# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S40
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

40

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

by congregations without the need for outside facilitators. This
self-directed approach is based on the success of the Every One
His Witness Core Module kit developed by the ONM and distributed through Concordia Publishing House. Conversion to
the self-directed model is expected to be completed by the end
of 2019.
Training on key topics related to congregational health and
well-being is provided through re:Vitality modules. The most
widely used re:Vitality module is “Connect to Disciple,” which
focuses on improving outreach. Two additional modules are
available on a limited basis through a piloting process. Production versions of “Serving in God’s Mission: Strategic Planning
for Congregations” and “Shepherding Our Strays: Actively
Serving Our Inactive Members” will be fielded as self-directed
modules in the third quarter of 2019. The next module scheduled for development is “Members of One Body: Incorporating
People into Active Service.”

Further Development
Our greatest revitalization need is to develop a culture in
which all congregations recognize that revitalization is part of
their ongoing work no matter which stage of development or
decline they are currently experiencing. This means that congregations that are healthy and growing would make use of
re:Vitality resources for continued health and growth. Revitalization from strength rather than from weakness is fundamental
to addressing congregational well-being through a proactive approach. To facilitate this shift in thinking about revitalization
and to promote the use of re:Vitality resources, re:Vitality was
identified as the basis for the Synod’s triennial emphasis on discipleship, Making Disciples for Life.
Building on the understanding that revitalization is “doing
what we do because we are the Church, not because we are a
church in decline,” re:Vitality continues to expand and evolve
to address the needs of congregations seeking to carry out the
Great Commission in their contexts.

Church Planting—Rev. Dr. Steven D. Schave,
Director
Church planting has long been considered the most effective way to reach the lost, to evangelize in places where we are
not, and to bring vitality to the church at large, yet only a small
percentage of congregations are actively engaged in starting new
missions. At the same time, the U.S. has the third largest number
of unchurched people in the world, in an ever-diversifying population that continues to shift towards urbanization. The Mission Field: USA initiative continues to encourage and support
domestic missions, as either new starts, or through partnerships
for replanting where financial resources are scarce. A flexible
framework has been developed to reach new people groups in
new places, in various contexts, or among lapsed Lutherans who
have moved to new areas where there is no Lutheran presence.
We have learned much from our original pilot projects and pray
they have been a catalyst for others to reach the least and the
lost in the margins of the U.S., now having been equipped with
our resources. These efforts are in accord with 2016 Convention
Resolution 1–02, “To Encourage Church Planting throughout
the Synod and Supporting the Mission Field: USA Initiative.”
New training resources continue to be developed to equip
mother congregations, planting networks, and districts in start2019 Convention Workbook

ing new missions. A print and e-book guidebook are available
along with a new e-learning companion resource. The online
course is a first-of-its-kind resource for the LCMS in church
planting. It consists of four one-hour modules, which lead individuals or congregations through the LCMS Church Planting
Guidebook. It is smart, simple, self-paced, and educational. It
provides helpful theological background for church planting using Witness, Mercy, and Life Together as the framework. It is
specific, with a step-by-step approach to chartering a new congregation. It is adaptable to any context. The guidebook is also
being translated into Spanish to assist with Hispanic ministry.
And equally important to this free educational training is the
ongoing coaching and mentoring for new starts and new church
planters.
To continue the conversation after initial training, a new
series of Mission Field: USA podcasts have been released to
study various questions related to church planting within a
Lutheran framework. Topics covered include ecclesiology and
mission; the Synod’s threefold emphasis of Witness, Mercy, Life
Together; missiology; the effect of demographic trends on the
church and its mission; discipleship through catechesis and assimilation; and ethnic church planting. To be sure, serving as
“mother” to a “daughter” congregation can feel as daunting as
having a first child, but the podcasts are designed to alleviate the
fears and obstacles that may accompany the church-planting
process and to provide not just the ‘why,’ but also the ‘how-to’
of mission development in Mission Field: USA.
Creative means for funding are also underway in collaboration with LCEF in developing the Merle Freitag Church Planting Revolving Loan, which gives access to resources needed to
start new mission work. To assist with funding for domestic
missionaries serving in the margins, LCMS Church Planting is
working with districts and RSOs and ethnic mission societies to
promote their national missionaries through the Mission Field:
USA initiative as they develop a network of support. Much has
been learned in the initial pilot projects in working with our districts and RSOs wishing to serve in more impoverished communities and getting ministries off the ground. To ensure that
there is a pipeline for new church planters, both seminaries have
partnered to offer urban mission opportunities and mission
development tracks in their seminary education programs. So,
too, resources are available throughout the entire missionary life
cycle—assessment to training to orientation to coaching—in
conjunction with our districts and mission-oriented RSOs and
ethnic mission societies. This mission work has been targeted in
multiethnic communities as well in accord with 2016 Convention Resolution 1–04, “To Encourage Immigrant and Refugee
Outreach” as we continue to raise up diverse local leaders to
serve.