By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

The Church of Jesus Christ has lived and ministered in a variety of contexts since its birth in the first century. Each era of time has its own challenges and opportunities. People in all times and contexts have in common that they are born in sin and separated from God. And therefore all are in need of the salvation accomplished by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, each time has aspects that are particular to it such as: What is real? (their worldview); What is true? (their beliefs); What is good? (their values); What is done? (their behavior). We need to ask, “What are the implications of these realities for the Church’s ministry of the gospel in evangelizing, establishing, edifying and equipping?”

The pre-Christian Western world from Christ to Constantine (312 AD) is characterized as a time when Christians were in the minority and were counter to the prevailing culture. The Church did not have the favor of the state. In fact, Christianity was illegal. People were biblically illiterate. The culture was not informed or shaped by the Bible in any way. The believers were persecuted and some gave their lives as martyrs. The society was morally corrupt with no universally accepted absolutes. It was a time of religious pluralism and philosophical relativism. What were the implications of this context for the Church’s ministry of the gospel in evangelizing, establishing, edifying and equipping the people of this culture? The Church needed to proclaim the message of the gospel and articulate the unchanging truth of the scripture in the language of the people. It could not assume a familiarity with the Bible or a biblical worldview.

Communicating with a postmodern mind

Constantine’s reign as emperor of the Roman Empire began the transition that resulted in the Western world that we have come to know as Christendom. Brian Stone defines Christendom as “a framework for construing the relationship between church and state in which the two are fused together for the sake of governance in such a way that Christianity becomes a project of the state or an appendage to the state, subject to its violent ends” (Evangelism after Christendom, Grand Rapids, MI; Brazos Press, 2007. p.118). The Church enjoyed the favor and support of the state. Christianity was now legal and became the official religion in the late fourth century. Clergy were given special breaks and churches could now hold property. Stone states that “the Constantinian story is the story of the Church’s forgetting its journey and making itself at home in the world” (Ibid. p.116). This was also a time of accommodation for the Church resulting in the loss of the biblical narrative.

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren came into being in a Christendom world. As an awakening movement we evangelized people who, for the most part, had a basic knowledge of the Bible but lacked personal faith in Jesus Christ. Our ministry context was by and large that of nominalism. This had significant implications for the Church’s ministry of the gospel. A basic familiarity with the language and message of the Bible was assumed.

We are now seeing the decline of Christendom and this means that the Church will live and minister in a context much more like that of pre-Christendom than that of Christendom. Stone concludes that “the Church that once was at the center of Western Civilization and could presume for itself a privileged voice has increasingly found that center unraveling and itself in a sort of diaspora at the margins, though in a decentered and fragmented civilization, one might question the adequacy of the language of ‘center’ and ‘margins’ altogether” (Ibid. p.10). This means that our ministry context is and will be quite different from the time when our Church came in being in 1900. We can no longer assume the same things to be true about our ministry context as were true in 1900 or even in the 1960s. The biblical narrative is not the narrative that is shaping our world.

The forces of post-modernity are at work where knowledge is considered to be perspectival and meaning is constructed by the self. The culture is marked by moral and philosophical relativism and religious pluralism – believing that all beliefs are equally true and redemptive. In this context the Church faces the temptation to seek to preserve the Christendom world rather than engage in God’s mission of evangelism through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is also evidence that the biblical narrative is no longer the shaping influence of the people of the Church. David R. Nienhuis who teaches at Seattle Pacific University reports of his students that, even though around 95 percent are Christians and half of them attend nondenominational evangelical churches, “only 32 percent were able to sequence four important events from the New Testament (Jesus was baptized; Peter denies Jesus; the Spirit descends at Pentecost; and John had a vision on the island of Patmos) in spite of the fact that a full 86 percent of them identified the Bible as their primary source for knowledge about God and Faith” (January/February 2010, “Modern Reformation.” p.11).

This seems to indicate that perhaps assumptions are being made in the ministry areas of establishing and edifying that no longer are true due to shifts in the culture. What are the implications of this new context for our ministry of the gospel in evangelizing, establishing, edifying and equipping? Evangelizing happens as the Church goes into the market place speaking the good news of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done through his living, dying, and rising for us. “Every day, in the temple and from house to house, they [the apostles] did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42, ESV). “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4, ESV). “They returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans” (Acts 8:25, ESV). Paul “reasoned in the synagogue… and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there” ... “preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:17-18, ESV).

Having been evangelized those who believe need to be established. “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:41-42, ESV). Paul speaks of being rooted. “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7, ESV; see also Ephesians 3:17). The Church, in the pre-Constantinian and following ages, used what was called catechesis to root new believers in Christ. This can be instructive for the Church today.

Along with being rooted, the believers are to be edified, that is built up, growing in every way into Christ so that they are no longer “children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:12-16, ESV). As believers are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,” they will no longer be “strangers and aliens,” but “fellow citizens with the saints  and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19-22, ESV).

The believers are prepared for living in the world and for serving the Lord in loving the neighbor by being equipped through the ministry of the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-16).

The 21st century Church will be best prepared for living in the post-Christian world and for participating in God’s mission by returning to the scriptures and then going into all the world proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ and by living out this gospel in love to our neighbor.

The opening seminar during the CLB Convention in June 2010 by Dr. Eugene Boe.

Dr. Eugene Boe, Ph.D is Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls, MN.

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

Imagine, if you will, a world where people’s main motivation for prayer and worship is relief from emotional distress or physical sickness, or the pursuit of worldly prosperity. Since distress, sickness, and prosperity come and go, religious interest is variable and fleeting in this imagined world. Since different people have different levels of success with different spiritual traditions, loyalty to any one tradition is low. So people shop around for providers of religious services and adopt “cafeteria” approaches to doctrines and practices. They lose interest when their immediate needs are met or move on to something new when they are unhappy in their present religious circumstances. Spiritual fads are common in this world. The Next Big Spiritual Thing always makes a splash.

In our imagined world, many different religious traditions exist side by side. As a consequence, the general attitude is that each tradition is valid in its own sphere – if it works for those who subscribe to it, that’s all anyone can ask. There is some thought, too, that each religion is, in effect, in the same business: all religions are paths to the same destination, all have some way of connecting people to the divine, however that is understood. If some spiritual tradition did have the nerve to suggest it was the one and only way to God, this declaration would be greeted with something between amusement – “you just don’t get it, do you?” – and outrage – “who do you think you are?”

Another powerful entity in this imagined world which provides people with prosperity, health, and emotional satisfaction is the government. So long as religious fervor remains a private matter that does not interfere with public order or loyalty to the state, or with the ability to collect taxes or exercise military power, the government has no particular concern with it. But underneath this easygoing appearance is an iron commitment to keep religion within strict boundaries, and a demand that religion should serve social and political ends rather than critique them. Most religious people, of course, don’t wish to borrow trouble, and go along with what their religiously-indifferent elites ask of them.

I asked you to imagine this world. But in truth, imagining it is not very difficult: it’s the world 21st century Americans already live in. Spiritual consumerism, church-shopping, religious pluralism, relativism about truth, cultural resistance to the exclusive claims of Christianity (or any other religion), and legal restrictions on religious expression alongside a rhetoric of religious freedom are familiar and well-documented features of our contemporary landscape.

What may not be so obvious is that my imagined world is also a pretty good description of the Roman Empire, the world in which Christianity began and flourished. There, pagan cults vied for the donations of devotees seeking wealth or healing or status, and new cults from exotic locales sprang up periodically. The traditional gods of the various cities and provinces of the empire were acknowledged as more or less on a par, while the exclusive claims of the Jews (and later Christians) were problematic. Everyone, of course, had to acknowledge the emperor.

The world that we face is much like the Roman imperial world faced by the first generations of Christians. While the deities are different, the structural features of paganism are already here. Consequently, our relationship to the wider culture, in terms of evangelism, ministry, discipleship, and in many other areas, needs to reflect that fact. The surrounding paganism is relatively new, and it marks a tremendous change from the world that American Christians dealt with even thirty years ago.

What is fading fast is “Christendom,” a close partnership between church and culture, the result of a long seepage of Christian influence into the DNA of a society. Christendom reveals itself in big ways and small: in prayers at public functions, in the easy assumption that our country is a Christian nation, in the public respect and influence accorded to high-ranking religious figures, in the unelectability of atheists, in businesses closed on Sunday, in widespread knowledge of Bible stories and basic Christian doctrines. These vestiges of Christendom are far less prominent than they used to be, and the trend is downward.

We will have to adapt to this new reality. What is the particular draw of Christianity, when people believe that all religions are paths to the same destination? How do we evangelize, when we cannot assume that our audience accords the Bible any special authority? What does church membership mean, when people are ready to abandon it so quickly? These are just a few of the questions raised by our new situation.
I am happy to say that many intelligent and faithful people are beginning to answer these questions in creative and inspiring ways.

One piece of good news is in the creativity and faithfulness of many Christian leaders – space prevents me from going into any more detail here. Another piece of good news is that Christians have succeeded in this kind of environment before. Sociologist Rodney Stark estimates that Christianity grew at the phenomenal rate of 40% for the first three hundred years of its existence. So it’s not as if the challenges before us are insurmountable.
Those challenges ought to be cause for caution and prayer, however, because the analogy between the first three centuries and the twenty-first century breaks down at one crucial point. Philosopher Peter Kreeft illustrates that point by likening pre-Christian paganism to a virgin and post-Christian paganism to a divorcee. While the virgin was ready to fall in love with God, the divorcee carries an extra layer of cynicism and even bitterness that must be overcome. In some respects, wooing a virgin and wooing a divorcee are very different projects.

Christendom is disappearing, and the paganism supplanting it has already made significant inroads. Our new environment calls for creative adaptation and fresh thinking. We need not fear, however, for we can rely on the unchanging faithfulness of God, who, in Christ, was reconciling the whole world to himself.

Dr. Heath White, Ph.D is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington, and the author of Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian (Brazos Press, 2006).

The first Faith & Fellowship online book club!
Join us on October 4th as we dive into Heath White's book, Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian

Visit the Book Club website at www.ffbooks.org/bookclub
Buy the book at Faith & Fellowship Bookstore

By   Wed, Sep 08, 2010

How do we effectively evangelize and make disciples of the people of 21st century North America? First of all, let's be clear that there is no perfect "add water and stir kit" that will guarantee our success in evangelism one more time. If we accept the widespread assertion that North America is a mission field, we will also come to think and act like we are on a mission field. In turn, this implies that we as church members will need to see ourselves as God's missionary people, sent to a specific cultural environment.

No single region of our continent is the same as every other region – there's a noticeable difference between the upper Midwest and southern California or between New Jersey and western Canada. Neither are any two metropolitan populations or even any two sections of a city necessarily the same. On top of that, in any given location we can also observe that the cultural distance between our local churches and our neighbors is widening. If we lack awareness of the differences between our Christian communities and the world around us, our intended audience likely will not understand our message. To effectively proclaim the saving gospel to our neighbors, we need to take notice of the cultural environment in which our congregation is located. To become savvier on how our neighbors understand and relate to their world requires that we spend more time listening to them and getting to know them better. Missionaries call this process contextualization – taking timeless unchanging biblical truth and passing it on in forms that the people of our host culture can understand and possess for themselves. As with traditional missionary work, this entails more than translation (such as trying to be "relevant"); it requires mentoring by including them in the practical living out of our faith. Along with verbal explanation, people "catch" the gospel by participating in how we live it out individually and in Christian community.

But why not simply invite them to our church programs, or to a special evangelistic service? While those things will continue to play a role, we are finding them to be increasingly less helpful in reaching people who are indifferent to or even hostile to any form of organized religion. The attractional model of getting them to come to us, on our terms, will most often reach those with the least resistance to the church – frequently those already "like us." The large majority will still never darken the door of a church facility. Rather than calling out words of welcome through our windows to passersby, we can create a variety of ways to bring the church out to the places where people live and work. Perhaps you've heard it said that the unchurched don't care about what Christians know until they know that Christians care. Peter put it this way, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:12). Jesus simply said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).

Lastly, let us not forget that to reach out with the saving gospel also requires that God's people are grounded and growing in our relationship with the Triune God through Word and Sacrament, through individual and corporate worship, and mutual service and caring in the community of Christ. We need to be able to explain to others in meaningful ways why humanity needs Christ, and to speak about and demonstrate how the gospel is good news. Part of our proclamation will include giving people multiple opportunities to experience the truths of Christianity up-close with groups of Christians that are able to think and act "outside the brick," who can serve as guides to others who are not familiar with the church. Exposure to a community of caring Christians that counters the negative stereotype they might hold will offer greater credibility to the saving message of Jesus Christ. It is in such an environment that vocabulary like "justification" or "sacrament" will best take on meaning for them.

In the process, let us also remember that the gospel needs to speak to us who are in the Kingdom as well as to those who are presently outside. We need it just as much as others do. Ongoing conversion is necessary for our congregations, as the law convicts us of our accommodations to North American culture, and as the gospel speaks forgiveness and renewal to our hearts. We will speak best to others out of our own encounters with the Triune God through worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our aim is not to win the culture wars, to transform society or to change the world, though some of those things may certainly happen, but to introduce our neighbors to new life in Christ, whose Kingdom is here now in part and will one day be fully established as he promised.

Dr. Gaylan Mathiesen, Ph.D is Professor of Missions at Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls, MN.

By   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

A theologian said that the greatest calling God gives a person is to be a parent. Another claimed the greatest calling is to be a spouse. For me, the greatest calling in life is to be a child, because, in being a child, one can be a great parent and a great spouse. Let me explain.

Not everyone is going to be a parent, and not everyone is going to be a spouse. God gives to each person according to his will. Some he will bless with children. Some he will bless with a spouse. Some he will bless with money. Whatever blessings God gives, we are to manage them. Stewardship is our management of everything God gives us: our money, our kids, and our gifts and talents. God is the real owner of all these things, and he gives them to us as a trust responsibility to manage. This is simply part of his bigger calling to us – to be his children.

Some months ago we learned that Rebecca, our third daughter, had a hole in her heart that would require surgery before she was six months old. Then two months ago, the doctor found that part of her brain was smooth, meaning that the neurons did not migrate to the proper place as they should in normal brain development. From geneticists we learned the cause of these symptoms: Rebecca was missing part of a chromosome. With this deletion, as it is called, a baby would probably have some of the following: heart, brain and kidney defects; developmental delays and seizures. This is a rare disease known as Miller-Dieker Syndrome.

Of course, I was driven to learn as much as possible on the internet about Miller-Dieker Syndrome. There I read that “death tends to occur in infancy.”

What do you do when you hear news like this? Perhaps you ask God why this would happen to you. Perhaps you look back on your life wondering what you did wrong that this should happen to one you love. But that’s the wrong approach; rather, we should look to God for answers. I asked what God was doing in my baby’s life, and I asked, “What am I able to do for my baby?”

At that time I was writing a sermon series on stewardship. I heard financial advisor Dave Ramsey say, “All that we have, all that we are, is not ours, but God’s.” Then I understood that Rebecca Faith McIvor is not mine or my wife’s, she is God’s. God has entrusted Becky to her parents, just the way she is, defects or no defects, syndrome or no syndrome, for however long she is in this world, whether a month or a year, or Lord willing, even 100 years. But she is God’s baby – not mine.

From this perspective, the world does not revolve around us, but around God. We might think we are in control of everything, but it is really God in control. Whatever happens is from God or allowed by God, so we need to trust in him. Our lives are not our own, but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Only by God’s grace can we be children of God. Only because Jesus came and died are we able to live – now in his grace and forever with him.

Many potentially difficult decisions had to be made for Becky. But they became simple when based on a proper view of ourselves and the child God entrusted to us. If I considered Becky as my child, I might have made self-centered decisions. Instead the decisions were based on being good stewards of the precious gift that God gave us.

Some of us are called to be parents, some to be spouses, but each of us is called to be his child. Out of this highest calling we are able to be great parents, great spouses, or be great at anything God wants us to be. You see, a child depends on its parents for food, clothing, shelter, everything. So it is with us and God. We need God’s help in all matters – easy or difficult – and in caring for the things he has entrusted to us. We can count on him to deliver.

Becky is doing o.k. for now. We met with the doctors before she was released from the hospital. They said that Rebecca will not develop past a three- to six-month-old level. Earlier they said she would not live past infancy. We know and trust that God wants what is best for us and for our Becky. We have seen him at work in and through her life already. We will continue to pray for God to keep using her for his glory, while having the faith that if he chooses to do that through her healing, then he is more than able to do so. We praise God for all he has done for our little girl as he has entrusted her to us, her parents.

Stewardship goes beyond giving to the Lord. It means being great managers of what he has given us – that all might be for his glory. Praise be to God who entrusts us with his gifts!

Rev. Dirk McIvor serves as pastor of Nanuet LBC, Nanuet, NY.

By Cheryl Olsen   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

Powerful early summer winds blew us through the doors of Bethel Church and into an upside-down day, and challenges to live inside-out for Jesus!

The theme of the 2010 WMCLB conference was, “Inside Out: Living out the Life of Christ within.” Ruth Vallevik welcomed 120 women, explaining that the hope for the day was to give “little glimpses of how God’s Spirit is working through the bodies and lives of women around the country in ministries that he has laid on their hearts.” She expressed the desire for each woman attending to “get a sense of passion for what God is calling you to do… in your daily life, in the ministry that he may lay on your heart.”

Streamlining the business of the day, and moving the keynote speaker into the afternoon, the morning became a time of hearing what God has been doing in and through women. Interspersed throughout the morning were four “Spotlight” presentations from women who shared, sometimes through choked voice and moist eyes, what God has called them to do in their everyday lives.

Carol Anderson (Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania - Pictured Right with Janet Spencer, Chairman of WM) described her life as a comfortable “Christian bubble.” Then, what began as a research project propelled her into a ministry that has taken off with a life of its own. Carol found that “many women live with crisis as the norm in their lives. They may look nice, but are dealing with shame, difficult relationships, with nowhere to go.” Connections for Women, the faith-based, non-profit organization she ended up founding has taken her out of her comfort zone, but also “sharpened” her.

Connections for Women opened its doors two years ago, partially because of the number of domestic violence reports in the surrounding communities. Created to be a safe place for casual relationships to build, its goal is building healthy family relations. Ministering to women from ten small communities, Connections is a coalition of various churches in a kind of “ministry time-share,” so responsibility for the whole ministry doesn’t rest on one church.

Currently open two days a week, it has served 100 different women, in groups of eight to twenty. It is a place of support, with group discussion, but also a place to learn how to get help from area agencies. They’ve heard presentations about family support organizations, rehabilitation centers, dealing with addictions, support for child abuse survivors, sex-trafficking of minors, even rescuing prostitutes from brothels in Ethiopia. It’s a place where church women can learn about things outside of the realm of their daily life, and at the same time develop relationships with those they wouldn’t typically meet at PTA or a church Bible study. A new program pairs women with mentors in one-to-one relationships. Carol would like to see even more strong-faith women paired with those struggling or who want to grow more in their faith. She wants to see more impact in our communities, to “make God more famous!”

As for Carol herself, through this ministry she has become more “comfortable in trusting God in situations where I’m uncomfortable… I’m not in control, he is. These women have taught me so much. I never went into this to change the world, but the people I serve have changed me.” In loving women from all walks of life, said Carol, “we experience learning from those situations – even more than we can give.”

Dr. Susan Wasson (Osakis, Minnesota) shared a different walk of life. Dr. Sue had a medical practice in a metropolitan area, but felt a growing pricking of her conscience regarding the inequities of the medical system. Third-party payers (Medicare, insurance companies, etc.) pay only 20-60% of actual costs, while uninsured poor have to pay their entire medical bill. At the same time, doctors, through a system of growing codes, are insulated from even knowing how much was being charged for their services, and actual time spent with patients is minimal. Dr. Sue felt led to begin a cash-basis medical practice in a rural area, serving many uninsured or underinsured individuals. “My colleagues thought I was crazy!” she quipped.

Reading from Romans 12, she shared that the body of Christ has many parts. “I don’t have the gift of street corner evangelism… but God has given me skills in medicine.” And so she stepped out in faith, trusting God. She mused, “He’ll push you to the edge, though, and teach you. He provides much better than I can envision. But there’s a price to be paid, and not just financial. It can be isolating.” She spoke of negative reactions from peers that can hurt. “Unlike Carol, I did think I could change the world! In retrospect, just my corner of it. Or maybe it was just about changing me. You absolutely have to trust that your reward is in heaven. But sometimes he gives a glimpse of what he is doing.”

Dr. Sue shared one of those glimpses of a patient recognizing Christ in her, and then challenged us: “God can use any skill. The main thing is that your heart is his. I’m sure he has given you some kind of ability or skill. He wants you to use it for him. If you talk to him with an open mind he’ll show you what he wants you to do with that. It will cost you something. Maybe everything.” It was clear, that for Dr. Sue, the cost was well worth it!

Shirley Cook (Calgary, Alberta). The third “Inside Out Spotlight,” Ministry to Children, was presented via a DVD featuring an interview by Shirley’s daughter, Janet Thomson, and quick cuts from people in Shirley’s 20-year-long Kids Klub ministry. “Miss Shirley shines from the inside out!” was the message we saw and heard from kids and co-workers. Watching her, we were encouraged to show unconditional love to others, and to be passionate about Jesus.

Lori Christopherson (Everett, Washington) shared her Ministry to Young Adults, the fourth “Spotlight,” as I interviewed her. Lori doesn’t feel hospitality is her natural gift, but she saw a need, and God has used her willingness to serve. Now for the past two years, she has been hosting dinner for up to twenty young adults each week in her home, and leading or facilitating Bible studies for them. Lori encouraged us to step out in faith for whatever God is leading us to do. She has seen him supply whatever is necessary to do it!

The day called for response:

• We raised our voices and spirits in praise to God, led by Karla Thurmer (Cape Coral, Florida), Joann Martinson (Rolette, North Dakota), and Carol Folden (Fergus Falls, Minnesota).
• We responded with prayer as missionary Linda Bengtson (Japan) and church planter Heather Olsen (Florida) brought greetings and updates from their ministries.
• We gratefully re-elected Janet Spencer as Chairman of Women’s Ministries.
• We corporately prayed in small groups for our missionaries as seminary graduate Annalise Nordtvedt guided us.
• We participated in “afternoon ministry huddles” led by women whom God is using in various ways: Grief Ministry by Tess (Rangen) Soholt, Children’s Ministries by Christine Lawson, Bible Study Leadership by Mary Thompson, Health Care by Dr. Sue Wasson, Hospitality by Lori Christopherson and JoAnn Gundersen, and The Pastor’s Wife by Ruth Vallevik.
• We listened to a more-in-depth afternoon Keynote Presentation by our speaker, Carol Anderson, and were challenged to love as Jesus did – extravagantly, even scandalously (the Samaritan woman, adulterous woman, sinful woman) because he has a plan for their lives as well as ours.

And now that the day is past, we reflect:

• We examine our hearts to see if our theme verse applies to us: Does the love of Christ truly compel me? Do I no longer live for myself, but for him who died for me?
• We look forward to making our Mission Projects possible through our contributions. 
• We make plans for Women’s Ministries Conference, Saturday, June 25, 2011 at Tuscarora Inn, Pennsylvania.

Cheryl Olsen is Information Coordinator for Women’s Ministries of the CLB (www.wmclb.com).

2010-2011 Women's Ministry Projects

North American Mission: $4000 to provide funds for the training/ministry planning retreats for Regional Pastors and wives, and preliminary expenses for the next Youth Convention.

Training Mission: $4000 to fund the Fall 2010 SWEET Retreat, scholarships for seminary women, Bible study books for seminary women's weekly study and childcare.

International Mission: $4000 to assist Rachel Venberg (Chad) and Kris Larsen (Taiwan) to focus on language learning, by providing adequate child care and schooling for their children.

Hillcrest: $1000 to provide training for the women's dorm staff with Greg and Janet Anderson at Inspiration Point through a Purity and Holiness Retreat.

National Women's Ministry Team Projects: $2000 for "The Theology Project" – a user friendly tool for evaluating Bible Study material and other curriculum; and "Heart to Heart" – for Ruth Vallevik to travel more extensively to connect with local groups.

Ongoing Projects: H.E.L.P. (Household Equipment Linen Project); Digital StoryBook; General Mills Box-Tops for Education; Crisis Care Fund; Lending Library.

More photos from the Convention

Women's Ministries National Team

Sue Olson, Joy Mathiesen and Linda Bengtson

Annalise Nordtvedt, Lindsay Natale, Ashley Krog

By Tim Mathiesen   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

Stewardship and the joy of giving is talked about in Christian circles, but it’s often an unpleasant conversation as the speaker feels awkward asking for money and the listener has conflicting feelings of guilt and defensiveness. It’s too bad that we often give out of obligation rather than excitement. Many times we don’t even know what exactly we’re giving to, which is understandably not very exciting.

How would the topic of giving sound if it was brought up in the midst of a unified vision and mission within the body of Christ? If the vision of our Church rises out of a culture of prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, as we share the vision that God has called us to, he will work in our hearts and create an understanding and excitement for the larger mission that will naturally generate a spirit of unity and stewardship.

During the biennial convention, each ministry shared plans and goals and how they fit into the larger mission of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. Now each ministry would like to ask you to think about God’s plan for his church. How can we as a family of churches work with each other, strengthening each other and cultivating the call and mission of each part of the body, serving God to further his mission in our communities, throughout North America and to the ends of the earth?

It starts by understanding that we are one body, and it ends with understanding that we are on one mission. One mission. Together. The Church of the Lutheran Brethren has always been rooted in God’s Word, and spreading God’s Word to the ends of the earth requires unity and stewardship.

As we enter our 2010 and 2011 giving cycle we currently find ourselves uncomfortably behind our anticipated goal for contributions. Our mission is one with your mission, and more importantly one with God’s mission. I ask now that you would prayerfully consider partnering financially with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren as we serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Tim Mathiesen is Director of Communications & Prayer for the CLB (www.clba.org).

The Great Commission: Join the Mission! 

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:18-20

• International Mission
• Lutheran Brethren Seminary
• North American Mission

By   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end” (Psalm 90:2). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “...God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it” (Hebrews 1:2). “...I alone am God, the First and the Last. It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth. The palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above. I spoke and they came into being” (Isaiah 48:12b-13). “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born” (Psalm 33:6). “The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours – you created it all” (Psalm 89:11).

“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away” (Isaiah 40:26). “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all thing were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). “...He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command...” (Hebrews 1:3).

“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen” (Hebrews 11:3). “For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. ‘I am the Lord,’ he says, ‘and there is no other’” (Isaiah 45:18). “I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the millions of stars are at my command” (Isaiah 45:12).

“God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone” (Isaiah 42:5). “I discovered that God created people to be upright, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). “How stupid can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you. You are only the jars he makes! Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, ‘He didn’t make us’? Does a jar ever say, ‘The potter who made me is stupid’?” (Isaiah 29:16). “This reminded me that no one can discover everything God has created in our world, no matter how hard they work at it. Not even the wisest people know everything, even if they say they do” (Ecclesiastes 8:17).

Scriptures compiled from the New Living Translation by Rev. Willmore Gundersen of Fergus Falls, MN.

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

It gives us great joy to announce that the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB)and Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (HLA) are each receiving an approximate one million dollar gift from Ewald and Alice Sems of Chardon, OH.  Earlier this summer, Mr. Sems recognized the need to do some financial and estate planning in connection with the upcoming merger/sale of a small company he owned stock in. That led to his consulting with CLB Development Officer Mark Johnson and together, they worked out a plan involving both immediate and deferred charitable gifts to best achieve his stewardship and estate planning goals. The CLB and HLA were notified about the coming gift in early July, which is unquestionably an answer to prayer for both recipient organizations. In accordance with the terms of the sale, the initial 90% of each gift arrived in our respective offices in early August with the remaining 10% held in escrow and scheduled for distribution in 18 months.

“God has richly blessed our family and extended family,” said Mr. Sems, “and I would like to encourage others who are mission-minded to give to the mission of the Lutheran Brethren. I come from a very humble beginning. Our family arrived in the U.S. in 1952 without a cent to our name and God has richly blessed us.”

“On behalf of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, we thank the Lord God for using everyone in his mission and praise him for prompting Mr. and Mrs. Sems to give this gift to him and the Church at this time,” President Joel Egge responded. “They are active worshippers, workers and givers in their congregation and are regular partners in our synodical ministries. May the Lord encourage each of us to serve the Lord with the gifts he has given us.”

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, October 3 when we will celebrate Hillside’s 60th Anniversary.

A special service is being planned for that Sunday followed by a potluck dinner. Pastor George Aase will be the guest speaker. Our theme for the day is “A Family Celebration” as we honor 60 years of memories.

By   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

All roads lead to Rome. That is a saying that most of us are familiar with. It means there are many ways to arrive at the same destination. Unfortunately, our postmodern culture has adopted this philosophy, and applied it to salvation. Our culture tells us that we can not know absolute truth. It tells us that finding absolute truth is like trying to spot a pebble on the side of the road when you’re driving 120 mph. It tells us, “Whatever works for you, do it! Find a road that’s right for you.” Jesus gives us a very different message.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 13:18-33
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day - for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!”

Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a seed that starts out small but grows into a large tree. A tree impossible to miss, providing protection for all who dwell in it.

Jesus’ description of the kingdom of God is more like a blinking billboard than a pebble along the side of the road. Jesus tells us that absolute truth can be known. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6a).

As those who have heard God’s Word, we find ourselves trapped between the Truth and our culture. Our culture tells us, “Do whatever works for you!” Jesus tells us he is the only thing that will work for you, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6b).

Jesus was warned in our text to stop walking down the road he was on. He replied, “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next.” Jesus was on the road to the cross. On the cross, he who knew no sin became sin, and three days later he rose from the dead. You can reject that truth and follow any road you want toward destruction, or you can receive that truth and repent. Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going... I am the way” (John 14:4,6). Believe! The door will not always be open, but it is open right now!

Troy Tysdal is Church Resource Coordinator for the CLB and serves as associate pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

Calvary Community Church in Fullerton, CA will be celebrating their 50th year of grace, October 22-24, 2010.

A weekend of fellowship is planned that will include a praise concert, anniversary luncheon, open house, Sunday Service of Grace and a picnic to follow.  There will be many opportunities to visit with six returning pastors and families, as they join us for the eventful weekend.

Calvary has been blessed these past 50 years and we pray God will continue to bless us for 50+ more . . .  Please join us if you’re in the area.  Visit our website at www.calvarycc.net, or contact Dolores Taylor, Calvary’s secretary, at (714) 879-6672.

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

Photographs of elder and charter member installation service.

Regional Pastor Gary Witkop (left) and Rev. Burton Bundy (middle)
installed Dan Bundy (right) and ordained Barry Schmahl (kneeling)
as elders in Living Faith Church in Watford City in late July

Sunday Service at Living Faith Church, Watford City, ND

Regional Pastor Gary Witkop installed Brett Wisness as trustee,
Mike and Jena Jenks as sec/tres. He also accepted
28 communicate and 14 non-communicate members.

By CLB Prayer Team   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

It was a magnificent sight: eight Tall Ships under full sail entering the Duluth, Minnesota harbor in August. They were greeted by a fleet of pleasure craft and sailboats that looked tiny by comparison. What caught my eye were the masts and the sails – strong enough to withstand a gale, but totally dependent on the wind for power. How like our lives – totally dependent on the Holy Spirit for power!

Want to live your life so it honors Jesus? Want to tell your classmates what Jesus does for you? Remember Jesus’ promise to his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7). May our prayer be: “Lord, please fill my sails.”

Shel Sorenson is the CLB Prayer Team Coordinator.
The CLB Prayer Team is on-call to pray for requests from our family of churches.

By   Thu, Sep 09, 2010

Once a quiet community in the far west of North Dakota, Watford City is undergoing some major changes with the oil boom in full swing. Now the sound of jake brakes, double clutching, and trucks on the roll is getting to be a familiar sound. A recent 50 mile drive to Williston showed a count of 140 semi trucks hauling everything from water to crude oil, from drilling equipment to oil field supplies, and even a couple of grocery and Walmart trucks added to the mix.

Housing is at a premium for the influx of oil field workers. It has driven up the local real estate market, motels are booked solid and workers are parking campers, cars, vans, and tents wherever they can find a place to call home. While living this way can work in the summer months, it will have drawbacks when the cold weather hits. Still, there are jobs and money to be made here. And with the monetary struggles in the rest of the country, people are flocking here with a gold rush mentality to make hay while the sun shines.

In this setting we decided to start a church. We began in the summer of 2009 under the leadership of Pastor Burton Bundy. A city-wide informational meeting was held and shortly thereafter it was decided to start services on September 20.

But things looked bleak when, in early September, Pastor Bundy became ill. Without his leadership, things were at a standstill. Just over a week before the scheduled first service, our core group of twelve met to decide what to do. A vote was taken. The decision was to forge ahead as we all felt it was God's will and his timing. At that same meeting it was decided to name the effort "Living Faith."

And "living faith" is what it is taken over the past year as we have developed into a congregation. That development has involved incorporation, a constitution, determining a charter membership (28 communicant and 14 non-communicant members), and election of officers (secretary/treasurer, elders, and trustees). But most importantly it has been a year of developing a Christian bond with each other.

A real blessing for the group has been the fellowship times that we have had at different homes after worship on Sunday. We are on a time allowance at the First Presbyterian Church with their service following ours, so we have to leave fairly quickly. These times at members' homes have allowed us to get to know each other, bless each other and grow as a group. We have also entered the community with a Christmas food drive, visitation at the hospital and filling the pulpit at the Good Shepherd Home.

Living Faith is now in the process of searching for a pastor. There are clouds of doubt as we anticipate the costs, but we feel that it is time. For the effort is to go forward and grow, we need a leader. If we are to become a viable part of the community and serve these people we need to put a complete working church in place now. Salary and housing of a pastor may look like a large problem to us, but it is small to the God we serve.

Many people here are hungering for fellowship and friendship and we hope to provide that as we share Jesus Christ here. It is a wide open mission field and the "fields are white unto harvest."

We have started a confirmation class with two young men. We are currently working on a children's church and will have another weekly Bible study starting this fall. There have been three baptisms. While we have some laypeople able to fill the pulpit, we are so thankful to the CLB churches in Williston, ND and Sidney, MT for helping us.
We don't know "what the future holds, but we know who holds the future" and are
depending on him to uplift us as we strive, by God's grace, to put this work in place.

Dan Bundy is a founding member and elder of Living Faith Church in Watford City, ND.

By Randy Mortenson   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

What do you think of when you see the following words: authority, sin, judgment, hell, Jesus? If you’re reading this magazine and attend a Lutheran Brethren church, then you and I probably share a similar understanding of those words. We could use them in conversation without either of us being offended or put off or misunderstood. (Although we might each be convicted in our heart by the Holy Spirit – another reference we could use without explanation.)
  Now think about talking to someone who understands none of those words as you do. How do you do it? Where do you even begin? Welcome to our postmodern, post-Christian culture.

In Mark Driscoll’s book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. (notice the clever mission), he says, “According to the gospel of forgiveness, we have sinned against God and are under his wrath until we ask for forgiveness and live changed lives of repentance. This gospel worked for people in Christendom because they had a general knowledge of authority, sin, judgment, hell, and Jesus.” He goes on in the next paragraph: “Though this gospel made sense to most people at one time, this sort of gospel seems judgmental, mean-spirited, naïve, and narrow-minded to the ever-growing number of people who do not understand the basic tenets of Christianity.”

Stunning, but there it is. You can see it happening. The gospel message of forgiveness and love is heard as judgmental, mean-spirited, naïve, and narrow-minded. Whoa. No wonder more people aren’t flocking to our churches. It’s a misperception, to be sure, but a real perception nonetheless by people unfamiliar with Christian language and meaning.

I’ll be honest: the mere mention of the word “postmodernism” makes my head spin. Which, really, is perhaps an apt word picture for what it is: random spinning. There’s nothing solid to stand on. No common ground to work from. No built-in Christian context or accepted authority. Postmodernism is sort of like a giant dot-to-dot display without any numbers: you can connect them any way you want, and never have a clear picture.

The place to start, and to finish, is prayer. Following the CLB convention in June, I was inspired to pray more earnestly for my neighbors. Since then my family and I have gone on “prayer walks,” where we read a little scripture and then walk around a designated block three times, praying for our neighbors who live in those homes. I’m often unsure how to engage people outside my “Christian circle” in conversation, but I know how to pray for them. And I pray that God would connect the dots for them, in an order that they will understand, so that what they see, and who they see, is Jesus. Father, draw them to Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Randy Mortenson serves as pastor of Ebenezer LBC, Mayville, ND.

By   Wed, Sep 01, 2010

Pastor Shawn Bowman was invited by Bethesda LBC in Westby, WI to assist the church in reaching out to its community. Two weeks prior to his visit to Westby, Shawn wrote about their planned approach to evangelism.

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house,
they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news
that Jesus is the Christ.
- Acts 5:42

This August, Bethesda Lutheran Brethren Church in Westby, Wisconsin is stepping out in faith to try an experimental method of community evangelism. Much like the apostles in Acts 5:42, Shawn Bowman and Adam Berge, pastor of Bethesda, intend to travel from house to house to visit with friends and neighbors of the church family. The church has been praying for hearts to be converted, and each member was encouraged to pray for specific individuals. During the week of August 14-22, the church family will invite those for whom they’ve been praying to come over for coffee and meet their pastor and visiting evangelist.

Why would anyone want to meet with these pastors, whether in a home or a coffee shop? This experimental method has no hope of overcoming that very obstacle unless the promise of Jesus in John 6:44a can be relied upon: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” So with a mustard seed of faith, the Westby church is willing to pray, invite and believe that God will draw people unto himself. Will you also pray for this evangelistic endeavor?

Imagine the following conversation taking place in Westby: “Hello, Mrs. Olson, we are glad you have invited us to your home. Is your guest here yet?” “No, not yet. I sure am worried about this meeting… What are you going to talk about, pastor?” “Well, as I said before, we will talk about the issue your friend Ella dealt with a year ago when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening aneurism. I am going to listen to her story and see where she has put her faith during this time of pain. You told me earlier that you didn’t think she was a churched person, so it will be good to find out where she has put her faith.” Imagine the end of the conversation with Ella: “Ella, I am so grateful to hear how the doctor and your family were by your side as you were going through the most traumatic experience of your life. You were really knocking on the door of eternity when the doctors lost all vitals on the operating table. Ella, that night when you died on the table for two minutes, were you ready to stand before God and see if you were going to get into heaven or not?” Based on Ella’s response to this question, the gospel is close at hand.

Groups of people from the church will gather each evening of the week for prayer. Then on Saturday, Bethesda is hosting a community celebration event with inflatable games for the kids, face painting and other outreach opportunities pointing people to the cross of Christ throughout the day. The week will conclude with a meal for everyone in the big tent and an evangelistic message following the meal. Please pray for us as we step out in faith believing God will convert souls in Westby.

Rev. Shawn Bowman serves as pastor of Victory LBC, Jamestown, ND (www.findvictory.org).