NALC News · Steve Dornbusch Joseph Freeman E. McClanahan Eddy Perez Marty Ramey Marshall Hahn ......

Summerall Chapel at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., will host theNALC and Lutheran CORE Convocations and Theological Conference.(Photo by Russ Pace of The Citadel)

NALC NewsN o r t h A m e r i c a n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h J u l y 2 0 1 4

NALC Convocation is July 24-25Convocations and Theological Conference to be at The Citadel

“Standing With...to Withstand” will bethe theme for the 2014 Convocation ofthe North American Lutheran ChurchJuly 24-25 in Charleston, S.C.

The theme is based on Ephesians 6:10-20, where St. Paul describes the wholearmor of God, encouraging followers ofJesus to “put on the whole armor ofGod, that you may be able to withstandin the evil day.”

The Convocation will focus on thepersecution of Christians throughout theworld, and our hope to “stand with”these disciples as they witness to theGospel of Jesus Christ, in spite ofopposition and, in some places,suffering.

The Convocation — which will begin at 8:30 a.m. onThursday, July 24, and conclude at 5 p.m. Friday —will include:

+ Reception of reports and sharing of informationabout the life and ministry of the NALC.

+ Election of persons to open Executive Counciland Court of Adjudication positions.

+ Update on the establishment of the NorthAmerican Lutheran Seminary and the election ofrepresentatives to the NALS Board of Regents.

+ Updates about the discipleship initiative beingundertaken in partnership with The Navigators,together with small-group breakout sessions aboutdiscipleship.

+ A keynote presentation by Robert Brock of Voiceof the Martyrs, a ministry dedicated to supportingpersecuted Christians around the world.

+ Welcoming Bishop Roland Gustafsson and theRev. Bengt Birgersson, General Secretary of theSwedish (Lutheran) Mission Province, who are“Bringing the Gospel Back to Sweden.”

+ Welcome and receive greetings from guests fromthe IKBG — International Christian Network, anecumenical confessional association headquarteredin Germany.

+ Displays which will introduce NALC missions andministries, together with the chance to meet otherNALC members from across North America.

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Don BrandtDonald Allman Lyle Belleque Mark Braaten

Al TowbermanDavid Steffenson

Joseph FreemanSteve Dornbusch

Marty RameyEddy PerezE. McClanahan

Marshall Hahn

Daniel Selbo

Phillip Gagnon

Russell Saltzman

Melinda Jones

16 pastors are nominatedfor NALC Executive CouncilSixteen pastors and three laypeople have been nominated tofill three positions on the NALCExecutive Council.

The 2014 NALC ConvocationJuly 24-25 in Charleston, S.C.,will elect one pastor and one layperson to fill four-year terms onthe Executive Council.

Delegates will also elect a pastorto a three-year term to fill aposition on the ExecutiveCouncil vacated when the Rev.Dr. Amy Schifrin was called tolead the North AmericanLutheran Seminary. Pastor EddyPerez of Miami, Fla., was appointedto fill that position until the 2014NALC Convocation.

The Executive Council functions as the board of directors for theNALC, providing leadership forthe church between the annualConvocations.

Congregations and NALCmembers were asked to submitnominations for the positions tothe Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committeeasked each nominee tocomplete a biographicalinformation form.

The biographical informationprovided by the nominees isavailable for download atwww.thenalc.org.

Continued on Page 3

N A L C N e w s 2 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Stephen Lord Franklin MerrellRichard Jansak

3 lay nominees for Executive CouncilContinued from Page 2

Lay nominees for Executive Council are RichardJansak, Hendersonville, N.C.; Stephen Lord, ofColorado Springs, Colo.; and Franklin Merrell,Salisbury, N.C.

The Nominating Committee has divided the clergynominees for Executive Council into separateslates for the two positions:

Executive Council - Clergy - 3-year term+ Pastor Mark Braaten, Tyler, Texas.+ Pastor Don Brandt, Salem, Ore.+ Pastor Joseph Freeman, Noblesville, Ind.+ Pastor Phillip Gagnon, Edmonton, Alberta+ Pastor Eddy Perez, Miami, Fla.+ Pastor Marty Ramey, Dallas, N.C.+ Pastor Dan Selbo, San Jose, Calif.+ Pastor David Steffenson, Rochester, Minn.

Executive Council - Clergy - 4-year term+ Pastor Donald Allman, Grove City, Ohio.+ Pastor Lyle Belleque, Devils Lake, N.D.+ Pastor Steven Dornbusch, Plymouth, Minn. + Pastor Marshall Hahn, St. Olaf, Iowa.+ Pastor Melinda Jones, North Charleston, S.C.+ Pastor Evan McClanahan, Houston, Texas.+ Pastor Russell Saltzman, Kansas City, Mo.+ Pastor Alden Towberman, Butler, Pa.

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+ Traditional Carolina-style barbeque hosted by theCarolinas Mission District at The Citadel’s Isle ofPalms Beach House on the Atlantic coast onThursday evening.

+ Festive Service of Holy Communion on Fridaymorning with Bishop Gustafsson as preacher.

The NALC Convocation will be preceded by threesignificant gatherings.

Lutheran CORE’s Convocation will meet July 21-22under the theme “Sharing the Hope that is in Us.”The Lutheran CORE Convocation is set to begin at7 p.m. on Monday, July 21. Featured speakersinclude the Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, NALCAssistant to the Bishop for Missions; the Rev. Dr.Walter Sundberg, Professor of Church History atLuther Seminary; and Pastor Stéphane Kalonji ofReformation Lutheran Church, an NALCcongregation in New Bern, N.C.

The annual Theological Conference sponsored bythe NALC and Lutheran CORE is held between the

Convocations. “Rightly Handling the Word of Truth:Scripture, Canon and Creed” is the theme of theconference which begins at 7 p.m. on July 22.

The Women of the NALC Annual Gathering is onWednesday, July 23. This year’s theme is “We areHis Workmanship ... Created for Good Works.”Pastor Heidi Punt is the keynote speaker.

Registration information for all four events was sentto NALC congregations and is available online atwww.thenalc.org. A list of hotels offering discountedrates is also available online.

Live web streamingof Convocations andTheological Conference

There will be live streaming of the sessions of theNALC Convocation, Theological Conference, andLutheran CORE Convocation on the internet. Formore information or to connect to the live stream goto www.thenalc.org.

N A L C N e w s 3 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Donna EvansMari DewWendy BerthelsenTrevor Armstrong

Thomas JacobsonJohn HarmonJeffray GreenePhillip Gagnon

Victor KolchRoger KellerK. Glen JohnsonBen JohnsonBen Johnson

Kris Madsen

Ben Johnson

Mark RymanDieter PuntFranklin Merrell

23 nominated for North AmericanLutheran Seminary Board of Regents

The 2014 NALC ConvocationJuly 24-25 at The Citadel inCharleston, S.C., will elect themembers of the Board ofRegents for the North AmericanLutheran Seminary.

The Convocation will elect ninemembers to a variety of terms toestablish the Board of Regents.

In the future, three members ofthe board will be elected to six-year terms every other year.

Twenty-three people have beennominated for the nine positions.

The establishment of the NorthAmerican Lutheran Seminary was approved by the 2013NALC Convocation. Theproposal calls for a SeminaryCenter at Trinity School forMinistry in Ambridge, Pa., andHouses of Studies to be locatedthroughout North America asneeded.

An interim Board of Regents hasworked with the Rev. Dr. AmySchifrin, Seminary President,and other NALS faculty for thefirst year of the seminary.

The Nominating Committeeasked each nominee tocomplete a biographicalinformation form.

The biographical informationprovided by the nominees isavailable online at thenalc.org.

Continued on Page 5

N A L C N e w s 4 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Paull SpringDonna SmithM. Roy Schwarz

Solveig ZamzowNathan YoderEric Waters

Hans Scherner

James Gale K. Glen Johnson


The Nominating Committeedivided the nominees intoseparate slates based on lengthof term.

Three board members will beelected from each slate ofcandidates:

Board of Regents - 2-year term(Three persons to be elected)+ Donna Evans, Pittsburgh, Pa.+ Pastor Jeffray Greene, Rantoul Ill.+ Pastor John Harmon, Berlin, Pa.+ Pastor Thomas Jacobson, Menno, S.D.+ Pastor Benjamin Johnson, St. Cloud, Minn.+ Pastor K. Glen Johnson, Calgary, Alberta.+ Frank Merrell, Salisbury, N.C.+ Pastor Hans Scherner, Bucyrus, Ohio.+ Bishop Paull Spring, State College, Pa.

Board of Regents - 4-year term(Three persons to be elected)+ Pastor Wendy Berthelsen, Midlothian, Texas.+ Pastor Phillip Gagnon, St. Albert, Alberta.+ Pastor Victor Kolch, Fort Wayne, Ind.+ Pastor Donna Smith, Champaign, Ill.+ Pastor Eric Waters, Powell, Ohio.+ Pastor Nathan Yoder, Maiden, N.C.+ Pastor Solveig Zamzow, Grafton, Iowa.

Board of Regents - 6-year term(Three persons to be elected)+ Trevor Armstrong, St. Albert, Alberta.+ Mari Dew, Connersville, Ind. + Pastor Roger Keller, Cabot, Pa.+ Pastor Kristopher Madsen, Fresno, Calif.+ Pastor Dieter Punt, Statesville, N.C.+ Pastor Mark Ryman, Asheboro, N.C.+ Dr. Roy Schwarz, Winchester, Va.

Nominees for Court of AdjudicationJames Gale and Pastor K. GlenJohnson have been nominated forthe NALC Court of Adjudication.The 2014 NALC Convocation willelect two members of the court tofour-year terms.

James Gale, an attorney inWashington, D.C., has servedon the Court of Adjudicationsince the founding of the NALC.He was involved in the draftingof the NALC constitution andother governing documents.

Pastor Johnson is pastor ofAscension Lutheran Church inCalgary. He served as thepresident of Augustana UniversityCollege (formerly known asCamrose Lutheran College) inCamrose, Alberta, for 28 years.

The Court of Adjudication hearsdisciplinary claims and appealsfrom disciplinary decisions andresolves questions of theinterpretation of NALC governingdocuments.

Biographical information on thecandidates is available fordownload at www.thenalc.org.

N A L C N e w s 5 J u l y 2 0 1 4

R. David NelsonStephen Hultgren

David YeagoChristopher SeitzAmy Schifrin

2014 Theological ConferenceRightly Handling the Word of Truth: Scripture, Canon and Creed

“Rightly Handling theWord of Truth:Scripture, Canon andCreed” is the theme ofthe 2014 TheologicalConference July 22-23at The Citadel inCharleston, S.C.

The annual theologicalconference is sponsoredby the North AmericanLutheran Church and Lutheran CORE andis held between their Convocations.

Dr. Robert Benne, one of the conferenceorganizers, will open the TheologicalConference with a reflection on the theme.Dr. Benne is the Jordan Trexler ProfessorEmeritus and Research Associate atRoanoke College in Salem, Va.

Dr. Benne’s introduction will be followed bysix major presentations. Speakers for theTheological Conference and their topics include:

The Scripture Controversy in American Lutheranism

Infallibility, Inerrancy, InspirationThe Rev. Dr. Mark A. Granquist

Associate Professor of Church HistoryLuther Seminary - St. Paul, Minn.

On Being “Lovers of Truth”The Canon of Scripture and

the Church’s Commitment to TruthThe Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Hultgren

Lecturer in New TestamentAustralian Lutheran College - Adelaide, Australia

What Is Theological Exegesis?Practical Resources

for Preaching the Gospel TodayDr. R. David Nelson

Lutheran Theologian and Acquisitions EditorBaker Academic and Brazos Press

Knowing the Bible through Worshipand the Liturgy

The Rev. Dr. Amy SchifrinPresident

North American Lutheran SeminaryAssociate Professor of Liturgy and Homiletics

Trinity School for Ministry - Ambridge, Pa.

The Ethics of Sex, Marriage, and the FamilyAccording to the Bible

The Rev. Dr. Christopher SeitzSenior Research Professor

Wycliffe College - Toronto School of Theology

Luther’s Way of Reading and Interpretingthe Bible

Dr. David S. YeagoProfessor of Systematic Theology and Ethics

North American Lutheran SeminaryTrinity School for Ministry - Ambridge, Pa.

Mark GranquistRobert Benne

N A L C N e w s 6 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Participants in the inter-Lutheran meeting, from left, Pastor PhilipGagnon, Pastor Larry Vogel, Pastor Mark Chavez, President RobertBugbee, Pastor David Wendel, Pastor Warren Hamp, and PresidentThomas Prachar.

Inter-Lutheran consultations meet in CanadaRepresentatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the NorthAmerican Lutheran Church (NALC), andLutheran Church—Canada (LCC) met atLCC’s synodical headquarters in Winnipeg,Manitoba, June 24-25. This is the first timethe meetings have taken place in Canada.

“These consultations have happened twiceeach year since they began at the invitationof LCMS President Matthew Harrison inlate 2011,” explained the Rev. Dr. RobertBugbee, LCC President and host for thisround of meetings.

Both days began with morning devotions inthe office chapel, after which participantsprovided updates from their churches anddiscussed in detail what a distinctivelyLutheran understanding of and approach tomission work should include.

A progress report was provided on a planned bookof new essays on Law and Gospel, includingcontributors from various Lutheran church bodies.

In addition, details for an upcoming secondinternational “Confessional Lutheran LeadershipConference” — hosted by the LCMS — wereshared. The event will take place in Wittenberg,Germany, in May 2015.

In addition to President Bugbee, LCC wasrepresented by the Rev. Warren Hamp, Chairmanof the LCC’s Commission on Theology and ChurchRelations (CTCR), and by Central District PresidentThomas Prachar.

NALC participants included the Rev. Dr. DavidWendel, Assistant to the Bishop for Ecumenismand Ministry; the Rev. Mark Chavez, GeneralSecretary; and the Rev. Phillip Gagnon, Dean of theNALC’s Canada Mission District. NALC BishopJohn Bradosky joined the group briefly at the closeof the first day.

The LCMS was represented by the Rev. Larry Vogel,Associate Executive Secretary of their CTCR.

“We’ll meet again toward the end of this year toevaluate where we’ve been in the initial three yearsof dialogue and to decide on the way forward,” saidPresident Bugbee. “Though the participatingchurches have disagreements in some significantareas, there is a high level of trust and an abilityboth to talk and to listen despite these challenges.I do thank God for common convictions about theHoly Scripture as the written Word of God, and theurgency in proclaiming Christ, the Savior of sinners,as the primary mission of the Church.”

“This year marks the third year of our LCC, LCMS,NALC consultation. We will be meeting Dec. 15-16at Bishop Bradosky’s home in Bradenton, Florida,and will be reviewing our conversations thus far andpossibilities for further work,” said Pastor Wendel.

“While acknowledging differences on significantissues, all participants have been blessed by thehonesty, integrity and openness of our meetings thatalways focus on the truth of God’s authoritative,unchanging Word and the need for a powerfulwitness to Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior. We look forward to continuing and deepening theserelationships,” said Pastor Wendel.

N A L C N e w s 7 J u l y 2 0 1 4

2014 NALC ConvocationDear Friends in Christ Jesus,

This year’s North American Lutheran ChurchConvocation is going to be a wonderful event filledwith opportunities for us to grow in our relationshipwith Christ and one another. I hope that you will bepresent for as much of the week as possible,including the Lutheran CORE Convocation, ourTheological Conference and our Convocation.

If you are able to stay beyond our time together, Ialso hope you will take time to enjoy the historicalsites along with the beauty and southern charm ofthe Charleston area. If you are unable to be with us, we hope you will take advantage of our videostreaming over the internet. Details and a direct linkwill be available on our website.

Our theme is “Standing With ... to Withstand.” Iencourage you to read the text we chose for ourtheme, Ephesians 6, putting on the full armor of God.

Christians are being persecuted for their faith inJesus Christ in many places throughout the world.Every day Christians are killed simply because theyprofess their faith in Jesus. During our time togetheryou will hear from leaders of “The Voice of theMartyrs” describing the stories of those who facethis harsh reality daily.

It would be easy to ignore their plight, but we areunited with them in Christ. Their witness is morethan a tragedy; it is a gift to us for our inspirationand encouragement. Acknowledging them forces usto ask, “What would we do if we were confrontedwith the choice between denying our faith orforfeiting our life?”

While the difficulties we face as Christians in NorthAmerica seem minor by comparison, persecution ison the rise. It begins in subtle ways that are barelynoticeable. Freedoms are subverted, ourperspectives are deemed unacceptable, therhetoric increases and violence soon follows.

Paul reminds us that we are in a battle. Howprepared are we to engage? Is it possible to play it

safe and remain neutral? What does it mean for usto put on the full armor of God?

You will meet church leaders from several othercountries who understand this battle and are fullyengaged in the war for renewal and reformation intheir nations. The struggle has been costly andexacted a huge toll on their lives. Yet they battle on,gaining encouragement from you, the people of theNALC, because they know you understand thebattle and your struggles give them encouragementfor theirs.

Jesus trained His disciples for just such a battle. Putting on the full armor of God is the same asputting on Christ. That is precisely what it means tobe a disciple of Jesus. At our Convocation you willhear more about our singular focus on discipleship. Both pastors and laity will offer their witness of thedifference this journey with Jesus has made in theirlives. Our partnership with The Navigatorscontinues to grow. We will offer several workshopsduring the Convocation so you can begin to pursuediscipleship in your congregation immediately.

Those workshops include:

1. Overview of Developing a Disciple-makingCulture.

2. The Devotional Life of a Leader — Developing aPassion for God.

3. What Does a Disciple Look Like — Creating aClear Picture of a Disciple.

Continued on Page 9

From the Bishop

Bishop John Bradosky

N A L C N e w s 8 J u l y 2 0 1 4


4. Sharing Your Faith — Developing a Passion forthe Gospel of the Kingdom.

5. How to Disciple a Person — Life2Life.

We have designed the format so that everyone can experience at least two of those workshops.Leaders from our congregations should plan inadvance to ensure that their delegates can bringback information and inspiration from as manyworkshops as possible.

Of course, you will hear updates about ourseminary — the North American Lutheran Seminary— our mission teams, our missionaries, ourecumenical partners, ministry partners, our staff,

and other important elements of our life together. There is still time to register and join us.

I look forward to greeting you personally, thankfulfor your partnership in this ministry we share.

It is good to be with you following Christ Jesus.

Executive Councilmeets in South Dakota

The NALC Executive Council met July 8-9 at TerraSancta Retreat Center in Rapid City, S.D.

Before and after the event, some council membersand NALC staff were able to visit attractions in theBlack Hills area including Mount RushmoreNational Memorial and the Chapel in the Hills, a

replica of the800-year-oldBorgundStaveChurch inNorway.

N A L C N e w s 9 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Letter from Lutheran World FederationFollowing is the text of the letter the Rev. MartinJunge, General Secretary of the Lutheran WorldFederation, sent to the North American LutheranChurch regarding the NALC’s application formembership in the LWF.

Geneva, 7 May 2014

Dear Bishop Bradosky,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our risenLord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I write to you in connection with the North AmericanLutheran Church’s application for membership inthe Lutheran World Federation.

Thanks to you and your NALC colleagues for yourhospitality and clarifying discussions on 10 March2014 when you received the Assistant GeneralSecretary for Ecumenical Relations and Director ofthe Department for Theology and Public Witness,Rev. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka, and the Director of theDepartment for Mission and Development, Dr.Carlos Bock. I am glad that they were able to visitthe NALC and take up in direct dialogue yourchurch’s application for membership in the LWF,the concerns raised by the LWF Council, and aswell the additional concerns that had come to theattention of the LWF Communion Office touchingon the interactions between the LWF memberchurches in the USA and Canada and the NALC.

After careful reflection on the discussions that tookplace at the headquarters of the NALC in Hilliard,Ohio, there are three major concerns that stillremain for me:

- The way that NALC continues to describe theLWF does not correspond to the way the LWFdescribes and understands itself, as outlined andexpressed in the LWF Constitution, the Bylaws andthe relevant sections of the LWF Strategy.

- Consequently, the ratification process of theapplication to the LWF by the congregations of the

NALC was not based on how the LWF describesand understands itself, but on how it had beeninterpreted to its congregations. This was despiterepeated requests from the LWF CommunionOffice to rectify information that was provided tocongregations of the NALC in view of theirratification of the proposed membership applicationto the LWF.

- There is a prevailing fundamental problem in thefact that while applying for membership into theLWF, NALC is not prepared to be in communionwith all member churches, particularly those in theNorth American region. This does not correspond tothe way LWF understands membership, whichimplies communion relations with all LWF memberchurches.

In view of these ongoing concerns, which have notbeen displaced after direct discussions with theleadership of the NALC, the LWF CommunionOffice will not for now pursue further discussionswith NALC regarding its application for membershipin the LWF. This means that the NALC membershipapplication remains pending. As General Secretaryof the LWF, my advice is to seek interaction andrelations with the LWF member churches in NorthAmerica as a necessary first step to be undertakenin view of the NALC’s desire to become a memberof the LWF.

Sincerely,

Rev. Martin JungeGeneral Secretary

N A L C N e w s 10 J u l y 2 0 1 4

North American Lutheran Churchresponds to Lutheran World FederationFollowing is the text of the letter from NALCBishop John Bradosky responding to the letterthe Rev. Martin Junge, General Secretary of theLutheran World Federation, sent to the NorthAmerican Lutheran Church regarding theNALC’s application for membership in the LWF.The NALC Executive Council asked BishopBradosky to send this letter to addressprocedural issues outlined in the LWF letter.

July 11, 2014

The Rev. Martin JungeGeneral SecretaryThe Lutheran World FederationGeneva, Switzerland

Dear General Secretary Junge;

This letter is to acknowledge receipt of your letter ofMay 7, 2014, in response to our application for fullmembership in the Lutheran World Federation. Atthis time, it raises several questions.

1. Although our application is not being approved,you state that it is “pending.” Does that indicatethere will be further action, or that you will bewaiting further response from us? Does “pending”mean that you intend further action, or does itindicate our application is not approved and theprocess is at an end?

2. Our understanding from the start has been thatat some point, a recommendation would be madeto the LWF Membership Committee, who woulddecide whether or not to bring our application to theLWF Council. Instead, it appears you have madethe decision not to approve our application,circumventing the Membership Committee andCouncil.

3. You indicate we have not sufficiently answeredyour questions regarding our self-understanding of“altar and pulpit fellowship” and full communion. We have provided statements on these issues,

have responded at length to any and all questionsin this regard, and engaged in extended discussionwith our LWF visitors to the NALC in March, 2014. We are unaware that there are unansweredquestions, but stand ready to clarify further.

4. You indicate that we have not clarified to ourmembers and congregations the LWF’s self-understanding as “communion” rather than“fellowship.” We have made every effort to clarifythese to the NALC as a whole, and have indicatedthat to you. Our members have read the LWFconstitution, debated these issues and are well-informed regarding LWF as “communion.” Theyvoted in convocation to affirm the constitutionalunderstandings, and two-thirds of our congregationsratified these actions.

5. In your letter, you recommend we seek “interactionand relations with LWF member churches in NorthAmerica as a necessary first step to be undertaken in light of the NALC’s desire to become a member of the Lutheran World Federation.” This has neverbeen presented to us as “a necessary first step to be undertaken” in light of our desire to become amember of the LWF.

6. If the issue standing in the way of our membershipapplication is our self-understanding of “altar andpulpit fellowship” and “full communion,” what wouldbe the intention of such interaction and relationswith LWF member churches in North America?

We remain committed to ecumenical relationshipsand endeavors, and to our common work of witnessand service as Lutherans, concerned for thesalvation of the world, through faith in Jesus Christ,Son of God and Savior.

We await your response, and appreciate yourconsideration of our questions.

In Christ’s service,

The Rev. John F. Bradosky, Bishop

N A L C N e w s 11 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Pastor Dennis Blevins of The Navigators makes a presentation to theNALC’s Mission Summit.

Mission leaders meet for summit While the South might not seem as themost likely destination in the summerheat, June 25-26, the NALC’s MissionSummit was graciously hosted by Christthe King Lutheran Church in Evans, Ga.

The NALC’s national mission teamsgathered together for their annualmeeting. This year the Renewal, NewStarts, and International Mission Teamsgathered together under the banner ofworship, Bible study, and prayer tocreate a vision and set goals for theupcoming year and to dream about thefuture.

There was time to join together infellowship and the wonderful southernhospitality provided by Pastor DaveKeener, Kevin Reynolds and the people of Christthe King.

Pastor Dennis Blevins led the first two conferencesessions. More than just information on what TheNavigators are about, Pastor Blevins was able toprovide a common language and to help keep thefocus on the heart of mission work — discipleship.With all of the great wisdom and insight that comesfrom years of being rooted deeply in Scripture, hebrought a joy and enthusiasm that helped ensurethat the time spent together was grounded in theWord.

Casting the visions for the next year and the focusof the various NALC mission teams, PastorGemechis Buba continued by presenting a startingplace based out of the book of Habakkuk. Not manypeople would consider the complaining prophet asthe place to set a positive vision for the upcomingyears, but Pastor Buba clearly laid out why it wasan excellent starting point.

So many of the people’s cries and Habakkuk’scomplaints are familiar to us today — wonderingwhy God doesn’t answer our prayers, the injusticethat we see each day, why the Word of God seemsto be paralyzed, all of the bad things that happen togood people, where the leaders have gone, why

people are leaving churches, and why our “religion”is getting seemingly weaker. Just as God toldHabakkuk, Pastor Buba shared with us — “it’s notgoing to get any better.” As Habakkuk says, we canbe experts in complaining, in gathering statstics anddata to show that it isn’t getting better. However, inChapter 2, God breaks in, answering with adeafening roar and the compassion of a lovingFather. He says to not focus on the dark side but tohave a vision clearly written down so that you canrun the race well. After all, it is not a sprint but amarathon. (Put another way by the poet JackGilbert: “To make injustice the only measure of ourattention is to praise the devil.”) The greatestproblem for unbelievers is not knowing Jesus. Thechallenge for believers is to keep focused on Jesus. From Chapter 3 onward, we see a differentHabakkuk, whose focus moved from self to God. There was no longer an emphasis on enemies ortrouble; instead Habakkuk lifted his eyes to God.

The teams addressed individual concerns specificto their areas of ministry by discussing differentideas to do a more effective job of resourcing,communicating and training as well as sharingabout the national prayer network that meets each

Continued on Page 13

N A L C N e w s 12 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Lynn Kickingbird of Peace Lutheran Church in Edmond,Okla., addresses the NALC Missions Summit. PastorDavid Keener of Christ the King Lutheran Church inEvans, Ga., looks on.

Pastor Dennis Blevins of The Navigators and PastorGemechis Buba, Assistant to the Bishop for Missions.


Thursday. They also brainstormed ideas aboutpossible staffing in the future.

The individual teams came together as a whole toaddress a very specific part of the vision for 2015. One of the main goals for 2015 is for each MissionDistrict to establish a missions team to work inconjunction with the Mission District’s dean andcouncil as a grassroots movement, driving missionforward at the local level. The NALC is not justMission-Driven, it is Congregationally-Focused, andour national teams will serve as a resource andempower the 24 local Mission Districts to do thiswork.

The ideal is to have a local missions team made up of people who have a passion for the five different areas that the NALC focuses on: Great CommissionSociety, renewal, multi-national, new starts, andinternational. This will hold the team in balance andempower fundraising for mission work, therebyenabling the local Mission District to focus on theDNA of discipleship in renewing and transformingcongregations, to support the multi-nationalcongregations in the local Mission District, to seeknew starts and determine the best place to plantnew congregations and house churches, and to seekout international missionaries, as well as helpingcongregations partner in the work of global missions.

The teams began putting together an abundance ofresources to share with Mission Districts and theirdeans, equipping them to come alongside those intheir area and support them in the work that God iscalling them and empowering them to do.

The NALC’s International Mission Festival will beheld Nov. 6-8 in Hilliard, Ohio. The primary purposewill be to train and equip our 24 local mission teamstogether with their Mission District deans. Moreinformation about the Mission Festival is availableonline at: www.thenalc.org. We are encouragingeach Mission District to identify at least fiveindividuals to send as a team to this training eventand celebration.

As the mission summit concluded in a beautiful timeof worship, all of the participants realized that thiswas only the next chapter in the adventure to whichGod has called us — to be His hands and feet inthe world, proclaiming the good news that God hasdrawn near to His people, that the Cross meansvictory over sin and death, and the Resurrection iswhat draws our focus in saying that God is makingall things new.

New mission resourcesare available

An abundance of videos, audio files, and teachingdocuments have been added to the NALC’swebsite. Information about how to start a housechurch, teachings from church planters’conferences, the core DNA of discipleship inmission work, devotions and so much more is nowavailable at: thenalc.org/mission-resources.

N A L C N e w s 13 J u l y 2 0 1 4

http://www.thenalc.org/mission-festival-2014

2014 NALC Mission FestivalAbida - Hearts on Fire

“Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while he opened to us theScriptures?” — Luke 24:32

In the days following the death of Jesus, Luke paintsa sad but beautiful picture of the disciples’ story inChapter 24 of his Gospel account. Gone were theexcitement and joy that were once overwhelming.

It appeared there were no more miracles to behold.The crowds dispersed, disappointed. They had heldout hope that perhaps God had not forgotten themafter all. Perhaps now was the time that the Messiahwould come, and all of the tears would be wipedaway — that God would right all the wrongs, andtheir coming out and going in would be protectedboth now and forevermore. Instead, Jesus’ bodyhad disappeared and there was a foolish tale beingtold by a grieving woman that He was alive. Theywould not mistakenly get their hopes up again.

How quickly they had forgotten Jesus’ words: “Donot let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;believe also in Me. My Father’s house has manyrooms; if that were not so, would I have told youthat I am going there to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will comeback and take you to be with Me that you also maybe where I am. You know the way to the placewhere I am going” (John 14:1-4). The words ofJesus that echoed across the centuries, as He tookthis common toast from His own culture, from anengagement celebration that a man would lovinglysay to his soon-to-be wife as he left her to preparetheir new home. How quickly they forgot that Jesushad told them that He was the way, the truth, andthe life. And so, the disciples began a journey homedown the long road to Emmaus, their hopes anddreams dashed, until a man encountered them whohad apparently been lost to all the events that hadjust happened at Passover. But there wassomething different about this man as He beganwith Moses’ words and starting from the beginning,truly explained who the Messiah was. This Word of

God burned so deeply in their hearts as they finallyrecognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of thebread, and they were gifted with the Holy Spirit,driven out into the world to proclaim the good newsof the death and resurrection of Jesus — thefreedom and hope that we now have. No longerwere their hearts troubled or afraid because theyknew the place that had been prepared for them —to be in relationship with God now and for eternity.

It is this that drives the 2014 Mission Festival, fordiscipleship and mission are intimately linked. Bishop John Bradosky, Pastor Dennis Blevins, andPastor Gemechis Buba will be presenting keynotepresentations throughout the festival on this year’stheme from Luke 24: “Abida – Hearts on Fire.” Thegoal is to provide hands-on training for discipleshipand mission through keynote presentations, panelQ & A, worship opportunities, resource exhibits, andsmall group experiences.

A variety of workshops will also provide time forsmaller group discussion, resources, and interactionwith individuals who are passionately living out theircalling: “Pastor as Disciple-maker” (Bishop JohnBradosky); “First Century Disciples in the 21stCentury” (Pastor Henry Graf); “Worship as a Meansof Renewal” (Kevin Reynolds); “Why a House Churchis a Real Church” (Pastor Tom Hilpert); “Renewingthe Church through Senior Ministry” (Pastor BradHales); “Multiplication and Planting a Church” (Pastor Gemechis Buba), “Global Missions and theChurch” (NALC missionaries).

Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) in Hilliard,Ohio, will host this conference, which begins at 7 p.m.on Thursday, Nov. 6 and continues through noon on Saturday, Nov. 8. For more information about the conference, a full list of workshops, local hotellistings, or to register online (beginning on July 24),please visit: http://thenalc.org/mission-festival-2014or contact Jenny Brockman in the NALC missionsoffice at 614-777-5709 or [email protected].

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Members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Wooster, Ohio, gather forworship.

Ohio house church members discovernew ways of being a church together

By Fred Seling

Resurrection Lutheran Church ofWooster, Ohio, is an NALC housechurch that has been meetingtogether in one form or anothersince November of 2009. We left ourformer congregation over concernsabout the direction of the ELCA andour local congregation. We leftindependent of each other, but Godhad a plan we were not aware ofand He brought us together.

We began meeting at a house onSunday evenings soon after ourdeparture. Initially, like others wholeft their former congregations, itwas a time of mourning and loss, atime to support each other, and atime to question what God wascalling us to do next. Many of us had served inleadership roles in the congregation. We werechurch council members and leaders, Sundayschool leaders and teachers, building committeemembers, etc. We also left a congregational formatwith which we were familiar and comfortable. Wedid not know that house churches existed or thatthey were Biblically based.

We met Sunday evenings so each family could visit area congregations Sunday mornings. Weinitially thought we were called to gather with a newcongregation. Our Sunday evening gatheringsgenerally began with a discussion of the variouschurches we attended and their services andsermons. This was followed by a topical Bible study,a time of prayer, and a time of fellowship. It wasa time of healing and growth for each of us, but wecalled ourselves “the Lutheran nomads.”

After some time, we came to the conclusion that weneeded to either join other congregations or findsomething else. We wanted to move on, but we hadnot found a local congregation we felt comfortablejoining or, if we were comfortable with the

congregation, we felt it was too far away for us toactively participate in the life of the congregation.

We contacted a pastor from our general area thatwas listed on the WordAlone Chaplain Corps, andthis pastor and his wife came to one of our Sundayevening gatherings. They listened to our story andpromised to see what they might do to help us. Thepastor contacted WordAlone, and they passed ourinformation on to a group called Life TogetherChurches (LTC) (www.lifetogetherchurches.com).

After some correspondence and phone callsbetween our group and two people from the LTCstaff, we invited them to visit and provide us with astudy about “house or cell churches.” We had noconcept of what this would be like. We had beencalling ourselves a house church for lack of a bettername, but now they would come and give usspecific information about the New Testamentchurch and how they worshiped as described inActs 2:42: “And they devoted themselves to theapostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breakingof bread, and to the prayers.”


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Members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Wooster,Ohio, gather for a church picnic.

A table in a member’s home serves as an altar.


Two LTC representatives came to our house andled worship, study, and fellowship. They explainedthat they were just beginning this outreach forpeople like us, but they were convinced that thiswas a different way of doing church that couldreach others with the Gospel message who wouldnot normally step foot in a traditional churchbuilding. They had both started house churchesthemselves. We were a little different from theusual group because we were larger than the idealsized group and we were all active Christians.

Many groups have many members who are notalready believers. We agreed to be the first groupto use their 15-week house church startupprogram. We had several concerns which weremostly centered on the fact that we would be achurch without a local pastor. Our Bible study hadtold us that the early church did not have pastorsand Jesus’ promise that “where two or three aregathered together in My name, I am there amongthem” (Matthew 18:20). We also were concernedabout our ability to lead worship and stay Biblically-focused and not stray without pastoral leadership. The LTC staff helped us avoid this problem byproviding sermon notes for our use and holdingweekly conference calls to guide and encourageus. We decided to step out in faith and give it a try.

We agreed to hold worship at our house onSunday mornings, and we held our first serviceSept. 12, 2010. We worked through the 15-weekprogram, and we have been meeting each week asa house church ever since.

Many people have questioned what we are doingand are concerned that we are not a “real church.” However, we feel called to this lifestyle. It hasbecome more about discipleship and less aboutmembership. It is Biblically-based, but even thoughwe were familiar with the Bible we never reallyfocused on how the New Testament church metand grew. We studied how Paul gathered a groupof people who often met in houses. He would workwith them for a time, and then he would move on toanother location, leaving the groups alone for longperiods of time before contacting them again. Hiscontacts are recorded in his letters to the variouscongregations.

People wonder what our worship services are like. How can you have a service without a pastor, anorgan, a building, etc.? Three of us take turnsplanning and leading our worship services. Ourworship is sometimes from the Lutheran Book ofWorship or With One Voice, a Sola Publishingservice, or a recorded video worship led by one ofthe LTC pastors that is projected on a wall. We usea computer with speakers and several differentwebsites (smallchurchmusic.com and spotify.com)for worship music. We use a computer projector to project our video worship services. The


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Members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Wooster,Ohio, gather for worship.


worship planning resources on the Sola website(solapublishing.org) have been very helpful.

Our Sunday mornings normally begin with a time ofsharing and a discussion of concerns and joys to beshared in prayer during the worship time. Followingthis we have a 30-40 minute time of worship, webreak for coffee and fellowship, and then 30-40minutes of what we call our sermon notes. We usean audio recording of a sermon previously preparedby one of the LTC pastors. We listen to therecording and also read a printed version. Then wediscuss the material and what struck us about thepassage, discuss how God is speaking through thesermon to us directly, and how we apply the materialin our life right now. Each member takes turnsfacilitating the sermon notes. We have used sermonseries that have worked through Galatians and First and Second Samuel. We are now working ourway through Matthew. We have also had topicalstudies on prayer and understanding the Bible. Thistype of study forces us to work more deeply in theWord. It is now difficult for many of us to listen to asermon without wanting to raise questions anddiscuss the text and application of the text.

We gather an offering weekly, and, because we haveno overhead cost, we distribute 100 percent of allfunds received to various ministries and groups. Thelast Sunday of each month we decide as a groupwhere we will direct our gifts from the month. We areable to provide support for international ministries,national ministries and local ministries. We serveseveral area ministries with our gifts of time andprayer. We were able to provide prayer and financialsupport to one family who had a family memberreceiving critical care in an out-of-town hospital.

We meet at one house weekly for nine monthseach year and then we rotate to each other’shouses during the summer months. Each hostprovides space and chairs for the group, an altartable or area, helps with the computer connections,and provides coffee and maybe small refreshmentsfor our time of fellowship. We carry our hymnalsand Communion ware from one house to another.Nothing fancy or complicated is required.

Another key component of our group is the regularsupport we receive from the pastors of the LTC and

leaders of other LTC house churches. Weparticipate in conference calls with them and otherhouse church leaders on a regular basis. Wediscuss our joys and concerns and support eachother during this conference call. We always endthe call with a time of prayer, and it has been someof the most powerful prayer time I have been a partof. This connection helps us to be aware that weare not in this alone, but it also serves to makesure we are not straying from the call of Christ. Ithelps to speak with others going through the samething and with pastors who have led similar groups.

There are many references to this type of worshipcommunity in the New Testament, but we oftenoverlook them. God ministers to us, and we alsominister to each other. When there are needs inthe group we support each other, we share our joyswith each other, and we make hospital calls foreach other. We are very grateful that God has ledus in this direction, that He has blessed us on ourway, and that He provided the courage for us totake the leap of faith to venture out into theunknown of house churches. We do not knowexactly where He is leading us, but we have theassurance that wherever it is, He will be with usalong the journey. This all reminds us that we areHis church; we do not go to church. We all agreethat it has been a time of great growth for our faithand our relationship with Jesus.

Please feel free to contact Jenny Brockman in theNALC missions office — [email protected] or614-777-5709 — with questions about housechurches. We would encourage others to ventureinto this type of community and would also behappy to help answer any questions.

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Olive Aneno shared her story asa child sponsored throughCompassion International.

IMPACTNational Youth Event

June 26-29

Cleveland, Ohio

Brian Wallace Youth packaged food for the hungry.

N A L C N e w s 18 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Wes Halula

Wes Halula

Youth met in small groups with youth from othercongregations.

Tiffany Thompson

Echelon

N A L C N e w s 19 J u l y 2 0 1 4

Servant Leadership in the ChurchLessons on Leadership from the Military As I am writing this during the Fourth of Julyholiday, I am mindful of the fact that I was blessedto serve as pastor to a great number of militaryfolks (and their families), during my 25 years aspastor of Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church in ColoradoSprings, Colo.

Between those who were teaching at the U.S. AirForce Academy, those who were stationed atPeterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain AirStation, Fort Carson, and all the related militaryinstallations in and around Colorado Springs, ourcongregation was full of those who were serving orhad served in various branches of the U.S. andCanadian military.

Working alongside these folks in congregationalministry, I came to have a deep respect for theirsacrifice and that of their families. At the sametime, I realized that our military service men,women and families are some of the best memberswe have in our congregations. They areresponsible, diligent, faithful, and always ready tohelp.

They are also people who understand leadershipand what it takes to be a leader who earns therespect of others. Military personnel alsounderstand the danger inherent in a lack ofleadership. What soldiers cannot abide is a lack ofleadership on the battlefield — that’s when livesare put at greater risk!

From my perspective, the military is one of the fewplaces where true leadership is still respected,taught and modeled.

Given the current state of affairs in manycongregations, we might do well in the Church toconsider leadership lessons from the military.

In too many congregations, pastors do not seemwell-prepared to be effective leaders. When thereis a lack of pastoral leadership, lay congregationalofficers then feel compelled to assert themselves

as strong leaders, sometimes pushing personalagendas. What arises, then, is conflict — betweenpastor and congregational leaders, as well asbetween leaders and members of thecongregation. The conflict usually manifests itselfas a power struggle that can end in loss of pastor,loss of members, and a negative congregationalclimate that can only be described as a “deathspiral.”

Last month we discussed the reality that muchcongregational decline is due to the lack of beingcentered on God’s Word. That, together with a lackof leadership, can sound the death knell for anycongregation.

What can be learned from our military aboutleadership? I have just finished the book, Service:A Navy Seal at War by Marcus Luttrell. This authoralso wrote the book, Lone Survivor, now a featurefilm about Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Asthe title makes clear, the book is really aboutservice, or I would add, servant leadership. Hewrites in the preface, “Really, this is a book for allwho serve. ... There are a lot of things in life thatmatter. But nothing matters as much as who orwhat you decide to serve” (Luttrell, page xiii).

Congregational leaders, pastors and laity alike,would do well to remember Whom we serve. JesusChrist, alone, is Lord of the Church, and our localcongregation is not ours to do with as we please. To be a servant leader means first and foremost to


Ministry Matters

Pastor David WendelAssistant to the Bishopfor Ministry and Ecumenism

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serve the Head of the Body, our Savior JesusChrist, who Himself came not to be served, but toserve and to give His life as a ransom for many(Matthew 20:28). Many power struggles andconflicts would be alleviated if all would understandthemselves as serving together under the headshipof Christ, seeking His will above our ownpreferences, desires and agenda.

A second lesson we can learn is the spirit ofsacrifice that makes the team better as a whole. Luttrell states, “A leader should always be ready toask anyone under him: Are you preparing yourselfto make the team better? Are you acting to makethe team’s record and reputation stronger? Are youstaying in good shape in both body and mind — forthe greater good? You don’t get people to followyou by demanding it with your words. You do it bycommanding it with your example.” He quotes asign posted at the chow hall at the camp inAfghanistan, “If Every Seal Were Like Me, HowGood Would the Teams Be?” (page 172).

It is unfortunate that in many congregations, therule is every person for themselves! Clergy and layleaders slip into survival-mode, striving to get by,not to excell and lead by example. It would seem agood motto for everyday leadership in the churchwould be: “If Every Member of our CongregationWere Like Me, How Good Would our CongregationBe?” Every congregational member can strengthenand support the ministry of the congregation by doing everything possible to make the congregational team, as a whole, better, more faithful, more effectiveat our ministry and mission.

As with every aspect of life, when we are notmoving forward, we are stagnating. It is not enoughin the Body of Christ to maintain the staus quo —maintaining leads to stagnation, and stagnationleads to decline. We are not called to be membersof Christ’s Body, the Church, to maintain, stagnateand decline. We are called to be living, activemembers of the Body of Christ, abiding in Him andHe in us, to bear much fruit (John 15:4)! That is theopposite of stagnation and decline.

Finally, a lesson we can learn from those in militaryservice is selflessness. In the final chapter of hisbook, Luttrell states, “Service is selflessness — the

opposite of the lifestyle we see so much of inAmerica today. The things that entertain us don’toften lift us up, or show us as the people we canrise up to become.” He cites as role models thosewho live out the idea expressed in John 15:13: “For greater love has no man than this, that a manlays down his life for his friends” (page 367). An aptsummary is “In other words, it’s not about us. Idon’t think you’ll find a better expression of the truenature of service than that” (page 229).

In short, it is my hope and prayer that in the NALC,we strive for servant leadership. Let us be selflessservants under the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us worktogether for the good of the whole, for the glory ofGod the Father. Let us not be satisf ied with powerpolitics in our congregations, or conflicts that wearus down and harm our witness to a hurting andhungry world. Let us humble ourselves, leading byexample as those who are called not to be served,but to serve. The mission of Jesus Christ deservesnothing less of us, as servant leaders in His Church.

Holy Land tour updatePastor David Wendel, NALC Assistant to the Bishopfor Ministry and Ecumenism, will host the pilgrimageto the Holy Land Nov. 13-22. Bishop John Bradoskywas to host the tour, but due to family circumstances,Bishop Bradosky has asked Pastor Wendel and hiswife, Susan, to lead the tour. Pastor Wendel has 33 years of experience ministry as a Lutheran pastor,serving congregations in Hobbs, N.M., and ColoradoSprings, Colo. Susan has been a teacher, business-woman and CEO of a Christian gift catalog.

“While we are sorry that Bishop Bradosky will notbe able to lead the tour, we are happy to step in sothat John and Kristi will be available to their familythis fall. Having never been to the Holy Land, weare excited about traveling together with otherswho desire to walk where Jesus walked, lived, died,and was raised to new life! I hope that some of ourfriends will join us with new friends, on this tour of alifetime,” Pastor Wendel said.

Aug. 5 is the last day to register for the trip. Torequest a flyer and itinerary, contact Pam Charasat 937-434-0993 or [email protected] orJerusalem Tours at 888-373-8687 or visit theirwebsite at: www.jerusalemtours.com.

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Pastor Dennis Di Mauro at the March for Marriage inWashington, D.C.

March for MarriageBy Pastor Dennis R. Di Mauro

“This [march] is about loving truth and loving whatis best for men, women, and children.”

These were the words of former PennsylvaniaSenator Rick Santorum, a featured speaker at thesecond annual March for Marriage held onThursday, June 19, on the west lawn of the UnitedStates Capitol.

Sponsored by the National Organization forMarriage, the Washington Times, and other pro-family groups, the event attracted thousands ofdemonstrators (including a large contingent ofHispanics) to stand up for the sanctity of marriageas a union between one man and one woman.Marchers were provided with signs declaring,“Every Child Deserves a Mom and a Dad,” in bothEnglish and Spanish.

Other speakers included former ArkansasGovernor Mike Huckabee, Kansas CongressmanTim Huelskamp, and Catholic ArchbishopSalvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. In addition,a greeting was offered by Ludovine de la Rochere,co-founder and president of the French pro-familyorganization, La Manif Pour Tous, a group that hasorganized huge rallies in support of traditionalmarriage in that nation.

Quoting from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’sLetter from Birmingham Jail, Gov. Huckabeelikened the struggle for traditional marriage to thecivil rights movement of the 1960s. He reiteratedDr. King’s belief that it is every American’sresponsibility to disobey unjust laws. Citing theBook of Daniel, Huckabee urged marchers toimitate Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego byrefusing to “bend [their] knees to Nebuchadnezzar:not now, not in the future, not ever.” Huckabee alsochided activist judges who have recentlyoverturned numerous state laws which hadprotected traditional marriage.

A powerful pastoral voice at the rally was that ofArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone. Earlier in the

week Archbishop Cordileone was urged by HouseMinority Leader Nancy Pelosi to reverse hisdecision to attend the march, an event shedescribed as “venom masquerading as virtue.”Responding to the criticism the archbishopdeclared, “Yes, it is easy to become resentful whenyou are relentlessly and unfairly painted as a bigotand are punished for publicly standing by the basictruth of marriage as a foundational societal good; itis tempting to respond in kind. Don’t. ... We mustnot allow the angry rhetoric to coopt us into aculture of hate. Yes, we must show love toward allof these and more. Love is the answer. But love inthe truth. The truth is that every child comes from amother and a father, and to deliberately deprive a


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Pastor Dennis Di Mauro poses with some Jewishparticipants in the March for Marriage in Washington.

James Nestingen


child of knowing and being loved by his or hermother and father is an outright injustice.”

A common theme in many speeches was thesimilarity between the defense of traditionalmarriage and the protection of the unborn. Had anunwillingness to stand up for truth by our Christianleaders in 1960s and 1970s led to today’s tragicreality of 1.1 million abortions performed everyyear? And would a similar complacency byChristian leaders today result in legal gay marriagein all 50 states?

After the rally, marchers filed up Capitol Hill alongConstitution Avenue and around the capitol to theU.S. Supreme Court, where they met with only ahandful of counter-demonstrators.

The event was overwhelmingly Christian in tone,and was also a strong acknowledgement of thepower of Jesus Christ is people’s lives. God waslifted up by many religious leaders, including Pastor(and New York Senator) Ruben Diaz, and bymusical groups including Alex Holt & Free Worship.

Above all, the march was a powerful response tothe rhetoric of gay rights activists. It demonstrated

a unified sanctity of marriage movement motivatednot by hate or prejudice as has been alleged, butrather by the power of Jesus’ love and dedicated topreserving what is best for the family and for thenation: God’s holy institution of marriage.

Pastor Dennis R. Di Mauro is the pastor ofTrinity Lutheran Church in Warrenton, Va.

DVD study on Lutheran teachingfeaturing Jim Nestingen is available A DVD study led by the Rev. Dr. James Nestingen,a popular Lutheran theologian, is now availablefrom the NALC offices.

This 12-part DVD on Lutheran theology asexplained in the Lutheran Confessions and MartinLuther’s Small Catechism is an excellent resourcefor adult studies.

The DVD series, with individual sessions of 35-60minutes each, was produced by St. Paul LutheranSeminary and funded, in part, by a grant from theNorth American Lutheran Church.

Dr. Nestingen, an NALCpastor, taught church historyand the Lutheran Confessionsat Luther Seminary in St.Paul, Minn., for many years.

You may order the DVDs bycontacting the NALCAdministrative office [email protected] or888-551-7254.

The set of DVDs is $100 (pluspostage).

N A L C N e w s 23 J u l y 2 0 1 4

http://www.thenalc.org.

Members and friends of Grace Lutheran Church in Menno, S.D., gather forworship as a part of the congregation’s 125th anniversary celebration. (Photosby Erik Kaufmann, Hutchinson Herald)

Grace Lutheran Church, Menno, S.D.celebrates 125th anniversary

By Pastor Thomas E. Jacobson

Pentecost Sunday is significantfor every congregation, as wecall to mind the beginning of theChristian Church in general withthe outpouring of the Holy Spirit.But for Grace Lutheran Churchof Menno, S.D., PentecostSunday of 2014 took on specialmeaning. On that day, theycelebrated 125 years as acongregation and 100 yearsspecifically as Grace LutheranChurch.

In 1889, German-Russiansettlers in southeastern SouthDakota formed a congregation inthe town of Menno named Ev.Luth. Friedensgemeinde (PeaceEvangelical Lutheran Church),which was connected to theEvangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio.

In 1914, a dispute about which liturgy was properfor the congregation to use led to a division, withthe congregation voting to leave the Ohio Synodand join the Iowa Synod. It is possible that thedivision had to do with the Ohio Synod’sacceptance of the Common Service of 1888, which

the majority of the congregation considered “nottruly Lutheran.” However, a number of families still desired to remain with the Ohio Synod, and theyestablished Grace Lutheran Church in the sameyear. Peace Lutheran Church closed in 1945, butGrace Lutheran Church in Menno remains a strongcongregation with much vitality to this day.

Grace Lutheran’s newly remodeled sanctuary waspacked that morning, and the guest for that weekendas well as the preacher on Sunday morning wasPastor Mark Chavez, NALC General Secretary.

The congregation is currently served by PastorTheresa Jacobson. While she was recovering fromthe birth of their daughter, Helena, her husband,Pastor Thomas Jacobson, also an NALC pastorand current Ph.D. student in church history,temporarily filled her place and led worship thatSunday morning.


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Those at the anniversary celebration review historical displays.


Adding to the joy of that morning, Pastor Chavezpresided at the baptism of Helena Rakel Jacobson,reminding the congregation that the ChristianChurch, which began so long ago at Pentecost,continues to grow as God reaches out to them withthe Means of Grace.

Grace Lutheran currently has about 300 memberson its roll and has strong participation in worshipand other congregational activities. The largenumber of younger families at Grace contributes toits vitality. The amount of musical talent in thecongregation is also remarkable, as any participantin the June 8 worship service would note.

Grace is a charter member of the NALC, havingjoined in 2011, and also holds membership inLutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. Priorto this, they were members of the ELCA, TheAmerican Lutheran Church (TALC), the “old”American Lutheran Church (ALC, of Germanbackground), and the Evangelical Lutheran JointSynod of Ohio.

During the afternoon program, which included acatered meal in the local school gymnasium as wellas greetings from former pastors and other NALCand LCMC congregations in eastern South Dakota,a note from Pastor Randy Eisenbeisz, the dean of

the Eastern South DakotaMission District of the NALC,was read, which encouragedthose gathered to rememberthe past with gratitude butalso to focus on their next125 years of living in God’sgrace.

Pastor Thomas Jacobsonis on study leave whilecompleting his Ph.D. inchurch history at LutherSeminary in St. Paul, Minn.,with an emphasis onScandinavian-AmericanLutheran history. His wife,Theresa, serves Grace andOur Savior's LutheranChurches of Menno, S.D.

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Taking a look at the worship debateThe Lutheran CORE newsletter editor, CarterAskren, emailed me a two-page article by DavidMurrow. The subject was congregational singing. Inthis article, Murrow shared his perception that therehas been a general decline in the percentage ofmen who participate in congregational singing.

I was printing out a single copy of this article, hittingthe print button on my office computer to engagethe copier down the hallway. I could hear the articlestart to print but quickly noticed that the copierwasn’t completing the print job. It just kept running.Assuming that I was getting unneeded multiplecopies of this article, I jogged down the hallway tothe copier. By the time the copier responded to myfrantic attempt to cancel the print order, I had 107pages of blog posts in response to this two-pagearticle! I started skimming over the content of theposts and realized I had a fascinating, cross-denominational sample of the so-called worshipwars. These pastors, worship leaders andmusicians had very different views regarding whatconstituted the best and worst in worship music.

So over the next few days I spent time reading andreflecting on these blog posts. The focus ofMurrow’s article was quite specific: Weakcongregational singing, especially among men.

The blog posts were much broader in focus andscope and quickly evolved into a debate betweenthe relative merits of traditional and contemporaryworship music. Included were well thought out,constructive views on what constituted appropriateworship music, and suggestions for facilitatingcongregational singing.

However, also included in this online debate wererants by Christian worship leaders and musicianswith something of a chip on their shoulders.Comments sometimes devolved into sarcastic,harsh depictions of the worship music and stylethey were critiquing. In a few instances thebloggers traded personal insults as they engagedone another in passionate debate. In theoccasional instances when a blogger would ask fora more “Christian” civil debate, this request wouldseemingly go unheeded, and the strident

comments would continue.The great majority ofnegative comments were critical of contemporaryworship music. A sampling:

+ The characterization of contemporary Christianworship music as “7-11 songs” — the same sevenwords sung 11 times.

+ Multiple instances when comments were madecriticizing “Jesus-is-my-boyfriend” song lyrics — referring to lyrics that could just as easily be usedin a secular love song.

+ Comments about the frustration of having tolearn new songs by rote, with only projected lyricsand no musical notes. This was referred to as“mystery music.”

+ Complaints about worship bands playing musicso loudly that worshipers cannot even hearthemselves sing, let alone the worshipers aroundthem. One commenter complained that some willquit singing not just because of the music’s volume,but because the worship team’s harmony andvoices are better.

+ Multiple comments about church worship teams(presumably in very large churches) who are usingtheatrical “stage” lighting and even smoke!(Referred to as “Jesus haze.”)

+ A comment regarding how most contemporaryChristian songs are not even intended for worship,but rather for performance. A comment: “About 10-15 years ago, worship leaders stopped using songsthat were written to be sung by the congregationand started using music that was written by and for


In Pursuit of theGreat Commission

Pastor Don Brandt

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some pop artist. The songs have too wide a vocalrange; the rhythms are complex and change onevery verse, and they tend to be oriented to howChrist intersects with the writer’s existential angst.People just give up and watch.”

Needless to say, this is a very sobering reminder of some of the potential pitfalls when it comes tocontemporary worship!

Now for some of the less critical, more constructivecomments regarding the selection and presentationof worship songs and hymns.

There is a need for less “new” music and morefamiliar songs and hymns. Too many worshipersare not singing because they simply don’t know themelody. “We often would begin the service with asong that no one but the praise team knew. …Folks would stand there, mostly mute with a fewtrying to sing along, but not really knowing the tune.Not pretty. … When you then have another two orthree songs in the set that no one knows, you havea song service that turns into a ‘listen to the praiseteam sing’ service.”

When new music is introduced, it should be taught.This includes first singing it on successiveSundays, preferably after it has already beenintroduced by hearing the musicians “perform” it ona previous Sunday.

+ Using songs and hymns in a reasonable key iscrucial. Too many contemporary Christian songsare written by male lead singers who are high tenors.

+ With new songs and hymns, worshipers shouldbe provided with both lyrics and musical notes.Even though most Americans might learn music byrote, worshipers with musical backgrounds prefer tohave notes, and they can help the rest of yourpeople learn the new composition.

+ Christian songs originally written for performance,not worship, are often inappropriate. They can beinappropriate both lyrically and musically. Lyrics aresometimes personalized and might not haveanything substantive to say about God or faith. Themusic might be inappropriate based on thecomplexity of the song or its singing range.

+ The bottom line in song/hymn selection andpresentation is this: Appropriate worship songs andhymns are not primarily for performance. Theyneed to be participatory. Another comment:“Church music — whatever the style — shouldmake as its focus the participation of the people.”And this comment: “God is the audience in churchworship. To have music that the congregationcannot participate in deprives the worshiper of ameaningful dialogue with God.”

Worship music is such an important issue for manycongregations. And I continue to be amazed byhow passionate — and sometimes angry — peoplebecome when engaging in this debate.

But here is a stark and unnerving challengeconfronting many congregations when it comes totheir long-term growth and vitality: Figuring out howto offer worship services that appeal to bothtraditionalists and non-traditionalists. The singlemost emotional flashpoint in this challenge is, notsurprisingly, music preferences.

This challenge is especially complicated forcongregations that are too small to offer more thanone weekend service. A church in my community(not Lutheran) dropped one of their two Sunday-morning services. This decision was made due todeclining attendance. Prior to this they offered onetraditional and one contemporary service. Thedecision was to discontinue the traditional serviceand only offer contemporary worship. The resulthas been a 40 percent drop in total worshipattendance within a year of this change.

If you are in a congregation that only has oneservice and you are trying to offer a worship thatwill be meaningful to both traditionalists and (often)younger, more “contemporary” worshipers, emailme. I understand that developing one truly“blended” worship celebration for all your peoplecan be an incredible challenge. However, I mightbe able to provide you with some insights andguidance.

If, on the other hand, your congregation is largeenough to offer two or more weekend services, Iencourage you to provide one service that is moretraditional than contemporary, and one that is more


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contemporary than traditional. This strategy does not have to be implemented all at once; it can bedone incrementally over time. I am convinced youwill ultimately be reaching a greater number ofpeople by doing this.

And I have three disclaimers for you to keep inmind:

+ Contemporary-music services can be veryliturgical and utilize only the best in contemporaryChristian music.

+ Contemporary services can (and should) alsoincorporate traditional hymns. These might includeAmerican classic hymns and traditional Gospelmusic.

+ Traditional services can incorporate somecarefully-selected contemporary songs.

We all bring our own passions and prejudices tothe worship debate. Try to keep your passions inperspective and ask the following question: Whichsongs and hymns will facilitate the enthusiasticparticipation of our people in congregationalsinging?

New congregationfinder available

on NALC websiteThe congregation finder feature on the NALC’swebsite has been redesigned.

The updated feature makes it possible to seach fora congregation by name, postal code, city, state orprovince. Users may also search by using a map.

You may click on a congregation’s location formore information including an option to e-mail thecongregation or to link to the congregation’swebsite.

The congregation finder had to be removed fromthe NALC website for a few weeks due to ahacking event.

You may access the congregation finder atwww.thenalc.org.

NALC Contact InformationNALC Ministry Office Bishop 3500 Mill Run Drive Bishop John BradoskyHilliard, OH 43026-7770 [email protected] [email protected] General Secretary

Pastor Mark ChavezNALC Administrative Office [email protected] Palmer Drive, Suite 220 New Brighton, MN 55112-2202 Missions888-551-7254 or 651-633-6004 Pastor Gemechis [email protected] [email protected]

North American Luth. Seminary Ministry & EcumenismThe Rev. Dr. Amy Schifrin Pastor David [email protected] [email protected]

NALC NewsPublished monthly by

North AmericanLutheran Church

3500 Mill Run DriveHilliard, OH 43026-7770

Phone: 614-777-5709

www.thenalc.org

Pastor David J. Baer, [email protected]

Please copy and sharethis newsletter widely.

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NALC News · Steve Dornbusch Joseph Freeman E. McClanahan Eddy Perez Marty Ramey Marshall Hahn ......

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