As LCMC’s Service Coordinator, I am delighted to announce a new addition to our national staff. I have asked Pastor Julie Smith to join our team as the Coordinator for Districts and Fellowship Groups. Adding this position to our team will enable us to be more effective in connecting, equipping, and caring for all congregations and leaders throughout the association. We believe that developing a healthy and robust district and ... [...]
We heard the word “essential” a lot this past year. The word was used in regards for necessary items and personnel; but if we’re honest, the definition fell pretty broadly as to who was categorized in this way. However, we still needed the essentials for day-to-day life. Even in our congregations, we had to get down to the “essentials” for ministry to move forward. As things progressed, innovation took place. ... [...]
Calling All Interim Pastors! The impact an interim pastor has on a congregation is substantial, as it can be the time a congregation moves from unhealthy patterns and behaviors to a more positive healthy environment. Interim pastors are in a unique position to move a congregation forward during uncertain times. The need for intentional interim pastors is critical. Many congregations need some intentional healing before ... [...]
The purpose of LCMC-Lutheran Men is to worship God by helping congregations through the money we collect from the men of our congregations plus grants provided by congregations. After much discussion, our board has decided to reorganize our funding program. Currently, we have two funds, the Loan Fund and the Gift Fund. The Loan Fund is designed to provide a no interest loan to small/mission congregations that can be used for building ... [...]
January 5-7 marked Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ’s ninth annual Three Days of Prayer event, bringing pastors and congregation members of the association together to kick off 2021 with an intentional time of prayer. In light of the circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no surprise that fewer congregations than usual opted to host in person events. According to the results of our ... [...]
In the gospel text for January 24th from Mark 1:14-20, Jesus comes proclaiming good news. Great news. The long-awaited kingdom of God is near. Jesus comes declaring and demonstrating that a new life, a better way of living life is breaking in on the world here and now. It is a way of living life that is made possible by what God is doing in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; a way of living life that we can never create ... [...]
LCMC’s Three Days of Prayer on January 5-7, 2021 is an opportunity for us to follow the Lord’s example and to come together as one across the association with a shared purpose: to pray. Follow along with us on Facebook or in the app during each of the three days, and please consider sharing your testimony with us by taking our survey. [...]
Ministry for children, youth and young adults is an essential element in the future development of our association and in the work of sharing the Gospel in the United States and around the world. With that in mind, we are so thankful for the adults throughout LCMC who are coming alongside of parents and giving of their time to share God’s love with children, teens, and young adults. As we begin to make plans for a national youth ... [...]
Our Lord Jesus is our model for all things in life and faith. With that in mind it is important to note how intentional He was in making time to be with God the Father and to pray (see Mark 1:35). These were such important priorities for Jesus that He even refused to allow the ever-present needs of people to deter Him from making time to pray. Jesus was intentional when it came to prayer. Following our Lord’s example, we are ... [...]
Videos from our 20th Annual Gathering & Convention, which took place October 5 at North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden HIlls, MN, are now available for streaming. To watch from your mobile device, download our mobile app, tap on the "Media" tab, then select "2020 Annual Gathering" from the list of options. The app is compatible with AirPlay and Google Cast, enabling users to play content on a TV or ... [...]
A total of 139 people joined together in person at North Heights Lutheran Church on October 5 to celebrate Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ's 20th Annual Gathering and Convention. This total included 105 voting delegates, 14 guests, 8 members of the board of trustees, 5 members of the LCMC staff, 5 members of the ministry board, and 2 speakers. The event, which was also live streamed online, featured a discussion on the ... [...]
From the LCMC Board of Trustees - It is with real regret that I inform the LCMC of the resignation of our treasurer, Jeff Wold. Jeff Wold served as a trustee and then as treasurer for a total of three years. Jeff has been a valuable addition to our board and an important voice in this transition process and hiring of the new Service Coordinator for LCMC. Jeff has been prayerfully considering the demands of the ... [...]
Our 20th Annual Gathering & Convention is only one week away! Since we are anticipating more people than ever to be tuning in live, we thought we would fill you in on a few last minute details. Those of you who plan to "attend" the event virtually can access our live stream on Monday, October 5 from 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. CDT by visiting www.lcmc.net/live. A digital version of this year's event program, ... [...]
Remember the mission. Three words that you will hear me say often as I begin my tenure as Service Coordinator for LCMC. There are certain things about who we are, what we do, and what we believe as Christians that must never change. They remain true in every era, country, community, and congregation for all time. The mission God has given us is one of those things. Our Lord Jesus articulates the mission in Matthew 28, telling us to go into ... [...]
LCMC Conflict Coaches Training has been taking place in August and September. LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Perry Fruhling, continues to work with potential coaches who are preparing to be available to congregations throughout the association. The training has consisted of understanding conflict from a systems perspective, learning to identify sources of anxiety in congregational conflict, and developing skills in the ... [...]
Congregations who are interested in viewing the LCMC conflict resolution workshop video recorded by LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Perry Fruhling, may email Perry (perry@lcmc.net) for a link to the video along with the workshop workbook. Congregational councils, small groups, or newly forming conflict resolution teams may have interest in forming a study around the video presentations. The video was recorded at ... [...]
The LCMC Conflict Coaches Training event has been rescheduled as an online workshop set to take place August 19 - 20 and August 31 - September 1 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. To register, contact Perry Fruhling at perry@lcmc.net. [...]
Although this year's Annual Gathering will be a bit different from usual, ordination anniversaries are still something we would like to recognize. If you are celebrating a significant anniversary of ordination this year and would like to receive a pin to commemorate this special milestone, please contact Cathy Nichol. [...]
LCMC has clothing items available in various sizes for $10.00 plus shipping: Men's Black Polos Sandstone T-Shirts Navy Blue T-Shirts Black T-Shirts Contact Cathy Nichol, LCMC Administrative Coordinator, at (734) 788-7476 or cathy@lcmc.net for available sizes and to order. [...]
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to announce that we have finished the search process and have asked Mike Bradley to serve as the next Service Coordinator for LCMC. We are grateful for all the candidates who worked with us through this process and for those who have been praying for the Board during this search process. We feel confident that God led us through this process and are so excited to work with Mike as ... [...]
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 place”! [...]
Greetings from Firmly Rooted Oxford, MI and Greendale, IN. What a blessing it is to be able to communicate with our brothers and sisters about the Kingdom work that is going on in our little parts of the world! Last time we gave you an update, it was specifically about the history of our church plant, the ways that we were reaching out to the community, and how God had been starting that work for years before. Dan Clites was so ... [...]
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, ... [...]
We would like to take a moment to thank all of the LCMC pastors who have responded to our request to update their clergy profile on our website. For those who have not yet had a chance to do so, please consider taking a few moments to review your profile, then submit any changes to your contact information or credentials using our online form. To date, approximately 683 pastors out of 1,288 have responded. We are still ... [...]
As many of you may know, in December 2019, LCMC staff, boards, and district leaders undertook a significant and intentional time of assessment, reflection, and prayerful discernment about the future of LCMC. The Board of Trustees has worked diligently and faithfully to discern God’s calling for the next chapter in the life of LCMC. We have been calling this new season LCMC 3.0 and it will be led by a new Service Coordinator following ... [...]