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[LCMSNews] Synod welcomes 94 new congregations


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Date Wed, 23 Jun 2004 17:39:53 -0500

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	June 23, 2004 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 55

	LCMS welcomes most new congregations in 15 years

	By Paula Schlueter Ross

	The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod welcomed 94 new
congregations in 2003 -- 10 more than the previous year and the most in
at least 15 years, according to Dr. Robert Scudieri, associate executive
director, national mission team, for LCMS World Mission. In fact, he
said, the average is "about 60" for each year in the past decade.

	Almost two-thirds of the new congregations -- 62 -- are among
non-white ethnic groups, according to Scudieri. Although "Anglos," with
32 new congregations, make up the largest single ethnic group, 24 of the
congregations are Hispanic and 15 are made up of African immigrants from
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia and Sudan. Eleven of the new congregations
are Asian, and include worshipers from India, Pakistan, Burma, Cambodia,
Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The remainder are made up of people from
Mormon, multicultural and Muslim backgrounds.

	Scudieri emphasized that the new congregations are "Word and
sacrament missions," not ministries such as Bible studies or English
classes, although the latter are often "a first step" to beginning a new
congregation, he said.

	The Florida-Georgia District reported the highest number of new
starts of the Synod's 35 districts. Nine of its 14 new congregations are
non-white, with five Hispanic and four African immigrant. Moreover,
almost all of those new congregations were started by existing
congregations, rather than district-office administrators, which is
significant, according to Scudieri.

	"More and more LCMS churches are taking this kind of initiative
and starting new missions," he said. "We're going back to the way we
used to do it."

	Prior to World War II, congregations started other
congregations, Scudieri said. Later on, LCMS districts took charge of
church planting and continued to make the decisions for decades.

	Now, with tightening budgets and the realization that
congregations are more knowledgeable about the mission opportunities in
their own backyards, districts are encouraging their congregations to
reach out on their own, he said.

	"Missions is truly job one" in the Florida-Georgia District,
according to Rev. Doug Kallesen, executive director of outreach for the
district. With so many people moving into the area, Kallesen says, there
are "a lot of opportunities" for outreach.

	The district has its own outreach committee, which looks for
opportunities to plant churches, then works with local congregations to
make it happen. In fact, seven of the nine congregations started this
year were started by existing congregations, as "mother-daughter"
plants, he said.

	Florida-Georgia also commits a majority of its budget -- about
60 percent -- to missions, and makes more than $1 million a year
available for "mission grants" to its congregations.

	The Florida-Georgia District also is intentionally
"multicultural" in outreach, Kallesen says: "We want to reflect the
community in which we live."

	Multicultural and non-white ethnic congregations are a blessing
to the Missouri Synod, says Scudieri, because immigrant churches
generally "have taken the initiative more so than Anglos in starting new
missions."

	As an example, Scudieri points to Christ Assembly Lutheran
Church, Staten Island, N.Y., a congregation of African immigrants that
has started 10 congregations in eight years.

	Christ Assembly Pastor Philip Saywrayne says he and other
African immigrants have adopted a goal of reaching out to 500,000 people
in the Northeast United States as part of the Ablaze! emphasis.

	"Our ministry is responding to the Great Commission of our Lord
Jesus Christ," Saywrayne explained. And, he added, members are excited
about Ablaze! "That's why we are going about developing congregations
and reaching out to people," he said.

	Many Africans "have come through extreme suffering because of
their faith, and they bring a strong commitment and a bold witness to
their faith," Scudieri said. "We are really learning from immigrant
churches how to start new missions."

	Resources are available for those who want to learn more about
church planting, and Scudieri suggests the Center for U.S. Missions in
Irvine, Calif., which offers training for church planters and
congregational leaders, including the Daughter Church Planting Seminar
and the Mission Planters Institute. For information, visit the center's
Web site at www.centerforusmissions.org or call (949) 854-8002, Ext.
1781.

	The Synod's Pentecost 2000 Web site at www.pentecost2000.com
carries descriptions of more than 1,000 cross-cultural ministries, and
includes telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of contact persons who
can supply more information.

	Starting a new congregation doesn't have to be complicated, says
Scudieri. Many start simply, he said, "with a demonstration of Christian
love to a new people."

	****************************************

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

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