Since the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon our nation, everyone and everything has been affected, including our congregations. People have become quite creative in their response. Even though we were required to avoid meeting in public, the church did not stop being the church. Here is how some of our congregations responded to the lockdown and “sheltering in placeâ€! [...]
Our 20th Annual Gathering & Convention is going to happen, just not in the same way we have gathered in the past. We will still be meeting at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, Minnesota, but for one day only, on Monday, October 5th! Because of the restrictions placed on large group gatherings by the State of Minnesota, we must limit our gathering to 250 people. Registration is first come first serve, ... [...]
LCMC Service Coordinator Mark Vander Tuig shares a response to the coronavirus pandemic and invites every pastor, leader, and church member in LCMC to take part in an intentional day of prayer and fasting March 22, 2020. [...]
Friends, Thank you for your interest in our planned youth event this coming summer. Obviously, events of the last few weeks, and the weeks going forward are having an impact on everything! The last day to register for the youth event is April 1. If you are planning to register, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible to give us the best indication of our numbers at the deadline. We need 175 participants to ... [...]
The LCMC staff is putting together a public list of all pastors serving LCMC congregations to be available on our website. We have been developing the forms and creating the systems on our website that will allow our pastors, both those in a contract call and on our list of certified pastors, to give us their contact information, ministry training credentials, and a profile photo. Letters and emails will be sent out to all ... [...]
In November we sent out a request for funds. We were running about 9% (which comes to about $90,000) behind our budgeted goals—and you responded! Thank you for your faithful and generous support. Because of what was given, we have now fully funded our budget! Again, thank you! LCMC relies solely on the offerings of its member congregations and what is given allows this association to ... [...]
Our association needs your financial support. At this point we are about 9% behind of our budgeted goals. Please consider how you might support our association. We believe that the congregation is the front line of ministry. Your financial contributions make possible the training and equipping of people in the local church by our staff who come out to the congregations of LCMC at no cost. Tra [...]
Just a few weeks ago we completed the second “Called 2:” youth event. It was once again held at the campus of Grand View University and was led by pastors, leaders and teachers from our association. This is unlike any other youth event with which people may be familiar. We are not trying to gather thousands, entertain them, wow them, or make them question everything they may have learned in Sunday ... [...]
We are getting ready for our 18th get together in Des Moines, Iowa! I like to think of our gathering as more of a family reunion than anything else. It is a time for us to connect, network, renew old friendships and make new ones. But why would you bother to go? Why would you make the commitment of time and money to attend? There are some very good reasons, I want to share a few of them with [...]
We have extended the deadline to register for the youth event this summer until Sunday, April 15, but this is the LAST CALL. We need to have all registrations and deposit money in by the 15th. Called 2 Follow takes place July 17-20 at Grand View University in Des Moines, IA and all information including speakers, breakouts, service projects, the agenda, and more can be found under "Events" our website. Click Here ... [...]
I have just returned from South East Asia and want to give a brief update. We traveled first to Cambodia, where we discovered that our mission developer there, Pastor Samuel Chim (an LCMC pastor) is doing great work for us. We have received another 15 congregations and pastors as a result of the church planting efforts of the congregations there. We now have 35 pastors and churches in Cambodia and Pastor Chim is ... [...]
Our Called 2: Follow youth event is coming to Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa from July 17-20, 2018! Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Our youth event next summer will focus on these words of Jesus that call us out of ... [...]
The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that we have a Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry! Pastor Perry Fruhling has accepted the position and begins January 15, 2018. Perry has served congregations in Texas (Zion Lutheran in Fredericksburg) and in Iowa (Bethany Lutheran, Thompson; Immanuel Lutheran in Independence; and St. Mark’s Lutheran, Marion). Perry has additional training and interest in ... [...]
Our 17th Annual Gathering and Convention was held in Minneapolis, MN on October 8-11, just a few weeks ago. We had just over 900 people in attendance, representing 412 of the 750 congregations of LCMC. This year for the first time we sat around tables so that participants could discuss the information presented and it was genuinely appreciated. To recognize the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s ... [...]
We have a number of congregations and ministries that have a tremendous outreach to Hispanic communities, and it would good if we could get these leaders, ministers, ministries connected. If your congregation is currently carrying out an Hispanic ministry, mission, or agency in our association, and you would like to get connected, please click here and sign up. If you are interested in learning more about developing an Hispanic ... [...]
Dear Friends, “Service” is becoming a central part of our gatherings! This year for our Called 2 Serve youth event, which takes place July 19-22 at Grand View University in Des Moines, one of the service projects is again working with Meals from the Heartland. In order to reach our goal, we need about $10,000 to have 140 young people package meals for two hours, which would amount to about 50,000 meals. At our ... [...]
The best people to witness to other youth are the youth that we already have. The local church must do what they are able to train and equip youth to be disciples to their own generation. One of the best ways to do that is to build mentor relationships with mature Christian adults who can mentor youth in the development of their relationship with Jesus. [...]
Our 4th Annual Three Days of Prayer is set for January 5,6 and 7, 2016. Obviously, we pray more than three days a year but this is an opportunity for the congregations of LCMC to spend this time together before the throne of Grace. Each congregation is free and encouraged to do this in the way that seems best to them. For us together, Day One is a prayer of Confession, recognizing that we have sinned against God, against ... [...]
When I first started in this job in 2010, I had an idea about a way to use our website to connect congregations with one another. The idea came from the internet dating programs that are now commonplace and have resulted in thousands of marriages. We are finally ready to launch this new effort. Here’s how it works: The leader/pastor/member of a congregation goes to our website and signs up for Churches ... [...]
At our 2014 Annual Gathering, it was decided that we should have a National Youth Gathering. I have been meeting with a team of volunteers; we have proposed our ideas to the Board of Trustees and they have approved the following proposal: Theme: Called 2 Serve Purpose: To strengthen the ministry of the local church Location: Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa Dates: July 19-22, ... [...]
A prayer ministry team has been formed and is active! At our last Annual Gathering, I made an invitation to sign up for a prayer ministry team, and we now have over 50 people who are praying each week for LCMC congregations. Cheryl Coffman is the leader of this team and she is looking for others who may also be interested joining. Each Monday, Cheryl contacts five congregations from our list that are selected at random by ... [...]
2015. I am looking forward to a great year together. Steve Lien will continue to offer workshops on call committee coaching, Dan Clites will continue to offer workshops on the development of new ministries, and I will continue to offer workshops for congregational leadership. One of the things that we hope to be is a resource to our congregations. Other models for staffing in church bodies looks to do the work ... [...]
This January, join with us for our Third Annual Three Days of Prayer. This is an opportunity for us to join together across our association to come before God Almighty and bring our concerns, our ministries, our people and our future to the throne of grace and to the foot of the cross. Day One, Tuesday, January 6, 2015 is a day of confession, recognizing that we have sinned against God, against each other and ourselves. ... [...]
To date, we now have 16 districts and fellowship groups all across the U.S. Most of them are geographic in nature, some are non-geographic, but in every case, districts help us to get connected and stay in touch with each other. Districts are voluntary and vary in degree of “organization”, and that is exactly as was intended from the beginning of LCMC.Three years ago, I invited the leaders of all the districts at that ... [...]
What do we say and how do we respond? These are the questions that often face Christians and Lutherans in 2014 right here in America. We are now living in a “post-denominational era”; the way we used to do church is no longer working. Times have changed and we now need to be able to defend, explain and affirm our faith in Christ alone. We have been given a great heritage of faith and theology through the ... [...]