wfn.org | [LCMSNews] COP explores post-church culture

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

>       
>       
>       
>       
>3.11.2010              
>       LCMS News               
>       

>THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod             
>       

        

        March 11, 2010 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 24

COP explores post-church culture, hosts AALC reps

>By Roland Lovstad

While the institutional church wrestles with worship forms, a new
generation is just as likely to consider "church" to be coffee at
Starbucks or a breakfast gathering with members of their tight-knit
Christian community.

Those emerging Christians seek to be disciples of Christ, but don't
always see it necessary to walk through church doors to do it, said Rev.
Anthony Cook, who spoke to a session of the LCMS Council of Presidents
(COP) during its Feb. 20-23 meeting in St. Louis. Cook said that many
emerging Christians have "a lot of apathy for institution and hierarchy"
and regard institutional forms of the church to be ineffective and
unworkable.

As part of its "Ecclesiastical Leadership in a Post-church Culture"
working theme, the COP heard Cook, an assistant professor of practical
theology and director of distance curricula at Concordia Seminary, St.
Louis, and a presentation by staff of Carmel Lutheran Church in Carmel,
Ind., which has planted four congregations and formed two satellite
ministries since 1989.

The council also hosted four pastors from the American Association of
Lutheran Churches (AALC) and continued its discussion of worship. The
COP heard reports on the Synod restructure process, an instrument for
clergy assessment, and pending recommendations on licensed deacons.
During the first day of its meetings, the council reviewed fundamentals
of employment and intellectual property law, in a session led by staff
from Thompson Coburn LLP, the Synod's legal counsel.

A "Gen X-er" born in 1968, Cook said that while the church continues to
reach out to Baby Boomers, it also needs to speak to the next
demographic in the "mixed economy" of post-modern Christianity. "The
next generation isn't non-religious, just religiously different," he
said.

This new generation of emerging Christians is interested in deep
personal relationships, ancient traditions, mystery, and cultural
relevance -- and they are interested in matters of faith, he added.

"Instead of using objective truth and denominationalism as the first
part [of your conversation], you stand back," Cook advised. "Start where
we are -- as men and women who have been impacted by the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Instead of reasoning from the objective to the subjective, do it
the other way around. It is a matter of relying on God to be God."

Cook said rapid change cannot be an excuse to do nothing. "Our
institution is about to hit the iceberg," he added. "If we allow this
generation to be lost, no one is going to visit you when you are sick.
If you haven't cared about my faith, will there be anyone to care for
you?"

Cook offered several challenges to the council: find ways to reach small
groups of believers even if they may never become an organized
congregation; create a new "scorecard" for acknowledging new forms of
"church"; invest in indigenous expressions of faith; embrace spiritual
over institutional leadership models; explore a network model of church
organization; form "safe places" to talk about personal faith; put the
Body of Christ before the denomination; and make the institution
"support the people and not the other way around."

In describing their church-planting model, the staff of Carmel Lutheran
Church, led by Rev. Luther Brunette, said the congregation undertook a
process to answer, "What can we be the very best at?" It arrived at
discipleship -- "bringing people from where they are to be the very best
at being like Jesus."

The congregation's voters meeting adopts a "blueprint for ministry"
annually. Brunette said, "When you are constantly teaching and preaching
about it, it helps give the vision of where we want to go."

In addition to planting four congregations in the region, Carmel
Lutheran added a second worship facility on its campus for "a church
within a church" with intentional contemporary worship. This fall it
will begin a campaign to form a satellite congregation in a nearby
community, as well as partnering with one of its "daughter"
congregations to begin a ministry in a redeveloping area of
Indianapolis.

Rev. Daniel Schumm, who leads the discipleship ministry, said the
congregation refocused from membership to discipleship. He said
membership can lead to an "attitude of entitlement" or "having arrived"
and an excuse to do nothing. By emphasizing discipleship, the
congregation builds an attitude that the believer serves Jesus and
others while continuing to grow spiritually.

Schumm said the congregation emphasizes worship, Bible study, and
service. "Disciples are asked for a two-hour weekend commitment -- an
hour of worship and an hour of Bible study," he said. Brunette added
that two-thirds of those who attend worship also attend one of the 10
weekend Bible studies. Every person takes a discovery inventory, which
helps to connect them to service ministries in the congregation and in
the community.

Dr. Glen Thomas, executive director of the Board for Pastoral Education
(BPE), reported to the council on progress of the Perceptions of
Ministry Inventory (PMI). The inventory is a project of the COP, BPE,
and the two LCMS seminaries to gather congregational leaders'
perceptions of ministry activities offered by pastors who have graduated
from the seminary two and five years previously.

This spring, the project will send the inventory to 850 congregations
where the pastor and seven congregational leaders will complete the PMI
and provide additional data designed to validate the PMI for future use.
The inventory results in 19 different scores of knowledge, skills, and
interpersonal traits. It is nearly identical to the Vicarage Evaluation
Instrument that has been used to provide perceptions of more than 2,000
vicars at both LCMS seminaries over the past 12 years.

Results of the PMI will inform the seminaries' pastoral formation
processes and assist pastors in identifying their perceived personal
strengths and areas for growth. Thomas said additional studies of data
accumulated during the coming years may identify characteristics that
contribute to effective ministry in various kinds of parishes.

Thomas also reported the progress of a task force that is studying the
current situation of licensed deacons, who provide ministry in
situations where a pastor is not available. Requested by the 2007 LCMS
convention, the task force will issue its report and recommendations to
the convention that meets this July.

In comments to the COP, AALC Presiding Pastor Rev. Franklin Hays
reported that the church body is working with approximately 70
congregations that have voted to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America after its convention vote to allow gays and lesbians who are
in committed same-sex relationships to serve as pastors. Hays said he
expects six to 10 congregations will join the AALC before its convention
in June.

Accompanying Hays were three of the church body's five regional pastors
-- equivalent to LCMS district presidents. The AALC was formed in 1988
by congregations that chose not to join the newly formed ELCA. The AALC
and LCMS declared altar and pulpit fellowship at their respective
conventions in 2007.

Hays spoke of the AALC respect and appreciation for LCMS theology,
saying, "We are blessed to have an association with you." He added that
the LCMS has the ability "to make a difference" in North America.
"You've got to carry the ball," he said.

In formal action, the COP adopted guidelines for congregations that want
to interview seminary candidates before placing a call for
associate/assistant pastors. The council also approved the placement of
43 Ministers of Religion-Commissioned candidates, five pastoral
candidates, and six vicars.

The district presidents reported 279 congregations calling for sole
pastors, 36 for senior pastors, and 58 for assistant or associate
pastors. They reported 342 permanent vacancies and 219 congregations
that were temporarily not issuing calls for a pastor.

Roland Lovstad is a freelance writer and a member of Immanuel Lutheran
Church, Perryville, Mo.

>****************************************

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

>****************************************

>       
>       

This Edition of "LCMS News" e-News is provided
by:

Board for Communication Services, Division of News and Information

Contact Editor

<http://www.lcms.org/enews/contact_editor.asp?title=LCMS%20News&editori d
=6> 
        

This LCMS e-News message comes from a "Send Only" mailbox that
does not recognize replies. To reply to this message, please click on
"Contact Editor" above.

>_____

To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this Newsletter and many others,
please visit LCMS e-News <http://www.lcms.org/enews> .
Share this Newsletter <http://www.lcms.org/enews/forward.asp?m=8553
with a Friend.  
MessageId=8553 UserId=10073

>_____

© 2002 - 2008 The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod  <http://www.lcms.org/
.
No reproduction without consent. All rights reserved.