Hope for De-churched Lutherans

In my previous two articles, I talked about the dilemma facing De-churched Lutherans.  Some cannot find an orthodox Lutheran parish in their area.  Some have been made to feel unwelcome in their former congregation.  Others belong to a congregation that cannot find a pastor.

I have suggested that there is help for De-churched Lutherans.  There is no reason that a group of Lutherans who have no congregation or who cannot find a pastor should give up.  Lutheran lay people can gather together for prayer and Bible study.  As I have mentioned before, there are services found within Lutheran hymnals that may be led by lay people.  These include the prayer offices of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline, along with the Service of the Word.  (Check the Table of Contents in the Lutheran Book of Worship or the Lutheran Service Book.)

This month, however, I want to discuss resources that are available for you from Lutheran CORE. First of all, there are Daily Devotions available for personal use.  Dr. Jeffrey Greene writes Daily Devotions for Lutheran CORE.  Dr. Douglas Schoelles hosts a podcast called The Daily Plunge Bible Study. 

For adult education, Lutheran CORE has a Video Ministry that includes Book Reviews and series of videos in theological topics called “CORE Convictions”.  In addition, Pastor Dennis Nelson, records a Weekly Bible Study on the Lectionary Readings each week. 

For those who would like to hold a weekly worship service, Lutheran CORE has a Worship Page.  Pastor Cathy Ammlung has developed Hymn Suggestions and Prayers of the Church for each Sunday of the Church Year.  In addition, she offers Hymns and Liturgy Paraphrases for congregational use which she will be updating after Easter.

Finally, for congregations that are either too small or who have failed to find a pastor, there is hope.  Small congregations and worshipping communities can raise up leaders from within. The Congregational Lay-Led Initiative (CLI) offers training and mentoring for lay leaders.  The intent is not to replace pastors or seminary education but equip lay people for ministry in their own congregations and communities.  If the lay leaders in your congregation need help, or if you would like to form a small worshipping community, Don Brandt would love to talk with you. 

Of course, Lutheran CORE is not the only place you can go for help.  Our ministry partners also have many resources that you can use. In particular, I recommend that you look at two independent Lutheran publishers, SOLA Publishing and ALPB Publicity Bureau.  SOLA Publishing offers weekly worship resources, Sunday School, Confirmation, and adult education curricula in print and on video, and much more.  ALPB publishes books that would be very helpful for adult education worship planning.  Of most interest, however, is the four volume series on daily prayer called For All the Saints.  A congregation that wanted to gather weekly for Morning or Evening Prayer would have all they need to make that happen, excluding hymns and musical settings for the services. 

There is hope for De-churched Lutherans.  Let us know how we can help.