What Does Lutheran CORE DO? May/June 2021

Lutheran CORE defines its mission as being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.

As a Voice for Biblical Truth we alert people to ways in which the authority of the Bible, the historic, orthodox Christian faith, and traditional, Biblical moral values are being compromised and even rejected.

1. We offer guidance in evaluating ELCA communications and decisions, such as the social statement, “Faith, Sexism, and Justice” and the “Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment,” both of which were approved at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.   
2. We challenge the ELCA to keep its promise made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to honor also the traditional view of marriage and human sexuality.  We confront the ELCA over their complete lack of support for traditional views, as evidenced in such things as the choice of keynote speakers for the 2018 youth gathering and the choice of workshop leaders and topics for the 2021 youth ministry extravaganza.
3. We provide assistance for pastors and church leaders who want to gather examples to communicate ways in which orthodoxy is being threatened within the ELCA.
4. We include articles in our bi-monthly newsletter, CORE Voice, on such topics as critical race theory, how to share your faith with people who are hostile to the Christian faith, and how to communicate in a way that is relevant to technically sophisticated, younger generations.

As a Network for Confessing Lutherans we assure confessing persons that they are not alone.  We provide connection for them with many others who share their concerns and are engaged in the same struggles.

1. We provide Facebook groups in which orthodox pastors, seminarians, and lay people can engage in conversation with like-minded people.
2. We have a private and visible (Facebook terminology) Facebook group that includes pastors, seminarians, and lay people with several different church body affiliations.
3. We have a private and hidden (again Facebook terminology) Facebook group that is only for orthodox ELCA pastors and seminarians.
4. We have a third Facebook group, Lutheran CORE Worship, where people can post worship services and Bible studies.  
5. We also have both a page and a group on MeWe.
6. We are working with a pan-Lutheran group of younger persons to do four things: (1) develop a support network for orthodox students at ELCA seminaries, (2) develop a support network for college students considering attending seminary, (3) support people who are leading and/or seeking to start young adult ministries, and (4) find ways to communicate the Christian faith to younger persons in a clear and compelling way.   
7. Through the Clergy Connect page on our website, we help Biblically faithful, confessional congregations find a Biblically faithful, confessional pastor and vice versa.
8. As requested, we work with congregations that are reviewing their church body affiliation and walk with them through the process.
9. Through our Congregations in Transition ministry initiative we have a group of (mostly retired) Lutheran pastors who have been trained to be coaches for congregations where the pastor either already has or soon will be retiring or resigning to take another call.     
10. Through our sponsoring of the July 11-17, 2021 week of NEXUS at Grand View University, we are helping provide a way for high school youth to attend a week of Bible study, theological reflection, fellowship, involvement in ministry, and being challenged to consider attending seminary and become involved in a life of Christian service.   
11. We hold our annual Encuentro festival in the Chicago area – a day of support, connection, fellowship, inspiration, and resources for pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that are already involved in or are considering becoming involved in Spanish language and/or bi-lingual (English-Spanish) ministry. 
12. We provide on our website daily devotions and worship resources, including prayers and hymn suggestions.  We are also developing a bank of sermon resources for congregations that do not have a regular pastor. 
13. We also provide on our website an annotated List of Confessional Resources – books, magazines, ministries, and other resources recommended by confessional pastors – as well as video reviews of some of these resources.
14. We provide a listening ear for pastors who want to talk about such things as congregational dynamics, personal health issues, and/or are anticipating retirement or transitioning to life after retirement.