It was a time for celebration as 780 people gathered together October 5-8 at Hosanna Church in Lakeville, MN for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ’s 25th Annual Gathering & Convention and a celebration of the association’s silver anniversary. “Our Help and Hope” was the theme of this year’s program, which was based on the hymn O God, Our Help in Ages Past, as well as 1 Corinthians ... [...]
Fifty-four days ago (but who is counting?) I began my new role as service coordinator of LCMC. It is an honor to be selected for this position by the Board of Trustees and I look forward to the work we will do together in the future. But before we look ahead, we thought we’d take a quick look back on 2025 so far. In January, the Board of Trustees opened up the application process for a new service coordinator. Mike Bradley ... [...]
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Freedom. For me, what holds us together then and now, is Jesus. He is the head of the Church, and He has set us free! The Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies continues to move in our day to do just that. The Spirit of God is still very much at work in us, in our children, and in the hearts and minds of all people everywhere to hear and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ. We have a ... [...]
When Jesus Christ commands us to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:19), He is encompassing all of humanity in these words. [...]
What do you do when you leave your denomination, do not join another denomination, but instead start your own? That was the question for a bunch of us when we left the ELCA and formed the LCMC. Very early on, we realized that class had not been available in seminary! What do we do now? Where are we going to train our pastors? How are we going to call our pastors? What about congregations that can’t find an ordained pastor? Those were ... [...]
The more objective, historical, and authoritative view of LCMC’s twenty five year history will soon come out in a book by Dr. Mark Granquist. What I offer here are the simple reflections of one who has been deeply involved in LCMC’s predecessor group, WordAlone Network (WAN), and remains active as a current member of the LCMC Board of Trustees. When I became LCMC Board Chair about 6 years ago, I was advised to read the ... [...]
The third core value of LCMC can seem like it should just be a given. Of course we’re rooted in Scripture. Of course we’re rooted in the Lutheran Confessions. It says so right there in our constitution, probably right there in the constitutions of all of our members churches. And as long as we affirm that statement, and don’t ask too many questions, or get too specific about what it means, we all get along just fine. It ... [...]
To date, LCMC has grown to 814 U.S. congregations and a total of 1,003 congregations worldwide, spanning 18 different countries. In 2024 we certified over 40 new pastors, most of which are based in the Midwest region of the U.S. As our association continues to grow, we continue to explore how we can best connect, train, and care for our congregations, pastors, and leaders. Here’s an overview of [...]
Every summer, designated leaders from LCMC districts and fellowships meet together at Hosanna! in St. Charles, IL to hear updates from one another, share resources, and do a little dreaming about the shape their work could take on behalf of LCMC congregations. Every summer, the Board of Trustees and the Ministry Board also meet. This year, those meetings were coordinated to bring everyone together into one space along with the staff at St. ... [...]
During my time as service coordinator, I have had numerous congregations who have been longtime members, as well as others who have recently joined LCMC, tell me that they “feel like they’ve come home.” We all know that moving into a house requires ongoing upkeep and maintenance, and this is also true for LCMC, which almost 1,000 congregations now call home. [...]
Recently, we took a survey of ordained and lay leaders in our small churches in LCMC. Thank you for your responses. Your feedback has not only been received, but is being followed up on by the LCMC Board of Trustees, Ministry Board, and staff. One example comes from our board of trustees and ministry board meetings held April 12-14 in Minneapolis. The boards affirmed a proposal to create a comprehensive plan for leadership and pastoral ... [...]
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LCMC 3.0 is the new season of life and ministry the Lord is leading us into as an association. It is a season of continuity and change. It is a season in which we are being called to embrace the tension (nothing new for Lutherans) between the two as we follow the Lord. It is a season in which we’re being confronted by challenges. But as we’re told in the Scriptures, what appear to be challenges to us can actually be turned into ... [...]
Registration is now open online and by mail for our 22nd Annual Gathering & Convention. The event includes speakers, fellowship meet-ups, breakout sessions, worship, and more! For the discounted rate, sign up by August 15. [...]
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 ... [...]
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 ... [...]
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 ... [...]
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 ... [...]
At our 19th Annual Gathering and Convention, held in Omaha, NE September 29 – October 2, 2019, our Service Coordinator, Rev. Mark Vander Tuig announced his retirement effective August 31, 2020. Mark has done this so we, as a Board and as an association, can take this time to evaluate and assess both the state of LCMC and the position of Service Coordinator. [...]
Registration is officially open for our 19th Annual Gathering and Convention, a four day event featuring keynote speakers, updates about LCMC, worship, vendors, Bible study, and breakout sessions, plus plenty of opportunities to connect and network with other pastors, leaders, and congregation members throughout our association. Greg Finke and Grace Johnson will serve as our keynote speakers this year as we "Listen Up!" to ... [...]
How has your congregation “Listened Up†to the needs of others on a local, national, or international level over the past year? Enter the 2019 Annual Gathering Photo Contest and share your stories with us! The LCMC staff is once again welcoming photo submissions from LCMC pastors, leaders, and church members that depict how their congregation has been "in Mission for Christ" over the past ye [...]
Plans are well under way for the 2019 Annual Gathering and Convention, September 29 - October 2 in Omaha, Nebraska. Our theme this year is “Listen Up!” We will spend our time together considering the challenges that come in our attempts to hear clearly. How do we listen for God’s callings in our lives? How do we listen to the needs of our neighbors? How do we listen across generational ... [...]
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 [...]
Did you know that the LCMC App lets you sign up to receive news updates on your mobile device based entirely on your interests? Here's a breakdown of what's available: General Notifications: Select this option if you’d like to be notified ONLY of announcements that aren’t related to attending a specific event. Examples: New videos/podcasts Service projects Contests Major news updates from the ... [...]