
Last year, the Synods
fundraising overhead, as
reported to the Board of
Directors, was 13.3 percent,
and only 9.6 percent of all
donations (if district support

is included). While either is a
respectable percentage, we can
do better. It requires that we
work together. We pray you will
continue to walk with us on this
important stewardship journey.
Were learning to better
manage every single gift we
receive. We actively solicit
the kinds of gifts that cost less
to raise and manage without
compromising work in the field.
We are making hard choices
on your behalf to maximize
the impact you can have on
peoples lives through the
Gospel. And were nowhere
near finished with shifting to
best-practice fundraising. I like
the stewardship path were on,
and I pray you do too.
Im eager to hear your
thoughts and continue the
conversation. Drop me a note at
LutheransEngage@lcms.org.
In Christ,
Mark Hofman
Mark Hofman, CFRE, MBA, is

the executive director of LCMS
Mission Advancement.
Giving Tips
You can help us minimize required fundraising
and administrative overhead! Heres how:
1. Talk to us! Help
2. Make gifts payable to The
LCMS Mission
Advancement
understand the
kinds of things you
like and want to
support.
LCMS (or The Lutheran

ChurchMissouri Synod),
and use the memo line on
checks (or a note) to restrict
your gift for a specific ministry,
missionary or project.
3. If you dont use a checkbook, make gifts using any of these methods:
Make a secure donation using a major credit or debit card at www.lcms.
org/givenow or by calling our Donor Care Line at 888-930-4438.
Use your bank or credit unions online bill payment feature. This also is a
great option for setting up recurring gifts or making regular payments to
fulfill a pledge!
Complete forms available from Mission Advancement to have gifts
automatically withdrawn from your account using electronic funds
transfer (EFT).
21
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Burlington, WI
Permit No. 12
YO U C AN H ELP B RI N G
H ISTO RY TO LI FE .
The script is ready to go, casting is done and filming is underway for the first documentary about the
life of Dr. Rosa Jinsey Young the mother of black Lutheranism in central Alabama. Born in an
ordinary town in rural Alabama, Young was anything but ordinary. She was instrumental in founding
and promoting 30 Lutheran elementary schools and 35 Lutheran congregations in Alabamas Black
Belt. Its time to hear her full story.
The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod is producing a movie about Young that will enlighten the
church about her remarkable history, encourage a new generation of professional church workers and
inspire the establishment of new Rosa J. Young Academies, an educational process to start new schools
in the LCMS using the same model Young used in starting Lutheran schools all across Alabama.
Learn how you and your

congregation can be a part of
supporting this mission and telling this
story at www.lcms.org/thefirstrosa.

2014 Lutherans Engage The World - November - October

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2014 Lutherans Engage The World - November - October

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Lutherans

ENGAGE the WORLD

ENGAGE the WORLD

Radically Free to Serve

It is both bane and blessing to serve in the

Doing More Together

Auxiliaries: Helping Extend the Gospel

Synod & Tanzania Lutherans Partner to Spread the Gospel

RSOs: Walking Together to Bear Mercy

Cutting Unnecessary Costs

The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

designate your gift here

executive director, mission advancement

LCMS Communications department. Bane, in that we

Cover image: Shara Cunningham,

n the midst of the Galatians controversy

Over the past decade and a half, as Ive

neighbor. We self-impose limits for the sake

PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

by Pamela J. Nielsen with H.R. Curtis

PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

hildren to baptize. Newcomers

We know the struggles that pastors and

t A child is baptized at Ascension Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Mo.

Christians who understand

Rev. H.R. Curtis

One key concept for LCMS Stewardship

monthly newsletter articles and a monthly

a variety of other events. The focus is on

p Participants sing during a worship service at

t The Rev. James Rust participates in a worship

Showing & Sharing

what is Law and what is Gospel, what is sin and

Describe your work in Ghana.

What prepared you for this work?

As a network-supported missionary (NSM),

What is the most extraordinary form

How does the Synod support you as

What is most challenging about your

What has surprised you about your

What do you miss from home?

What advice do you have for people

Megan K. Mertz is a staff writer for LCMS

PHOTOS: DALE KASTER

with the Rev.

Were willing and ready to go out

PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

the Gospel, people say, Really?

Church and Community Engagement

PHOTO: JASON GULLIDGE

during a break in the vacation Bible

Beating the bushes is easy,

When the Rev. Doug Evenson

The congregation made a

groups who knock on doors, he

Lets partner. Lets reach

Our need for funds to assist church workers has

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

closed. Then the church started

Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez

Pastor Dominguez, Gullidge

Taking Care of Church Workers

nother opportunity for collaboration involves

t A child is baptized at Ascension Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Mo.

p Participants sing during a worship service at

t The Rev. James Rust participates in a worship

Learn more: www.lcms.org/

Learn more about Lutheran Hour

RSOs serve by showing

Issue calls for ordained and

Use the LCMS logo;

t Children from the Dakota