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 ... [...]
This year’s Annual Gathering & Convention in Marion, Iowa will provide us all an opportunity to practice generosity and stewardship. Our Board of Trustees has designated this year’s offering at the annual gathering to go toward the Lutheran Disaster Assistance Fund and the Church Planting Fund. The Lutheran Disaster Assistance Fund has been of much needed help for congregations in LCMC. We have had two churches ... [...]
A couple of months ago, I received a letter from LCMC Service Coordinator Mike Bradley requesting financial support. I confess, I did not receive it well. I lead a very small church plant and funding is an enormous challenge. I initially thought, “He doesn’t even know me… I should be writing HIM a letter, asking HIM for support!” I believe these thoughts may be common due to the autonomous nature of our ... [...]
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ will offer its first ever Church Planting Boot Camp. Led by LCMC Coordinator for Church Planting Development Dan Clites, this workshop is designed to engage, empower and successfully deploy those who are wired and called to consider starting up a church plant. Church planters, planters to be, planters in discernment, and spouses, and church leaders are invited. There is ... [...]
LCMC Coordinator for Church Planting Development Dan Clites, along with Matt Anderson, pastor of Surprise Church in Bismarck, ND, are traveling to several cities in Brazil on behalf of LCMC from June 18 through July 2 to meet with hundreds of Movemento Encontrao Lutheran pastors and leaders that are interested in joining the church planting movement. A group of Brazilian church planters will also be attending the LCMC Annual Gathering ... [...]
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 [...]
Discipling: Beginning with the End in Mind Your church plant has a vision. It is biblical and even ambitious. But if you want to see people living in the reality of that vision some day, you will need to carefully craft a discipling process to that end. With that in mind, the 2:47 Network is once again hosting a church planters retreat within the LCMC Annual Gathering, going deeper with our guest and keynote speaker, ... [...]
LCMC church planters and missional types are invited to The 2:47 Network Church Planting Retreat immediately following the LCMC Annual Gathering at nearby Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona, Iowa. “The Next Generation” discussion starts at 2:00 pm on October 10th, and wraps-up by noon on the 11th. There is no charge to attend, but lodging and meals are on your own. For greater details and to ... [...]
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 ... [...]
There's still time to enter our 2017 Annual Gathering photo contest before the Monday, July 17th deadline date! If your congregation has taken part in any projects, organized any events, or participated in any mission or ministry activities that exemplify what it means to be "in Mission for Christ" at a local, national, or international/global level over the past year, we're inviting YOU to submi [...]
Video content from our 16th Annual Gathering, which took place last October in Denver, Colorado, is now available for streaming online and in our mobile app. In addition to our 2016 Annual Gathering Series, which features presentations from our event speakers and staff members, we have also recently released two new video workshop series: Church Planting 101 and Pete the Planner. Designed for those who are interested in ... [...]
Online registration for our 16th Annual Gathering and our 2016 Seminarian Retreat is now open! The theme of our 2016 Annual Gathering is Back to the Future: First Century Principles for the Twenty First Century. Held October 2-5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Denver, the event features plenty of opportunities to get inspired, connect with other people in LCMC and get news... [...]
Registration is now open for Shift: Retooling Church, our 2016 Leadership Conference, which will take place April 10-12 at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona, IA. Pastors, church leaders and church members who register for the conference by Monday, February 29 will receive a discounted registration rate! Through the use of keynote speakers, skits and small group discussions, this year's con [...]
Registration numbers reached 744 on Tuesday morning as the LCMC 15th Annual Gathering continued on for its third day. The day opened with worship led by Living Word Lutheran Church in of Grapevine, TX and Bible study led by Rev. Steven E. King, Managing Editor of Sola Publishing. Rev. Dr. Paul Cross, Senior Pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND and Rev. Dr. Steve Paulson, Professor at Luther Seminary, were ... [...]
This week, 744 people from the U.S. and abroad traveled to Frisco, TX for the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ 15th Annual Gathering. The theme this year was “Our DNA”. The event kicked off on Sunday night with dinner and an opening worship service featuring Pr. Becky Hand from Life in Grace Lutheran Church of Odessa, TX and the worship team from Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Giddings, TX. ... [...]
Tuesday, September 1st is the last day to register as an "Early Bird" and save $50 per person on the cost of registration for the Annual Gathering! Registration rates for visitors, church leaders, church members and voting delegates are as follows: 9/1 & before: $200; 9/2 – 9/25: $225; after 9/25: $250. [...]
Online registration is now open for our 15th Annual Gathering, and those who register on or before Tuesday, September 1st will save $50.00 on the cost of registration! Whether you’re new to LCMC, just checking us out for the first time, or a long-time member looking to make new friends and reunite with old ones, our 15th Annual Gathering is the perfect place to get inspired, get informed, get equ [...]
Our 15th Annual Gathering, themed “Our DNA”, is all about celebrating what it truly means for us to be Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. In accordance with this year’s theme, we’re inviting all “LCMC-ers” out there to show us, in a photograph, how their congregation exemplifies what it means to be an LCMC congregation. Special consideration will be given to all photos submitted on or [...]
Register for the Annual Gathering by next Monday, September 1st and save up to $40 per person! As most of you know, one of our goals for this year's Annual Gathering is to package 400,000 meals for the hungry together on Tuesday, October 7th. In order to make this happen, we need your help! If you like to volunteer, simply check off one or both of the "Meal Packaging Project" check boxes on you [...]
Building working relationships with friends and fellow colleagues in ministry is important. That's why at our 14th Annual Gathering, which takes place October 5-8, in Des Moines, IA, we will be setting aside time for new or up-and-coming leaders in LCMC to do just that! [...]
Later this month, we will be planting the first LCMC Church in all of South Africa. We will be calling Pastor Matt Shields, who is just finishing up his schooling at Luther Seminary. The church will be in a rural country school house building that has electricity, running water and an outdoor toilet. It is a gathering place for our rural farm area, is the voting polling place, and has a soccer field where nearby farmers ... [...]
What would happen in your congregation if every household could give the first 10% back to God through the ministry of the local church? From October 6-9, 2013, come together with other pastors, leaders and church members from all over the world as Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ celebrates its 13th Annual Gathering, themed "The Grace of Giving", at the Adoba Hotel in historic Dearborn, MI. This ... [...]
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being an astronaut-- a bold pioneer of exploring outer space and the moon. At the time, it seemed like the coolest job ever with all its intrigue and danger. Trouble is, very few ever received the opportunity and now the whole idea of space exploration is grounded. Thanks, however, to the LCMC's heart for bold ministry, we can all suit-up and blast-off again with a God dream! As your new, New ... [...]
Get your cameras ready! Design projects for the LCMC 12th Annual Gathering are currently underway, and to help illustrate this year's theme, Ambassadors for Christ, our staff is currently seeking photographs from our member congregations to be incorporated into the design of our Big Book, which will be distributed at the event this October. Photo submissions are welcome from any and all LCMC congregations. This includes ... [...]