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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 122

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122

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Impacting People Right Where They Are

The Results of God’s Blessings

God has called all of us to share His love to those around us,
which is why LHM tirelessly equips believers to live out and share
their faith with boldness in everyday life. In 2018, LHM embarked
in an ongoing partnership with Barna Group—an industry leader
for research-based insights about faith and culture, leadership and
vocation, and generational groups—for a critical study of faith in
America. The resulting research findings helped form an outreach
philosophy to guide our initiatives and produce thoughtful products, programs, services, and curriculum that LHM provides to our
constituents at low or no cost.

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By God’s grace, LHM’s programs and resources reach people around the world with the Gospel more than 163 million
times each week.

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Outreach through LHM’s global ministry programs has, by
the power of the Holy Spirit, netted more than 1.25 million
responses and nearly 120,000 individuals referred to churches and Christian communities this past year.

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More than 50,000 people participated for the first time in Bible Correspondence Courses last year that introduced them
to Jesus and biblical principles of our faith.

Evangelism has changed in the past 25 years. Technology
and rapid cultural shifts, including the impact of social media, have redefined the ways we communicate. Spiritual
Conversations in the Digital Age focuses on this shifting
definition of evangelism and the perceptions of faith sharing from both sides of the conversation: the sharer and the
hearer.

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Individuals were equipped to share their faith more effectively more than 180,000 times last year.

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More than 225,000 constituents are currently engaged with
our global ministry efforts through giving, volunteering, or
using our resources.

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Barna studies have revealed much about the state of religion and how faith is perceived and discussed in public. But
what about how faith is being nurtured in private—with the
spouses, children, parents, roommates, and even frequent
visitors who spend time under our roofs? Households of
Faith presents a vivid portrait of the domestic lives of practicing Christians.
Better Together helped us learn more about the types of people who are taking initiative in their communities—those
who gather, donate, serve, create, teach, mobilize, and innovate, alongside other passionate neighbors, to meet needs
around them. Drawing from insights learned during this
research, LHM established The Hopeful Neighborhood
Project™ in 2021 as a collaborative network committed to
improving neighborhood well-being around the world. The
resources and online network equip and encourage neighbors to work together, using their gifts and the gifts of their
community, to pursue the common good of their neighborhood.
Encouraging people to explore, strengthen, and share their
gifts is a deeply spiritual endeavor—one that churches and
faith leaders are primed to support. Yet Barna research suggests that pastors and the congregations they lead often have
a narrow understanding of what gifts look like, how they
grow, and where they can be used. Gifted for More provides
crucial information to help today’s church flourish and grow
and help Christians understand and use their gifts well—inside and outside of church walls.

God has called all laypeople to be powerful witnesses for Christ
with their families and communities. LHM continues to produce
timely resources that offer convenient ways for people to connect
with Jesus and share their faith with others. From the popular Project Connect booklet ministry with more than 50 titles to dozens of
online LHM Learn courses under five faith-strengthening categories, and from Daily and Seasonal Devotions to online video Bible
studies, LHM has numerous offerings to connect with people at
any stage of their individual faith journeys.
2023 Convention Workbook

Vision for the Future
Today, it is more important than ever to reach out in relevant
ways to a broken world with Christ’s message of hope. With billions of people still unreached with the Gospel message, our work
is not done. LHM has established a bold vision to share the Good
News worldwide; therefore, we will not rest until
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every person has the opportunity to hear the Gospel in an
understandable way;

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those seeking are connected to a healthy Christian community where they can grow in their faith;

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every Christian is equipped to share the Gospel in word and
deed; and

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engaged Christians advance this common mission as a global community.

We are called to act now! The Lord has given our ministry a
unique understanding of how to reach, equip, and minister to individuals. Not only do LHM’s tools and resources help grow and
nurture faithful Christians by the power of the Holy Spirit, but also
they allow us to share the Gospel message with individuals who
have had little or no opportunity to hear it. They bring messages of
forgiveness, love, and hope found only in Jesus Christ to a world
that is hungry for the one thing that is sorely needed.
On behalf of all of us at LHM, thank you for your service. May
God richly bless your work in the name and for the sake of Jesus!
Kurt S. Buchholz, President & CEO
R57

Lutheran Women’s Missionary League
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), also
known as Lutheran Women in Mission, is an official auxiliary of
the LCMS. We joyfully proclaim Christ, support missions, and
equip women to honor God by serving others.
The LWML has met and exceeded its mission goal for both the
2019–2021 ($2.1 million) and the 2021–2023 ($2.15 million) biennia. By the grace of God, we have funded 49 mission grants on the
national level and many more in each of the 40 LWML districts in
the past four years. Lutheran Women in Mission across the country