Pastor Don Brandt

The Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), on its website, lists the average worship attendance of each of their 818 U.S. congregations.  This data represents a veritable “treasure trove” of information when it comes to how many of these congregations might be facing a crisis in the coming years concerning the viability of their ministries.  (This kind of information, by the way, is not available on the NALC or ELCA websites.)  Regarding the accuracy of these numbers, we need to keep in mind that the diligence of congregations in regularly updating their reported average attendance is probably a “mixed bag”.  To my knowledge the LCMC does not contact their churches each year to insure that the reported attendance figure is up to date.  And there’s another reality to consider: the cross-denominational impact of the pandemic on worship attendance.  We know that many churches saw their attendance drop between 10 and 40 percent between 2020 and 2023.  And some churches never fully recovered their losses in terms of in-person average attendance.  However, to avoid argument, I will assume that the LCMC attendance data is reasonably accurate and up to date.

Before summarizing this data I want to pose this question: At what point—when it comes to average attendance—are most churches facing nothing less than an existential crisis?  And for those churches facing such a crisis is there anything that can and/or should be done to maintain and preserve the viability of their congregational ministries?  Also, at what point do these smaller churches need to be asking whether they will always be able to assume the availability of an ordained pastor to lead them?

The following information represents the results of my online “survey.”  Of the 818 LCMC churches in the U.S. 484 churches report an average weekly worship attendance of 75 or less.  And of these churches, 276 report a weekly attendance of 40 or less.  Now given what I know regarding the current costs involved in calling a full-time pastor, I believe many of these 484 churches will be unable, in the coming years, to afford a full-time pastor’s salary with benefits and housing.  And because of the current clergy shortage, qualified pastors who are looking for a call usually have more than one opportunity to consider.  This gives a distinct advantage to those congregations that are able to offer the better salary and benefits package.  (In other words, usually larger churches.)

So what of the possibility of calling a part-time ordained pastor; especially when it comes to the 276 churches that have 40 or fewer people in worship each week?  This is definitely a possibility for churches that can no longer afford a full-time pastor.  However, as with full-time candidates, there is also a shortage of part-time pastors.  And with part-time pastors, call committees typically need to find a candidate that is close enough to commute to their community.  This factor, above all, limits the options when it comes to finding a qualified part-time pastor, especially in rural settings.  Then the usual fallback option is to find one or more “supply preachers” who live within driving distance of the congregation.  One more possibility to consider for these churches: enlist (and “train?”) one or two (or more) active members to share preaching responsibilities.

Here is the “bottom line”; too many smaller churches are making the erroneous assumption that they can stake their congregation’s future on always being able to find, call and afford an ordained pastor.  This is simply not the case for most of these smaller congregations.  When considering the LCMC, 60% of their congregations serve 75 or fewer worshipers in a typical week.  And over one-third of their churches serve 40 or less worshipers.

It is time for smaller congregations to consider long-term ministry strategies that do not assume the ongoing availability of ordained pastors.  Here—on a more constructive note—are some options that congregational leaders from these churches need to consider.  And sooner rather than later.

1. Consider whether one, two or three active members might be enlisted and trained to become part-time lay ministers for your congregation.  Their “training” could be online; either from Lutheran seminaries (like St. Paul Seminary), or through lay minister training programs like Beyond the River Academy or the LCMC Texas Mission District’s Harvest Workers ministry.  Online courses might focus on biblical studies, Lutheran theology, and preaching.
2. Check out Lutheran CORE’s Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative (CLI), which would mean having an “outside” coach to help your congregation address this ministry challenge.  (Full disclosure: I am the person for you to contact to find out more about CLI.)
3. Contact your regional mission district leader and ask for one or two names of competent retired Lutheran pastors who might be willing to enter into an online coaching relationship with your church council.  The primary focus of such a relationship is to prepare your congregation for a future that might not necessarily include an ordained pastor.
4. And the best long-term strategy might be do “raise up” someone among your active members who would consider eventually becoming your future ordained pastor.  This person might be active retired, or someone younger who would become a bi-vocational pastor, or a stay-at-home parent who has reached the empty-nest stage of life.  Obviously not all congregations have such a potential “candidate.” However, my guess is that too few congregations are even asking the question as to whether such a person is already a part of their congregational life.

What about your congregation?  Are you currently without a pastor?  Or is your current pastor close to retirement?  Does your church have an average weekly attendance of (approximately) 75 or less?  Or 40 or less?  Has your attendance been declining over the last five years?  Or longer?  If you have been in decline, and that decline continues, what do you anticipate your attendance will be in 2030?  What do you guess is the average age of your active members?  Is it old enough where your decline might actually accelerate?

These are difficult questions to even reflect upon, let alone discuss with your lay leaders.  However, this is a discussion smaller congregations definitely need to have.  We are entering an era when most congregations will not be able to depend on available ordained pastoral leadership.  We cannot afford to put off confronting this ministry challenge.  It’s time to act.

If you have any questions for me, including whether I can be of some assistance, email me at…

pastordonbrandt@gmail.com

Given the increasing shortage of ordained pastors available for call, now is the time when many churches will need to take the initiative to enlist one or two (or three) active members to be equipped and eventually called to serve their own congregation.

Now before you dismiss this strategy as totally impractical, first consider the difficulties involved in finding and calling a full-time ordained pastor in the next few years.  Then I will describe one possible scenario where a congregation chooses to equip and call one or two (or three) of their own members to serve in a pastoral role.

So first, to answer the question: just how difficult could it be in 2024, or 2025, to fill your congregation’s pastoral vacancy?  Glad you asked.  The answer, in part, comes down to basic math.  There are simply too many vacancies for too few available pastors.  And the small number of pastors who are looking for a call have too many options.  This means applicants for your vacancy will often be comparing your church with other vacant churches where they are also interviewing. 

However, it is not just about the quantity of available pastors, it’s often about the quality.  Many of the pastors out “looking” are not vetted; and might not be qualified to serve your church.  This is especially true in the LCMC, where their online “call packet” information makes it clear that vetting your applicants is entirely your congregation’s responsibility.

One more challenge related to the current clergy supply shortage: it will only become more severe in the coming years.  Projections are that there will be twice as many pastors retiring ten years from now than are retiring in 2024.

So now for a hypothetical example of how a congregation—Grace Lutheran—is addressing its pastoral vacancy.  It involves the following steps:

1. Once the congregation’s retiring pastor—who served Grace for 15 years—departed, the Church Council organized a transition team to consider how to move forward when the larger church is dealing with an unprecedented clergy shortage.  That transition team, after meeting for a couple of months, recommends that the Council pursue a two-prong strategy to address their vacancy.  First, they recommend organizing a call committee to “test the waters’ regarding whether the “right” pastor is out there; whether to serve as an interim or more “permanent” pastor.  The second recommendation is that, while the call committee begins this search, the Council begin a discernment process as to whether one or two (or three) active members can be convinced and recruited to take at least one seminary online course.  This initial course would be a way for these members to consider a seminary education and, hopefully, eventual ordination.  The cost of this seminary course would be covered by the congregation.

2. The Council’s first challenge is, of course, one of discernment.  In other words, identifying the right members to approach regarding this opportunity.  Prayer would play a large role as the Council moves forward.  Those considered would be active members who are already known by name by the majority of church members.  Just as important, they would be members who are recognized as having proven ministry gifts.

3. Given the long-term scope of this strategy, those approached would ideally be 60 years of age or younger.  That way they would potentially be able to serve the congregation in a pastoral role for years to come.

4. Those approached and recruited for this ministry opportunity would hopefully have a college degree. This would make them immediately able to pursue a seminary education without additional schooling.

5. These future pastoral ministers could either be currently working full-time (after all it’s only one initial online course) or part-time; or be active retired; or be a nesting-stage or empty-nester parent not working outside the home; or currently be serving the church as support staff.

6. Which initial seminary course would they be taking?  Negotiable.  I would recommend either Biblical studies, preaching, or Lutheran Confessions.

7. Who would these “recruits” be accountable to as they begin this online course?  Either the Church Council or a mentoring team of two to four lay leaders appointed by the Council.

8. What would the financial cost be to the congregation?  Minimal.  Initially, just the cost of the online seminary course(s). However if these members are also recruited to serve in some ministerial role while taking this course, they should be given a stipend as compensation.

I have, since 2019, provided some level of assistance to 38 different congregations dealing with a pastoral vacancy.  Most of these congregations initially approached their vacancy with the assumption that finding and calling a new pastor is essentially the same challenge it was ten to twenty years ago.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  The current shortage of qualified pastors available for call is unprecedented in my lifetime.  (And I’m seventy-two!)

This crisis is not something that can be entirely addressed by top-down denominational strategies.  Not only are such top-down strategies inadequate in 2024; they will be increasingly insufficient as long as the number of available pastors continues to plummet in the coming years.

So if top-down, national-church initiatives prove inadequate, what can the local church dealing with a vacancy possibly do?  Take ownership in addressing your long-term need for pastoral leadership.  In other words, “raise up” competent and gifted future pastoral leaders from among your own congregational members. 

And if your church is, or soon will be facing a pastoral vacancy, where do you begin?  By doing four things:

1. Read this article a second time.

2. Start praying; asking God for guidance when it comes to identifying active members of your church who have the personal integrity and the proven ministry gifts to consider becoming a pastor.

3. Approach your congregational leaders about considering some version of the above ministry strategy.

4. And if you initially need to talk with someone who is not a part of your congregation about how to proceed, email me, Don Brandt, at pastordonbrandt@gmail.com.

For an additional written resource related to this ministry challenge you can click on the link below.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Don Brandt

Lutheran CORE’s Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative (CLI)

“How Your Congregation Can Identify, Enlist and Train Part-time Lay Ministers”

Consider the contrasting good news and not-so-good news ministry challenges that are confronting many of our congregations in 2024:

Good News: Many local churches have now been blessed by the return of members to in-person worship services now that the pandemic is over.

Not-so-good News: A great many of our congregations have nevertheless experienced a significant decrease in overall weekly in-person worship attendance when compared to 2019; i.e., before the pandemic.

Good News: Many smaller congregations are in good financial shape; benefiting from the generosity of  the active Boomers who make up a majority of their membership.

Not-so-good News: These aging Boomers will not remain active indefinitely.  And there are very few Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z members to take their place; whether as generous givers or volunteers.

Good News: Both the LCMC and NALC are continuing to attract new congregations.  The NALC now has a total of 500 congregations, and the LCMC is now made up of almost 1,000 churches.  (75 of these churches belong to both the NALC and LCMC.)

Not-so-good News: A significant percentage of these new congregations have been dealing with extended pastoral vacancies.  Some of them are joining, in part, in the unrealistic expectation that they will now have an easier time finding and calling their next pastor.    

Good News: Most LCMC and NALC congregations are aware of how important it is for them to prioritize and pursue the Great Commission.  As a result, their congregational leaders are both aware of the importance of reaching out to the unchurched, and are motivated to take action.

Not-so-good news: Effective congregational outreach and evangelism is actually more challenging now than in the past.  The reasons include…

1. The on-going and increasing secularization of American culture; a process that has only accelerated with the advent and ubiquitousness of social media.

2. The politicization of so many American congregations in a time of unprecedented levels of divisive and partisan political conflict.  Many congregations have been dealing with controversial political and social conflicts that have directly led to significant internal conflict.  Of pastors who admit to considering leaving the ministry, 38% said that “current political divisions” were one important factor.

3. The growing percentage of Americans who claim they have no religious affiliation.  Gallup has asked about religious affiliation going all the way back to 1950, when more than 90% of respondents identified as Christian.  In 2012 it was 77%.  In 2023 it was 68%.

     However, I would like to conclude with some extra good news as you and your congregation plan for the immediate future.

Most of you belong to church bodies—like the LCMC and NALC—which adhere to and advocate for basing our Christian identity on the centrality of Scripture.  As a result, your pastors and congregational leaders don’t need to make apologies for being part of a national church body that has based its primary identity more on secular causes than on the Great Commission.

While our culture has indeed become increasingly secular, and fewer people identify as Christians, many unchurched Americans are in almost desperate need of the kind of supportive and loving community that the local church—your church—can provide.  The need of many unchurched Americans to be a part of a caring community is now greater than ever.  The pandemic became a profound reminder, to millions of Americans, that they have been living lives characterized by loneliness and social isolation.  This presents an amazing opportunity for local churches to incarnate the love of Jesus Christ for the isolated and hurting people living in their local communities. 

So consider challenging yourself and the individual members of your congregation to pursue these three simple steps:

A. To each think of an unchurched friend (or acquaintance) living in your local community.  Begin to meet regularly with this person; walking alongside him/her as he/she faces the challenges of life.  This is primarily a listening ministry, and learning to ask the right questions as a way of bonding over time.

B. When the time is right, invite your friend to visit your congregation on a Sunday.  Offer to pick your friend up on that first Sunday.  And give two or three of your church friends (and the pastor) a “heads-up”, letting them know you are bringing a first-time visitor.

C. In this role you will essentially become your congregation’s ambassador for Christ to this new friend (and now visitor).  You will be the one to not only assure your friend’s welcome on that first Sunday; you will also increase the odds that he/she will be assimilated and discipled by the members of your congregation.

D. One more thing: Even if the new friend is unwilling to visit, do not end the relationship.  Keep getting together, even if this becomes a solo ministry on your part.  Ultimately it’s not necessarily about membership; it’s about discipleship.

Pastor Don Brandt

Congregations in Transition

The Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative

This article is written especially for smaller congregations that are either 1) already experiencing a pastoral vacancy, or 2) know that their solo pastor will be retiring within the next one or two years. If your congregation fits this description it is essential that you understand the full scope of the challenges you will face, or already are facing, when it comes to finding and calling your next pastor.

You might be hesitating to read further.  After all, you might be convinced that the “right” pastor is out there, and the Holy Spirit will undoubtedly lead him or her to your congregation.  But know this: The current shortage of Lutheran pastors is unprecedented.  Moreover, this shortage is unprecedented in my lifetime…and I was born in 1951!

However, if you keep reading you will learn of a congregational ministry strategy that provides you with a viable “Plan B” if and when you decide that it is highly unlikely that your congregation will—in the near future—be able to identify and call the “right” pastor.  And please note: Lutheran CORE is ready to come alongside your congregation to help you address this ministry challenge.  Now back to the matter of “unprecedented in my lifetime.”

About the only advantage to being 72 is all the recent history I have witnessed.  And in my lifetime I have witnessed phenomenal and dramatic changes in the mainline Protestant church in general, and the Lutheran church in particular.

First there is my family history.  I am a third-generation Lutheran pastor.  My parents were missionaries in China when, in 1949, they and my older sister had to be evacuated when the Communists took over the country.  My father—Les Brandt—subsequently had parish ministry calls in Minnesota and North Dakota; i.e., “Luther-land”.  In 1958 my father was called to start a new congregation in Orange County, California.  This was when Southern California was experiencing a significant migration of Midwestern Lutherans to that part of the country.  (In fact, Orange County, in the 1950’s, experienced a 278% growth in its total population!)

Now for what I personally experienced as a member of the Baby Boom generation.  In that rapidly-growing Orange County congregation I was surrounded by the children of my generation; children whose parents expected them to attend church and Sunday school.  Not surprisingly, my experience growing up in the church was profoundly impacted by being a part of what was then the largest generation in American history.  This included being a part of active church youth groups, and working for Lutheran Student Movement in the early 1970’s.  When I started Luther seminary in 1974 all the dorm rooms were occupied and the student body was close to 600 students.  (And there were then seven other Lutheran seminaries I could have attended.)  When I graduated (from Wartburg Seminary) there were only three students out of a class of 60 who had a call by the time of graduation.  Fact was there were far more graduates than there were available calls. 

Then, on a less personal note, there is the matter of the milestones in American church history I have witnessed.  The year 1960 was the year when 63% of Americans were members of Christian congregations.  In 2020 it was 47%.  In 1960 two-thirds of Americans identified as Protestants; mostly belonging to mainline churches.  Today less than 15% of Americans are part of mainline denominations.  As recently as the 1980’s and 1990’s a great many Lutheran congregations were benefiting from the phenomenon of nesting-stage Boomers who were returning to church because they decided that church would be “good for the kids”.  In one article about Boomer parents returning to church the weekly magazine of the Los Angeles Times quoted a parent who said, “I was pretty wild as a teen and young adult.  But now I am a father and I want my kids to have some values.”

So much for nostalgia.  In 2024 the picture is far more bleak.  And one of the dramatic examples of this—in addition to only 15% of Americans currently being a part of mainline Protestant churches—is the crisis when it comes to too few pastors available for too many pastoral vacancies.  The easiest way to explain this clergy supply shortage is to understand two current realities:

1. Too many Boomer pastors are retiring.  And the youngest Boomer pastors will not reach the age of 65 until 2029.  This means that, for at least the next five years, the number of vacancies will only increase.

2. There are far too few men and women pursuing a seminary education.  And many of these students will graduate at an older age than used to be the case; meaning that their time as active parish pastors will be relatively short.

Now for the unique challenges when it comes to smaller congregations identifying and calling the “right” pastor.  The current reality is that smaller congregations are at a distinct disadvantage even when they are able to provide an adequate salary package.  With too many calls for too few candidates, pastors today have multiple call options.  And most of them are applying for call opportunities at mid-sized and larger churches. 

Finally, the good news.  Lutheran CORE is offering coaching assistance for smaller Lutheran congregations who are already looking for a pastor, or who soon will be.  This ministry is the Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative, or CLI.  One important key to this particular ministry is to tap into the growing number of active, retired Boomer Lutheran pastors.  Some of these pastors are ready to coach a church, like yours, as you address the current clergy supply crisis.  (This would be online coaching, not in-person.)  With CLI your congregational leaders would be mentored by a capable pastor as you enlist and train a few members of your congregation to take on the role of lay ministers. 

Details about the Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative can be found here on the Lutheran CORE website.  Also, click here to read  a previous article which provides one possible, detailed scenario regarding how a congregation can launch this type of ministry.  And then, if you still have questions and want to communicate with a human being, contact me directly.  I would welcome the opportunity to connect with you; either by email or phone.

Pastor Don Brandt

Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative (CLI)

pastordonbrandt@gmail.com

503-559-2034

I recently attended a traditional worship service where the emotional and spiritual highlight for me was the opening and closing hymns.  This was not because the sermon message was subpar (far from it), but because of the quality of congregational singing.  The opening hymn that Sunday was “When Peace Like a River”, and the closing hymn “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus”.

I hesitate to bring up the importance of congregational singing, because this particular worship ministry challenge can present something of an “uneven playing field”, especially for smaller churches. So full disclosure: In the above worship service I was one of about 150 worshipers.  So you could argue that my positive worship “experience” would not have been so memorable if I had been one of only 35 or 40.  In fact, in that scenario I might have only heard my own voice during these hymns. (Heaven forbid!)

However, I am absolutely convinced that the following worship music principle is true for congregations of virtually any size, not just mid-sized or large churches.   The principle is this: For any church worship service that includes hymns (or contemporary songs), the quality of congregational singing will usually depend on two factors: The familiarity and popularity (among worshipers) of a given hymn.  And this principle is just as true for a worshiping community of 50 or fewer as it is for a worship gathering of 150 or more.  In fact, the fewer people present at a worship service the more awkward it is for worshipers to feel comfortable and motivated to sing aloud when the hymn is not familiar and not a “favorite”.

Here are some questions that might have already come to mind for some of you:

1. “How am I to determine my congregation’s “favorites”?”  If you don’t trust your own judgment on this matter, a congregational survey might be in order.  This can be done during announcements on a well-attended Sunday.  Those worshipers who need more time can be invited to take the survey home and return it the following Sunday.
2. “What about when we want to introduce a new, less familiar hymn?”  Unless you have an above-average vocal song leadership team to help, do not introduce unfamiliar compositions at the beginning or end of a worship service.  You don’t want the first or last impressions of worshipers on that Sunday to be based on trying to sing unfamiliar and potentially difficult hymns.  Instead, “teach” and lead an unfamiliar hymn toward the middle of your service; perhaps after the sermon.  And please, let them learn this hymn sitting down.
3. “What about when we have a particular yet unfamiliar hymn we want to introduce based on the lyrics alone?”  Trust me on this: If your worshipers can’t sing it, it is unlikely they will appreciate the lyrics.  A suggestion: Have the lyrics printed out in the bulletin (or projected), and play an audio or video recording of this composition.

There is one additional reason for selecting familiar “favorites” for your opening and closing hymns: Quality congregational singing goes a long way toward encouraging members to worship in-person rather than online.  Why?  Because quality online vocal worship music is, more often than not, a oxymoron.  When watching online worship the viewer typically only hears the amplified voices of song leaders; or the two or three worshipers that happen to be closest to the microphone.  In fact, I later watched the very same service I mentioned above online.  The sermon message was just as good, but not the hymns.  All I heard during the hymns was the voices of two song leaders.  I could not hear the congregation at all.

So if you suspect that the quality of your congregation’s singing can be improved, I have a suggestion.  If you currently draw from a list of over one hundred different compositions for your opening and closing hymns, consider this challenge: Shorten your list to the fifty hymns and songs you deem—or discern to be, through a survey—your congregation’s familiar “favorites”.  Then for at least three months, only select your opening and closing hymns from this list.  (Just one caveat: If your worship attendance averages less than about fifty, avoid compositions—no matter how familiar—that are beyond the vocal range of most of your worshipers.)  My conviction is that, over this three-month trial period, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you hear.

Pastor Don Brandt

Congregations in Transition

The Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative

As Americans we are living in a time of increasing emotional despair.  And this crisis presents the Body of Christ with tremendous challenges as local churches consider how they might respond.

In the past, when I heard people complain about the state of American society and the level of social upheaval, I would respond, “But it’s not as bad as it was back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Well I no longer say that.  I think the state of American society, in 2023, is now worse.  I have never, in my lifetime, seen as many studies and statistics pointing to widespread depression and despair as I have read about in just the last two years.  Some examples:

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been conducting major surveys of high school students every other year since 2011.  The most recent survey—conducted in 2021 with the findings released in 2022—discovered an “overwhelming wave of violence and trauma and never-before-seen levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts among high schools students in the United States.”  This trend has been particularly alarming among high school girls.  “Almost 60% of female students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year, and nearly 25% made a suicide plan.”  This represents a 60% increase when compared to the survey results back in 2011.
2. Nicholas Kristoff, a writer with the New York Times, recently wrote, “Americans die from deaths of despair—drugs, alcohol and suicide—at a rate of more than 250,000 people per year, and the number of walking wounded is far greater.”
3. Suicide-related visits to pediatric emergency rooms in the United States—between 2011 and 2020—increased 500% (five-fold) among children, teens and young adults. (New York Times, 5-1-2023)

Back in 1920 the poet William Butler Yeats wrote his poem, The Second Coming.  His appraisal of the world of his day, no doubt shared by many of his peers shortly after the conclusion of the First World War, was incredibly stark.  “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold, the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”  Call me an alarmist, but I believe these words capture how a great many Americans—on both sides of the (political) aisle—view the current state of American society.    

There are undoubtedly many factors contributing to these startling statistics.  Perhaps the most frequent cause cited is the increased use of social media; especially among young people in general, and young women and girls in particular.  There is also the on-going decline in the number of two-parent households; increased rates of addiction; and the increasing numbers of Americans living alone.  And I would add the increasing secularization of our society and culture.

So what can the local church do to respond to all this despair?  In my opinion congregations can potentially make a significant and positive difference.  How?  By reaching out to some of the “walking wounded” in their local communities and introducing them to the blessings of being part of a caring Christian fellowship.  And, this introduction will typically happen one caring relationship at a time.  

However, there are at least two challenges faced by a great many local churches which need to be addressed.  One challenge is that too many congregations are just as polarized and conflicted as our surrounding culture.  We must not allow our churches to be characterized by discord and disunity.  It is incredibly difficult to witness to the love of Christ if this love is not evident within our congregations due to internal conflict.

A second challenge is that too many of our congregations have become immobilized by and fixated on their institutional decline.  This might be apparent due to decreasing worship attendance, or reduced financial giving, or perhaps their inability to find a new pastor during a prolonged vacancy.

Granted, our society is becoming increasingly secular, and the percentage of Americans identifying as “religious” has been decreasing.  However, more and more Americans—in their despair—are  recognizing their need to be a part of a loving and supportive community.  And they understand that this “community” needs to be in-person, not online.

Jessica Grose, a columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote an article entitled, “What Churches Offer That ‘Nones’ Still Long For”.  This article just appeared in the paper’s 6-28-2023 issue.  Keep in mind that Ms. Grose is a “none” of a non-observant Jewish background.  This was her final article in a five-article series on the increasing number of Americans leaving organized religion.  She wrote, “The one aspect of religion in America that I unquestionably see as an overall positive for society is the ready-made supportive community that churchgoers can access.”  One of the de-churched “nones” whom Jessica interviewed for her articles said the following: “I was raised Pentecostal and went to church three or more times a week, so I desperately miss the community.  It was where my friendships came from.  I have very few friends now.”  I would dare to say that hundreds of thousands of dechurched Lutherans probably have similar stories.  At the end of this article Ms. Grose wrote, “Almost everyone needs community to flourish.”  On a personal note, my wife and I, as we returned to more regular in-person worship attendance after the pandemic, realized how profoundly we had missed the worship and fellowship of our home congregation.

Writer Kirsten Sanders, in the recent March/2023 issue of Christianity Today, did an excellent job of describing the kind of Christian community which could reach the “walking wounded” of 2023.  “What makes the church (unique) is its knowledge of itself as called by God to be his representative on the earth, to be marked by unwieldy and inconvenient practices like forgiveness, hospitality, humility, and repentance.  It is marked in such a way by its common gathering, in baptism and Communion, remembering the Lord’s death and proclaiming it until he comes…When the church becomes preoccupied with defending itself to the world, it eventually becomes incoherent.  The only way to be a church is to speak the peculiar language of peace, of forgiveness, of repentance and resurrection.”

One of my favorite New Testament passages that I believe presents a vision of God’s love and Christian community is Ephesians 3:16-19.  Paul writes, “I pray that out of (the Father’s) glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Don Brandt

Congregations in Transition /Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative

pastordonbrandt@gmail.com

Perhaps my perspective is somewhat distorted by being one among so many retired or retiring Boomer pastors.  After all, the Boomer generation has been accused—often justifiably—of having an inflated view of its own importance.

However, age does sometimes bring a degree of historical perspective.  So allow me to share, from my own professional life, how dramatically the Lutheran church has changed, in at least one way, since I graduated from seminary back in 1981.  My seminary class was comprised of just over sixty graduates; virtually all of us seeking our first call and ordination.  However, at that time there were far more Lutheran seminary graduates in the U.S. than there were available calls.  As a result, on graduation day at my seminary there were only three of us who knew where our first call would be.  The rest of the class would simply have to wait; in some cases for over a year.

For some additional perspective regarding today’s clergy shortage, consider the dramatic differences when it comes to the current seminary experience and what graduates—and call committees—can expect in 2023:

1. The number of Lutheran seminary graduates today who have an M.Div degree is probably less than 25% of the number of graduates back in 1981.  And the number of vacant congregations without a pastor has increased dramatically.
2. Unlike in 1981, when the great majority of seminary students were studying full-time and living either on campus or within commuting distance, the majority of seminary students in 2023 are studying almost entirely online.  And consider just one implication of this new norm: Online seminary students—logistically—often will not and cannot be adequately vetted by seminary faculty.  This means that call committees in 2023 are often looking at applicants that have not, in any meaningful way, been “screened” as to whether they are suitable candidates for call and ordination.
3. Call committees in 2023 are, in some cases, unfortunately “settling” for candidates who might not be suitable for their call.  Why? Because of an incredible shortage of qualified applicants for their position.
4. The shortage of viable seminary graduates and currently serving pastors available for call has not yet plateaued.  Instead, this shortage is only growing more severe.  And this growing crisis will last at least until the last serving Boomer pastors retire.  As of this year Boomers are between the ages of 59 and 77. In other words, it is only in 2029 that the youngest Boomers will reach the age of 65.
5. The pandemic has accelerated the rate at which pastors are leaving full-time ministry.  This is due in part to a significant number of pastors who had to deal with pandemic-related congregational conflict.

Also contributing to these resignations is the stress experienced by pastors who have seen a pandemic-related, demoralizing decrease in in-person worship attendance compared to early 2020.

Enough in regard to the challenges the church is facing now and over at least the next six years.  What can we do as lay leaders and pastors to address this crisis?  To begin with, we need to acknowledge that no single ministry program or strategy will suffice.  Why?  Because this crisis is too systemic and formidable for a single, simple “fix”.  However, there are at least two church-wide strengths that, if capitalized on, could make a real difference. 

One is the fact that a great many competent and faithful Boomer pastors have retired over the last decade.  I am convinced that many of them would be willing to step forward to mentor and coach a single congregation that is dealing with an unfilled vacancy.  In some cases this could mean serving in a compensated part-time interim role if the pastor is living within a reasonable distance from the church.  In other cases, a retired pastor could volunteer to serve as a mentor and coach—at a distance—to congregational leaders.  This would involve coaching online and by phone.  In this scenario the pastor would be volunteering his/her time, and would not be relocating or driving long distances to serve in person.  In this post-Covid era there is a new culture-wide acceptance and recognition of the potential for online coaching to make a real difference; both for individuals and organizations.  It’s no secret: Many pastors, once they retire, welcome an opportunity to serve in some ministry capacity. 

Second, many if not most of the congregations dealing with long, extended vacancies already have talented and faithful lay leaders who have a vested interest in wanting their congregations to not only survive but thrive.  I am convinced that many of these lay leaders should be recruited, commissioned and trained as part-time lay ministers for their congregations.  And some of these lay ministers need to be encouraged to consider an online seminary education while they serve. 

This is where I see real hope and promise in the years ahead: Helping part-time, commissioned lay ministers and retired pastors connect in a meaningful way to serve Christ’s church; a church that is definitely in crisis.

Lutheran CORE is offering a new ministry to address this crisis: the Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative, or CLI.  This is by no means the only way to address this clergy shortage, but it is one way.

To learn more about CLI we now have complete information available on the Lutheran CORE website.  Or, email me personally at pastordonbrandt@gmail.com.

Note:  “This is a ministry resource article for churches that might be interested in the new upcoming CORE ministry called the Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative (CLI). The article below offers a preview of this new ministry.”  

The current shortage of available pastors in the LCMC and NALC presents a difficult challenge for a great many call committees.  This is especially true for smaller churches when their search process has extended beyond 18 to 24 months without success.  In fact, such a scenario can result in nothing less than an existential crisis for their congregations.  In these situations we are looking not only at burned out and disheartened call committees; we are talking about congregations where their members are beginning to lose hope for their future as a faith community.

Thirty years ago call committees of smaller churches could reasonably take comfort in the conviction that it would “only be a matter of time” before they would be able to “call and install” their next pastor.  However, in 2023 this is not a reasonable expectation.  Why?  Because with retiring Boomer pastors—and far fewer seminary graduates—our clergy supply crisis is only growing more dire.

Here is the stark, unvarnished truth: A great many of our smaller vacant churches will never, until the last Boomer pastor retires in 2029 (or shortly thereafter), have much hope of finding a pastor.  For these churches there needs to be a “reality check”: As long as they assume their only hope to survive as a congregation is to find that new pastor, it’s only a matter of time before they will have given up on their search process.   At that point discussions will probably begin regarding the possibility of having to close their doors and disband as a faith community.

However, there is an alternative to this scenario; a way to continue ministering to their members and their surrounding community without a resident, full-time pastor to lead them.  This alternative is to intentionally transition to a long-term lay-led ministry.  And this transition would not just be a temporary “stop-gap” plan until they find a pastor to call, but a ministry strategy to continue, as long  as necessary, as a vibrant and thriving lay-led congregation.

There is now outside assistance available for smaller churches willing to transition from a clergy-dependent ministry model to one built on a foundation of lay leadership.  But first, a disclaimer: If your congregation’s in-person worship attendance averages less than 25, and/or you no longer have  members who are active retired or younger, this assistance might be “too little too late”.  Why?  Because this ministry model depends on one, two or three members willing and able to step forward and serve your congregation as part-time lay ministers.

However, if you still have congregational leaders who are active retirees or younger, I encourage you to consider the Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative as a way of preparing for an immediate future where your congregation will not only survive, but thrive.

Below are the steps involved if you decide to transition to a lay-led congregational ministry model.  And keep in mind that your “outside” assistance in this process would be a retired Lutheran pastor mentoring and encouraging your part-time lay ministers—at a distance—as they serve your congregation.

1. Identifying the right member (or members) to ask to become a part-time lay minister.

The conversation regarding the “right” person will most often begin within your church council.  (And note: The right person might already be serving on your council.)  The ideal candidate for this new ministry role should already be recognized, by your members, as a congregational leader; and as a person characterized by both a strong faith and personal integrity.  He or she should be someone who comes to mind in the context of your council’s prayers for guidance, and also when considering biblical texts such as Romans 12:1-8.  And this needs to be someone whom the Council ultimately chooses  unanimously, not just based on a majority vote.

2. Enlisting your lay minister (or lay ministers).  This step needs to be done with great care, and while Council members are praying for this person to accept this ministry opportunity.  Also, recruitment needs to happen face to face, not over the phone.  Ideally, two Council members should present “the ask”, rather than just one.  In addition, this individual should be asked to pray about this opportunity over the next few days rather than give an immediate “yes” or “no”.  (Of course if you receive an immediate and enthusiastic “Yes!”, don’t argue!)  Do not, at this point, get into such details as the average number of hours expected per week, or compensation, or the specific start date.  Instead, make clear that if she/he agrees to say yes to this ministry, the Council will simply “make it work” for your new lay minister.  In other words, the details of this position will be negotiated based on what is workable for this person.  This includes the details of the final “job description”; which will be based on this person’s gifts, abilities and preferences.  The overall theme in this enlistment conversation is: “Why we consider you to be uniquely qualified for this important ministry role in the life of our congregation.” 

3. Hiring your part-time lay minister(s).  To impress upon your lay minister the importance of this position I suggest a formal job contract.  This contract will be worked out with your new employee’s input.  Some suggestions for your contract: Either this person or the Council can end this agreement with a 30-day notice; and the “average” number of hours per week would be flexible and again determined with your lay minister’s input.  (I suggest somewhere between 10 and 20 hours per week.)  Make clear that this person will be supervised by and answer to the Council.  Your written job description, then, will be written in collaboration with your new employee.  When determining the overall structure of this job contract you can find resources online; resources that you will obviously adapt to your specific situation.  

4. Commissioning/Installing your lay minister(s).  It is extremely important your members participate—during a worship service—in this commissioning.  Make a “big deal” out of this occasion. Celebrate this event as a congregation.  Have a potluck immediately following the service.  And have a laying on of hands as part of the commissioning.

5. Training your lay minister(s).  The good news here is that your lay minister probably already has the gifts to perform most of the responsibilities you negotiated in determining the job description. However, there will undoubtedly be some ministry responsibilities he/she might not feel entirely comfortable with.  For example, what if one of the responsibilities is preaching?  There are resources available to become more confident in this aspect of ministry.  (For example, an online 6-week preaching course.)  Contact me or an LCMC staff person for information regarding such resources.

Any costs involved in such resources should be covered by your congregation.

6. Mentoring for your lay minister(s).  The Congregational Lay-leadership Initiative is designed with the goal of every congregation having a retired Lutheran pastor to mentor its lay minister(s).  This mentor would be volunteering for this role and would provide encouragement and counsel for your lay minister(s) by means of a monthly online meeting and/or by phone.  In rare cases this mentor might be within driving distance of your church; in which case the monthly meeting could be in-person.  If needed, I can assist you in recruiting a mentor who is on the LCMC or NALC rosters.

7.  The matter of pulpit supply.  This is of course a huge issue in the worship life of your congregation.  Because of this fact it would be ideal if one or more of your lay ministers was comfortable in a preaching (or teaching) role.  This is especially important if you do not have local (most likely retired) pastors available for pulpit supply.  Here is my rule of thumb: You want to avoid, when possible, having lay ministers and other members reading someone else’s sermons.  This might be okay on an occasional basis, but should not be a regular, most-Sundays practice.  Why?  It’s not easy to be invested and engaged emotionally while reading something that you did not write.  Again, I suggest one of your lay leaders take an online seminary preaching course as one way to address this matter.

8. Maintaining your eucharistic ministry.  If you will not typically have an ordained visiting pastor participating in your worship service, be aware that the LCMC allows for designated congregational lay members to preside over the celebration of communion. 

Finally, I believe two or three lay ministers, if available, would be preferable to just one; for four reasons:

First, a team of lay ministers means each person is able to offer encouragement and support to the others on the team.

Second, there is the Biblical concept of “different people, different gifts”.  In other words, with more than one you are more likely to have a lay minister with the appropriate gift for each major ministry responsibility.

Third, I think mentoring sessions can be even more helpful when the mentor is having online sessions (e.g., via Zoom) with a group of two or three lay ministers as opposed to an extended phone conversation with just one.

Fourth, a team of lay ministers provides a level of accountability that comes with fellow co-workers. 

If you have any questions, you may contact me directly.  My email is…                    pastordonbrandt@gmail.com

It has, for decades, been an incredibly unfair reality faced by smaller rural and inner-city congregations.  In a denomination that has traditionally insisted that viable, healthy congregations must be led by a resident, ordained pastor, the number of pastors willing to serve in these settings have often been “few and far between.”  Even back when there were an abundant number of seminary graduates, the majority of those graduates often showed little or no interest in serving churches located in such communities.  And this unfortunate attitude was not limited to graduating seminary students looking for a first call; it was also common among already ordained, serving pastors looking for their next call.

So what did these rural and inner-city congregations do when even new seminary grads had little interest in their calls?  They waited.  And they knew that eventually—if they waited long enough—their bishop or district president would find them a new graduate whom they could “take under their wing” and train.  Unfortunately, as soon as these first-call pastors were “trained” they would usually move on, within two or three years, to a larger church in a suburban setting.  Then the congregation’s pastoral search process would begin once more.

It used to be true—decades ago—that there was still an abundant supply of seminary graduates coming through the “pipeline.”  As a result, the national Lutheran church bodies could continue to insist—or at least imply—that healthy and viable congregations were, by definition, led by an ordained pastor.  But here we are in 2023.  And unlike decades back, there are far fewer seminary graduates; Boomer pastors have already or soon will be retiring; and smaller rural congregations are more often than not located in declining communities.  (Communities where the median age of their residents—and the congregation’s members—is in the late 50’s or 60’s.)  As a result, that traditional Lutheran ministry model—that the only viable congregation is one that can find and call an ordained pastor—simply has to change.  Unfortunately many of these congregations have been taught the false dichotomy that unless they can find and call an ordained pastor they might as well close their doors.

And that false dichotomy is not consistent with either the New Testament understanding of the church, nor with Martin Luther’s teaching regarding the priesthood of all believers. 

Tragically most Lutheran church bodies have failed to adequately model or advocate for intentional, long-term lay-led congregational ministries when there is no reasonable expectation that a resident pastor will ever be “called and installed.”  These congregations need a third option; not just the choice between an unending pastoral search process or closing their doors.  That “third option” is to become a truly lay-led congregation; a priesthood of believers not just in theory, but in terms of ministry practice.

Here is the stark truth of what is happening “out there” among many of our smaller congregations: They have been looking for a pastor for years.  In fact, some of them have gone three, four or more years without a resident pastor.  The longer they assume that such a pastor is “their only hope,” the more likely they will not survive as an organized faith community.  And they need to know that at least until the last Boomer pastor retires in the 2030’s, the number of pastoral vacancies will only grow, and grow dramatically.

Finally, these churches need to know that the work of the Holy Spirit in congregational life and ministry is not dependent on the leadership and presence of a resident, ordained seminary graduate.  This was true in the time of the early Apostolic church almost 2,000 years ago, and it is still true today.

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” 1st Peter 2:4-5 (NIV).

As CiT Director I have been in a coaching relationship—since 2019—with a large number of call committees.  I have now provided at least some level of assistance to twenty-five different call committees; all of them in the LCMC.  In addition, I have also been monitoring, online, how an additional twelve to fifteen call committees have been conducting their search for a new pastor.  Given what I have learned, I want to offer examples of the more common mistakes sometimes made when a call committee is looking for their next pastor.

     However, before mentioning these “mistakes”, it is important to acknowledge how incredibly difficult it is—in 2022—to identify and call the “right” pastor.  (Let alone making the mistake of looking for the “perfect” pastor.)  As just about all of you know by now, given the shortage of available clergy it is a far better time to be a pastor looking for a call than be on a call committee looking for a pastor.  Accordingly, it is not my intention to criticize call committees but rather to offer some practical advice as to how to conduct a pastoral search in such a challenging environment.  And just how challenging is it?  Well just in case you are one of a diminishing number of people who doubts the extent of the current clergy supply shortage, consider these four factors that have created something of a “perfect storm” when it comes to this crisis.  First, there is the issue of retiring Boomer pastors; something which all of us are aware of.  Next, we have the matter of far fewer seminary graduates than we have retiring pastors.  Third, there is the reality that there have been many congregations who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic; whether by decreased in-person worship attendance or internal conflict.  And fourth, if all of the above wasn’t challenging enough, we are also experiencing a significant national decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christians.

     This last challenge—of a dwindling number of Americans who identify as Christians—was revealed in dramatic fashion just this last September.  I found this revelation written in Timothy Dalrymple’s “From the President” column in the September issue of Christianity Today.  He shared the results of a survey by the Barna organization.  According to this study the percentage of Americans who are “practicing Christians” plummeted between 2009 and 2020.  “Practicing Christians”, in this case, means they “prioritize their faith” and have attended church within the previous month.  In 2009 50% of respondents fit this description.  In 2020 only 25%! 

     Needless to say, all of the above adds to the difficulties that churches in general, and congregations “in transition” in particular, are facing.  But having said that, below are some of the more common errors that only add to a call committee’s challenges.  In other words, these are unnecessary errors that can be easily avoided.

1. Not keeping prayer as a central and crucial part of your meetings as a call committee.  When a search process has been prolonged and discouraging, group prayer is sometimes missing from call committee agendas.  This is a time when prayer is more needed than ever.  And not just a cursory prayer by one member of the committee is needed, but a time of prayer when any and all members can participate; sharing not only their hopes but also their concerns.

2. Not creating a well-written open-position post for your LCMC or NALC vacancy list.  I have become somewhat obsessed with monitoring—daily—the LCMC “Open Positions” list.  And I have been doing this now for three years!  (I know, a retiree with too much time on his hands.)  In those three years I have seen some posts which were thrown together and—compared to the majority of posts—were totally inadequate.  Here is the simple rule: When creating your position description, look at the vacancies already posted and learn from them regarding how to create the best possible description of your position, your congregation, and your surrounding community.

3. Not keeping your congregation up-to-date regarding your work and progress as a call committee. You should have brief, verbal Sunday-morning reports once every four to six weeks, and a brief article in every congregational newsletter.  Let the members know you have been working!

4. Too quickly assuming you can “get by” with supply preachers over an extended period of time. Some call committees, at the beginning of their search, casually dismiss their need for an interim pastor.  Instead, assuming that they will find their next “permanent” pastor within a few months, they decide occasional supply preachers will suffice to maintain their congregational ministry.  This can be a serious mistake; especially if your vacancy remains unfilled for a year or more.  (Which, more often than not, is the case in 2022.) The one bright side of many competent, retiring Boomer pastors is that some of them are open to part-time or full-time work as interim pastors for congregations in transition.

5. Organizing too large a call committee.  Two problems with this: The larger your call committee, the more difficult it is to achieve a unanimous decision regarding the candidates you are considering.  Also, the larger the committee the more awkward and ineffective initial online interviews become.  I believe the ideal size for a call committee is between four and six members.

6. Not having a quality congregational website up and running when you begin your search. Prospective applicants, more often than not, expect you to have a website.  If you don’t, they might feel they have too little information to make it worth their time to apply for your position.

7. Not conduct an informal, online background check before deciding to interview an applicant online.  I have sometimes been enlisted by a call committee after they have already interviewed applicants that I, and my other call committees have ruled out as even remotely viable candidates.  This is especially important for LCMC congregations, because the LCMC has not vetted most of the individuals listed on their clergy roster. 

8. If you are a multiple-pastoral-staff congregation, not seriously considering your Associate Pastor for your Lead Pastor call.  Given the current national shortage of pastors open to a new call, it would be a mistake to automatically rule out an associate pastor who is already loved and accepted by your congregation.  

9. “Settling” and calling the wrong pastor when you already employ—or know of—a competent interim pastor who is available to serve your congregation.

10. Finally, allowing your search process to drag on beyond 18 to 24 months when you have one or two members qualified and willing to be trained to serve and lead your congregation as part-time lay ministers.

Allow me to conclude by explaining #10 above.  I am convinced that bi-vocational or retired congregational members will, increasingly, be “called on” (pun intended) to serve in pastoral ministry roles.  I also believe that this will often be a healthy and positive development, not just a sign of desperation due to a congregation’s inability to find and call a new ordained pastor.  Too many churches, in the coming years, will simply close their doors because they can’t find an ordained pastor.  Tragically, some of these churches will have one or more members who could and would step up to lead in pastoral roles.  If these potential lay ministers do not feel qualified there are now reasonably-priced online seminary courses available in biblical studies, Lutheran theology, and preaching.  We must not make the mistake of always assuming only an ordained pastor can lead and serve our congregations.  For more information on this particular lay ministry strategy, click here to go to my article in the March/2022 issue of the Lutheran CORE newsletter.  Or better yet, contact me directly with any questions you might have; at pastordonbrandt@gmail.com.