Taking it to the Street

The Texas District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) recently announced an initiative to train 500 evangelist, church planters and missionaries.  It sounds like an ambitious effort but the Rev. Dr. Yohannes Mengsteab who is heading up the effort truly believes it is doable.  What makes this movement unique is that it will equip lay church members to do ministry where they are at.  The goal is that there be one trained evangelist in every congregation or mission station. 

During a time when they number of ordained pastors is declining, this is a step in the right direction.  In 2019 the LCMS had 6,077 ordained pastors serving 5,991 churches.  On paper that looks good but beneath the surface things are not healthy.  Over three hundred of those pastors are specific ministry pastors (SMP) who are serving under the supervision of an administrative pastor.  In addition, other ordained pastors are serving in administrative positions.  The situation is exacerbated by the reality that a good portion of the rostered pastors are over the age of sixty and will soon retire.  The outlook grows even worse when we look at the enrollment at the two LCMS seminaries.  In 2019 only 355 students were enrolled in the Master of Divinity program, which leads to ordination.  That equates to less than one hundred pastors graduating each year.  That will not keep pace with the number of pastors that are retiring. 

There is another reason I am encourage by my district’s new initiative.  It moves ministry outside the walls of a building to the places where people live.  Granted, many of those trained will minister to under-served churches in small towns and rural areas, but others will touch the lives of people within the communities around established urban and suburban worship communities.  This is crucial when you consider that most unchurched Millennials and Gen Z’s will never consider entering the doors of our church.  We need to touch their lives where they are at, a reach and them in their place of need. 

I am a fan of the Doobie Brothers.  One of my favorite hits by them is Taking it to the Streets.  In a sense, this is what the new project is trying to do.  Evangelist are people who take the Good News of Jesus to people where they are at.  They minister to people through mercy and compassion.  I truly believe the future church will look vastly different with fewer people gathering in a building and more people clustering in small groups where they live.  In the world of Millennials and Gen Z’s relationships, not buildings, are the important thing.  Our desire is that one of those relationships should be with their Lord and Savior, Jesus.