The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

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The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

• 1333 South Kirkwood Road
• St. Louis, Missouri 63122
• 1-800-248-1930

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Connecting the Mission and the Money

• What on earth are you doing for heavens sake

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Right and Wrong Ways of Doing Things

• Holding a golf club
• Developing an investment plan
• Recruiting volunteers for congregational
  activities

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Raising Money for Your Ministry

• St. Lucre Lutheran Church
• Yes, we care about people, but what we really
  care about is your money!
• Really???

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How is money handled in your congregation?

• Lead with your need?
• Present the budget and challenge people to meet
  it?
• Conduct a pledge program to meet the budget?
• Put money statistics regularly in your worship
  bulletins and newsletters?

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The Big Questions

• What do we communicate as our mission or passion?
• What are we as Gods people to be about--or how
  do we keep the main thing the main thing?

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Mission Statement

• Our Redeemer reaches out with the love of Jesus
  to
• our families, neighborhood, community, and world.

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Purpose from the Constitution Article III

• The purpose of this congregation shall be to
  witness to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as we
  proclaim the kingdom of God by Word and
  Sacraments,
• as we teach youth and adults the Word of God
  according to the Confessions of the Lutheran
• Church (see article II)

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• as we practice Christian fellowship and as we
  live in Christian love.

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Heaven greeting Jesus after the Ascension

• The angels greeting Jesus
• A conversation that might have taken place
• The surprising conclusion
• There is no plan-B!

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The Great Commission

• All authority has been given to ME
• When going
• Make disciples
• By baptizing
• By teaching
• And I am with you always

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The Need is Great

• Largest Christian church in the world?
• Largest Mosque in the world?
• What reaches twice around the world and is
  getting longer?
• Well over half of Americans do not attend church
  regularly!

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The Need Continued...

• People exaggerate church attendance by about 100
• About half of all churches in America did not add
  one new convert in the past year
• More churches close (3,750) than open (1,300)
  annually
• Lost people lose (85-1 ratio)

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Our Redeemer membership

• There are 554 ACTIVE baptized members
• There are 329 INACTIVE baptized members
• For our purposes an active member is someone
  that has attended at least one worship service,
  or contributed at least once in a 12 month period
  after August 2006.

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Member list defined

• If you add those plus anyone that is noted as
  being at school, homebound,
• Military, shut-in and misc. then the grand total
  would be 929
• There are 30 ACTIVE NON-MEMBERS
• There are 61 INACTIVE NON-MEMBERS

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Member list defined

• If you add those plus anyone that is noted as
  being a prospect, visitor,
• Shut-in, friend, or have family in O.R. then the
  non-member grand total
• would be 204

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• Baptized members are 892
• Confirmed members are 695
• Worship attendance this year averages 177/
  weekend.
• Confirmed members who communed at least once 286 

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Why arent we reaching the unchurched?

• Spiritual lethargy
• Growing inclusivism
• Growing disbelief in hell
• Busyness
• Fear of rejection
• Desire to be tolerant
• Losing the habit of witnessing

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Why arent we reaching the unchurched? (cont.)

• Lack of accountability
• Failure to invite
• We go to churches that do not reach the
  unchurched
• THESE ARE REASONS BUT NOT EXCUSES!

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Profile of the Unchurched

• Unchurched not anti-church
• 17 million people likely to accept Christ
  another 43 million are close (Ablaze Goal)
• Most unchurched believe in heaven and hell
• Most unchurched have a high view of the Bible

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Profile (continued)

• Would rather talk to a layperson than a pastor
  about matters of faith
• Easter still a key time to invite
• Many wonder why Christians do not invite them to
  church
• Most have a spiritual view of life (1/3 of
  atheists make that claim)

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The Rainer Scale

• U5 - highly resistant, hostile (5)
• U4 - resistant but not hostile (21)
• U3 - neutral, perhaps open to discussion (36)
• U2 - receptive (27)
• U1 - highly receptive (11)

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The Need is Obvious!

• The harvest fields are ripe
• Many will be receptive
• We are Gods instruments
• The time is now

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Twelve Keys to an Effective Church

• Specific mission objectives
• Pastoral and lay visitation
• Corporate, dynamic worship
• Significant relational groups
• Strong leadership resources
• Streamlined structure and solid participatory
  decision-making

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Twelve Keys to an Effective Church

• Several competent programs and activities
• Open accessibility
• High visibility
• Adequate parking and land
• Adequate space and facilities
• Solid financial resources

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Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Levels

• Success in the first six keys raises the level of
  satisfaction
• Success in the second six keys lowers the level
  of dissatisfaction

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Stewardship is a critical part of the picture!

• Christian stewardship is the free and joyous
  activity of the child of God and Gods family,
  the church, in managing all of life and lifes
  resources for Gods purposes.
• Maturing stewards do the right things for the
  right reasons!

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Managing money is only one part of stewardship

• Time
• Talent
• Treasure
• Testimony
• Tissue
• Trash
• Totality

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But managing money is critical to stewardship

• Positive sharing of what the gifts of Gods
  people are doing
• Developing a narrative budget
• Connecting mission and money

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Stewardship flows out of changed hearts

• The Macedonian Christians
• Not wealthy...
• But wanted to participate
• They gave themselves first to the Lord and then
  to us

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Connecting Mission and Money

• Closely related
• Mission without stewardship is impossible
• Stewardship without mission is superfluous

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LCMS Mission Statement

• In grateful response to Gods grace and empowered
  by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments,
  the mission of The LCMS is vigorously to make
  known the love of Christ by word and deed within
  our churches, communities and the world.

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ABLAZE!

• Praying to the Lord of the Harvest, LCMS World
  Mission, in collaboration with its North American
  and worldwide partners, will share the good news
  of Jesus with 100 million unreached or committed
  people by October 31, 2017.

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One Mission ABLAZEIgniting the Flame

• Is your congregations mission statement one that
  makes your congregation an inviting and
  encouraging place?
• Does your mission statement have an outward focus
  or an inward focus?

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What about your congregation?

• Mission statement?
• Vision statement?
• Core values?
• Connection between mission and money?

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Practical Suggestions

• Pray for lost people
• Remember that all people (also the unchurched)
  are looking for transcendence, significance and
  community
• Champion a face-lift at church
• Be more visitor friendly
• Create side door events

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Practical Suggestions (continued)

• Start a new worship service
• Revise church budget for outreach
• Make friends with the unchurched
• Hire a paid guest to give you a candid
  evaluation of a visitors view of your
  congregation

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More Practical Suggestions

• Dont just invite the unchurched, but offer to
  take them with you or meet them in the parking
  lot
• Remember that those who just drop in are probably
  either in a crisis situation or church
  shopping

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Make a Difference!

• Connect Mission and Money in the right way
• Money really does follow mission
• Be an ABLAZE mission outpost

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One Mission ABLAZEIgniting the Flame

• What on earth are YOU doing for heavens sake?
• www.lcms.org/stewardship