Pastor's Pen

In the last issue of The Lutheran Reporter newsletter there was an article that gave some reasons why our church body the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has over the last three decades recorded membership losses. It began by making the point that there is a lot of positives in our church, but as one looks at Christian churches in general there is a strong correlation between evangelism and three factors: 1) Effective Preaching 2) Emphasis on prayer 3) A healthy Sunday School (education aimed at all ages).

It is that third factor that in our own church body and in our own church need great attention. In the LCMS on any give Sunday about 35 to 40% of the membership is in church. In contrast only 8% are in any kinds of Christian educational program. I looked at the statistics at Grace and found we are spot on in the church attendance statistic and slightly higher in the education statistics coming in at a about 15 %.

In a study by the Search Institute on this matter it was concluded that effective Christian education "is the most powerful single influence congregations have on maturity of faith." Strong Christian education also correlates with church loyalty, renewal in congregational life and growth in membership.

As I think about Grace Lutheran Church I can see where over the years we have had and continue to have many devoted teachers and leaders in the area of Christian education and youth. But I also can see where education is something that has been ignored by many people in the congregation as a whole. What this article is suggesting is that we need to be more intentional in our focus and design of educational ministries. This does not mean just more Bible classes or small groups, but placing utmost importance on getting our members to be involved in education, to having classes that not only teach the Bible, but also teach and challenge them to live out their faith day to day. I will admit that as pastor I need help in this area. I was trained primarily in pastoral ministry and in theology. I don't know that much about teaching methodology.

I would invite people who have a passion for teaching the faith and understanding of teaching effectively to speak to me about how to give new life to this most important calling of God and the church.