LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 48

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48 SYNOD REPORTS

In addition, we are now airing a new women’s radio program,
Life...revised, on AFN as well.

* The pilot of Life...revised was produced because of an $85,000
grant provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent has
also agreed to match donors’ gifts to Lutheran Hour Ministries
through its GivingPlus program.

* LHM has combined efforts with the Lutheran Church Extension
Fund to provide local religious research profiles to churches for
their Christian outreach efforts.

¢ Orphan Grain Train continues to assist LHM in the distribution of
Global Care Packages to our international ministry centers.

* LCMS World Relief pledged more than $300,000 in matching
funds for our tsunami relief efforts and has assisted in our mission
trips to the U.S. Gulf Coast to help repair the region following Hur-
ricanes Katrina and Rita.

* In addition, our leadership team has had numerous conversations
with the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League on how our two
organizations can best work together.

These are just a few of the great things that have happened the
past few years with our Lutheran partners. We look forward to ex-
panding these relationships and developing partnerships with other
Recognized Service Organizations of the LCMS in the years to come.

Conclusion

LHM is working to be a valued leader in the training of the laity
for leadership, mission outreach, and volunteerism. We plan to part-
ner with 1,000 LCMS congregations by 2011 to assist them in their
outreach efforts. As an active Ablaze! participant, we will engage in
25 million confirmed contacts with unreached or uncommitted peo-
ple by 2017, train and activate 250,000 volunteers to reach out to the
lost by 2010, and serve as the media arm of the LCMS to provide
TV, radio, and print ads and Christian media programming to assist
in the startup of 2,000 new churches by 2017. We have already
reached nearly 1.85 million people through our Ablaze! efforts.

Our greatest challenge is finding new donors and volunteers to
help us carry out the work of the Great Commission. With the av-
erage age of our donors and volunteers creeping beyond 70, we
must reach out to younger generations to show them the impact
LHM can make around the world. With God’s grace, LHM will
use the latest communications technology for people worldwide to
hear the Word of God and be connected to the church. LHM will
continue to work toward being a leading resource for the church,
providing support to pastors and their congregations in the U.S.,
Canada, and around the world.

Lutheran Hour Ministries
(International Lutheran Laymen’s League)

10 Significant Accomplishments in the Last Triennium

(1) The Lutheran Hour is once again airing on the American
Forces Network to reach a potential audience of 800,000
service personnel around the world.

(2) LHM has a new radio program, Life...revised, to reach
unchurched women ages 35-54.

(3) The Lutheran Hour and Life...revised are now both airing
on XM Satellite Radio.

(4) LHM has reached nearly 1.85 million people as part of its
Ablaze! commitment of reaching 25 million people by 2017,
nearly 60 percent of the LCMS contacts thus far.

(5) LHM has trained and activated nearly 50,000 people as part
of its Ablaze! commitment of activating 250,000 volunteers
by 2010.

(6) Working with LCMS World Relief, LHM helped raise more
than $300,000 to assist tsunami victims with physical and
spiritual relief.

2007 Convention Workbook

(7) LHM developed a five-year strategic outreach plan to assist
LCMS congregations with their outreach efforts.

(8) LHM added more than 40,000 new e-mail addresses to its
database for e-newsletters.

(9) LHM trained more than 5,500 people on how to witness
through its Equipping to Share workshops.

(10) LHM shipped more than 35,000 care packages to people in

need in Vietnam, Uganda, and Uruguay through its Global
Care Packages program.

10 Significant Goals

(1) LHM will be the international leader in Christian outreach
by producing creative new programming using the latest in
communications technology so that people around the world
can hear God’s Word and be connected to the Church
through LHM.

(2) LHM will lead in the training of laity for leadership, mission
outreach, and volunteerism.

(3) LHM will partner with 1,000 LCMS congregations in their
outreach efforts by 2011.

(4) As an active Ablaze! participant, LHM will engage in 25
million confirmed contacts with unreached or uncommitted
people by 2017.

(5) LHM will train and activate 250,000 volunteers to reach out
to the lost by 2010.

(6) LHM will serve as the media arm of the LCMS to provide
TV, radio, and print ads and Christian media programming
to assist in the start-up of 2,000 new churches by 2017.

(7) LHM will equip 22,500 U.S. Lutherans in the next five
years to share their faith with others and welcome them into
their church.

(8) LHM will increase the number of people who are connected
with a local congregation internationally through LHM
programs by 10 percent, resulting in at least 77,000 new
church members by 2011.

(9) LHM will be the model volunteer organization to do the
work of the Great Commission.

(10) LHM will find new donors to offer the financial means to
increase its ministry efforts.

10 Significant Resources for the Synod

(1) Equipping to Share is a Bible-based, interactive, one-day
evangelism-training workshop to teach church members
practical ways to recognize and engage the lost with the
Gospel.

(2) Practicing Hospitality’s experiential video-based training
helps churches warmly welcome visitors through proven
techniques and simple, fun exercises.

(3) New Neighbor Outreach is an easy-to-follow method to
welcome new arrivals to your community.

(4) Religious Research/Outreach Training provides a
congregation with demographic and spiritual belief
overviews about its community to help the church reach out
more effectively.

(5) Congregational Partnerships help partner congregations
plan, execute, and sustain outreach efforts to their
community through resources such as media support,
outreach tools, and more.

(6) Project Connect booklet displays provide churches and
businesses a way to display LHM-produced, Christ-centered
topical booklets to help church members share the hope of
Christ with others.

(7) The Congregational Tool Kit Web portal features church
outreach resources such as TV, radio, and print ads; topical
booklets; outreach planning tools; and more.