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(derived from the writings of Dr. Lyle Schaller) Written by: District President Dr. Steinbronn  General Observations
The life cycle of most congregations tends to be a pattern of growth followed by a leveling off period and the challenge/opportunity for renewed growth. A fundamental cause of congregational decline is the failure to adapt to changing conditions. The critical factor in any congregation’s ability to adapt to changing conditions is its capacity to accept and act upon new ideas. Steps for Renewal The self-renewing congregation operates from a balanced definition of purpose: they know who they are AND they know where they are going. The self-renewing congregation is able to distinguish between the message it has to deliver and the method that is appropriate at that time and place for delivering the message. The self-renewing congregation is able to reach, receive, accept and assimilate newcomers into the life of the fellowship. The self-renewing congregation is more sensitive to the contemporary needs of people and to the necessity of responding to those needs than it is to continuing customs, maintaining traditions, and preserving old structures. The members of the self-renewing congregation not only know what their church is about and what it is doing, but they believe in what their congregation is doing. The self-renewing congregation recognizes that from time to time it will encounter a threatening or disruptive crisis, but the members expect to overcome that crisis. The self-renewing congregation has a redundant and effective system of internal communication. The self-renewing congregation has a built-in provision for self-evaluation. The self-renewing congregation encourages the expression of differences of opinion which enables them to be lead to creative and constructive dialogue. The self-renewing congregation is not overly dependent on one leader. Leadership is required, and it is present, but it shared. The best leadership is concerned with ministry and service rather than with survival.  The 2017 New Jersey population was estimated to be 8,953,745 people, residing in 21 counties and 566 municipalities, with 59% of the residents being white, 18% of the residents being Hispanic, 13% of the residents being black, and 9% of the residents being Asian. In terms of age distribution, 1% of the residents are of the G.I. generation (1901-1924), 8% are of the Silent Generation (1925-1945), 18% are of the Boomer generation (1946-1960), 28% are of the Gen X generation (1961-1981), 29% are of the Millennial generation (1982-2004) and 16% are of the Homeland generation (2005-2025). It is estimated that nearly one-third of all New Jersey residents identify themselves as having no religious preference. Despite residing in a State that has the highest population density, the New Jersey District has become the smallest LCMS District, numbering 10,168 baptized members, 8,418 communicant members, and experiencing a total average worship attendance of 3,650 souls. Like many other districts within Synod, we continue to see that many of our congregations are growing smaller in terms of both baptized and communicant membership, and that the average age of those who worship are getting older. The crisis situation in which we find ourselves is this: we no longer live in a churched culture but in an unchurched and de-churched culture. This state of affairs both challenges and invites God’s people to acquire a proper ministry balance between edification and evangelism and becoming more missionary in our posture and orientation toward the growing number of U.S. citizens who are not Christians. Several of the many pressing ministry challenges that are before us: …how do we witness to, and evangelize, people who have built their lives upon non-Christian narratives, especially the growing segment of the U.S. population that has “no religious or spiritual preference” …how do we effectively reach, and communicate with, the younger generations with the Gospel, recognizing that 44% of the New Jersey residents are under the age of thirty-six …how do we pay our bills, adequately compensate our church workers, and maintain our physical buildings and properties; while making known His Gospel, and extending His kingdom, to the ends of the earth as He encourages us to do …how do we communicate the Biblical message in oral, print, broadcast and digital culture; and how do we steward social media effectively for ministry engagement in the “public square” …how do we address, and minister to, a culture that perceives and judges the Christian message to be irrelevant in answering the “big questions,” and dealing with the day-to-day problems, that people have in, and with, life …how do we defend and communicate the Christian faith in a secularized and pluralistic culture in such a way that we are “able to give the reason for the hope that lives within us, yet with gentleness and respect” to the many, many kinds of people who are trying to make sense of life, and the realities around them, without the hypothesis of the Triune God The district’s ministry plan in light of the permanent and triennial objectives of Synod God is working out His saving plan in and through His chosen and redeemed people, and each disciple has a responsibility for advancing the saving purposes of God in the world (Matthew 4:19–20; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 1 Peter 2:5, 9). Moreover, our present life and ministry* is timed by God’s own clock, His fixed times, the kairos determined by God; consequently, for each disciple, there exists a divine kairos of opportunity for advancing His mission purposes. So that His mission might be accomplished in the lives of His people, and in the world, God has entrusted His people (and our Synod) with four ministries: an evangelistic ministry as His people seek to evangelize large numbers of people through their life of witness and Gospel proclamation and bring them, by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s working, to faith in Jesus Christ. a maturational ministry as His people grow up into Christ in every way and become mature disciples of Jesus, who are also His stewards, servants, priests, witnesses, salt, light, living letters, etc. an organic ministry as His people are connected to one another in relationships that live out the “one another admonitions” of Scripture, with each believer using his or her gifts, talents and abilities for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the common good. an incarnational ministry as His people, wherever they go and with whomever they come into contact, are able to be His ambassadors and living letters, mediating His mind and word and demonstrating His love, concern and compassion for others. In order to equip His people for these essential ministry endeavors, the… first major ministry focus will be to increase the biblical literacy of His people through the teaching ministry of the district’s Leaders and Learners program and the leadership of the Congregational Services Council, beginning with these core training events: divine drama: the biblical narrative; fifty stories that every Christian should know; the parables of Jesus; and offering an annual pilgrimage to Israel. second major ministry focus will be to equip His people in how to share His story of salvation in Jesus Christ with others through the teaching ministry of the district’s Leaders and Learners program and the leadership of the Outreach Council, beginning with these core training events: every one His witness (Rev. Mark Woods); how did Jesus do evangelism; and life is all about stories: helping people make sense of their story in light of His story. third major ministry focus will be to equip His people to be missionaries in their daily lives and vocations through a missionary formation process that has content and training in these core subject areas: (1) foundational: the mission of God; who I am in Christ (identity) and why am I here (purpose); who we are in Christ (identity) and why are we here (purpose); (2) contextual: worldview; culture learning; (3) contextualization: the core narratives and ministry practices of an apostolic church; and through the missionary training ministry of Rev. Greg Finke: joining Jesus in His mission. fourth major ministry focus will be the establishment of The Kairos Network (Rev. Matt Peeples, Director) and its ministry of forming mission leaders and extending His kingdom through church planting endeavors. fifth major ministry focus will be the development of specialty workshop presentations based upon these resources and ministry areas: worldview; celtic evangelism; how to reach secular people; ALOA: adult Lutherans organized for action; Trinitarian apologetics; and adaptive leadership. * Footnotes: Who I am in Christ defines my identity (who am I) and my ministry (why am I here) as a Christian; as one baptized into Christ, I am a disciple, servant, priest, witness, salt of the earth, light of the world, temple of the Holy Spirit, etc., and this is how I am to live out my faith in the relationships of life. Moreover, who we are in Christ defines our identity (who are we) and ministry (why are we here) as the Body of Christ, with Christ as our Head; as His people, called and gathered into the assembly of believers, we are the Body of Christ, living stones built into a spiritual house, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, saints, ambassadors, living letters, etc.
One of the more interesting and compelling books in the field of non-Christian apologetics was written by former atheist* Antony Flew, one of the leading atheist philosophers* of the 20th century.
In May of 2004, Antony announced that he now accepted the existence of God based upon the “world picture” that had emerged from modern science: (1) that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence; (2) that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called “the Mind of God;” and (3) that life and reproduction originate in a divine Source. There are many fine arguments that Antony makes in There is a God: how the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind (2007); foremost and most compelling were that:
On a final note, in appendix B, Antony has a dialogue on Jesus with N. T. Wright. Despite this winsome witness of N. T. Wright, Antony remained a mortalist* and deist*. If you are interested in compelling arguments from a non-Christian author, this is a very special work from a very influential, former atheist and is worthy of your review and reflection. *NOTES:
 One of the more interesting books that I have read in the last ten years was written by George Hunter III, professor emeritus at Asbury Theological Seminary. The fundamental premises of the book are these:
+ the Christian church, in the West, faces populations who are increasing “secular” – people with no Christian memory and who don’t even know what Christians are talking about + these populations are increasing “neo-barbarian” in that they lack refinement and often their lives are out of control + yet these populations are increasingly receptive to exploring worldview options – from Astrology to Zen Buddhism – as they search “in all the wrong places” to make sense of their lives and find their soul’s true home + in the face of this changing Western culture, many Western churches are in denial as they plan and do church as though next year will 1982 + most of the Western Church leaders who are not in denial do not know how to engage the epidemic numbers of secular, postmodern, neo-barbarians outside of their churches In light of these observations, George has this thought for us to consider: “can the ancient movement known as Celtic Christianity show us some ways forward in the 21st century?” For those who believe that the missionary methods of St. Patrick might be helpful to their ministry, a three-hour workshop has been designed from George’s book and will be offered on these dates and at these locations:
A special feature of this workshop will be the presentation by Rev. Brian Handrich and his research on “the post-Patrick period” (450 – 650 A. D.) in which other very gifted church leaders built upon the missionary labors of St. Patrick so that the church could be well-established in Ireland and the Christian faith anchored deeply into the lives of His people. I have reviewed Brian’s outline and it looks like an outstanding presentation and I hope that you can be there to be blessed through his teaching. A final piece of information for your reflection…Patrick and those who served with him baptized tens of thousands of converts, planted 700 churches, ordained 1,000 priests…with 30-40 of the 150 tribes becoming substantially Christian by the time of his death twenty-eight years later. “Go to the people…live among them…learn from them…love them…start with what they know…build upon what they have.” To register for this workshop through the New Jersey District office, or if you wanted to schedule a workshop to be held at your congregation in 2019, contact Caren Vogt at 908 233-8111 or vogtc@njdistrict.org To register for this workshop online, visit the New Jersey District Event Listing. Download a poster and bulletin insert to share with your congregation here. One third of the recorded teaching of Jesus consisted of parables. In the parables, Jesus is describing the Kingdom of God in action and telling us something that happens when God is busy re-establishing Himself as King among humankind. Consequently, a person who hears or reads a parable of Jesus is confronted by the necessity of making up his or her mind about Jesus and is challenged to take a position either for or against Jesus as one’s Savior.
In order that we may grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures, and of His plan of salvation in Jesus Christ, a half-day workshop has been developed on the parables of Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples many things in parables so that they could become “wise scribes, trained for the kingdom” – so what were the many things that Jesus taught them in these parables: session 1: the fundamental human condition and God’s response to the human condition (9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.) -the parable of what defiles a person -the parable of the wheat and the weeds -the parable of the rich fool -the parable of the stronger man -the parable of the doctor to the sick -the parable of the gracious father -the parable of the kingdom growing secretly session 2: humankind’s response to the Gospel of the Kingdom (10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.) -the parable of the sower and the seed -the parable of the wicked tenants -the parable of the marriage feast -the parable of the rich man and Lazarus -the parable of the hidden treasure and the merchant in search of fine pearls session 3: brothers and sisters, what should we do and how should we then live (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) -the parable of the unknown day and hour -the parable of the unjust steward -the parable of the ten maidens -the parable of the two paths -the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector -the parable of the two foundations -the parable of the two sons -the parable of the talents -the parable of the good Samaritan -the parable of the sheep and the goats -the parable of salt and light Currently this workshop is scheduled to be offered on February 2, 2019 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Point Pleasant NJ and on February 23, 2019 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Hamburg, NJ. To register for this workshop through the New Jersey District office, or if you wanted to schedule a workshop to be held at your congregation in 2019, contact Caren Vogt at 908 233-8111 or vogtc@njdistrict.org To register for this workshop online, visit the New Jersey District Events Listing. Download a poster & bulletin insert to share with your congregation.  As we make our entry into 2019, a few thoughts about our life and ministry together.
First and foremost are these “not to be missed” District-wide training events scheduled for 2019 that address the topics of leadership and Christian witness and living – a mailing to the congregation will be forthcoming that outlines these training events in greater detail but they are being shared with you now so that you have the dates along with a brief description of the event itself:
A second series of training events will be offered onsite at a requesting congregation when there are at least 10-12 participants who have registered from that congregation (and then circuit congregations will be notified of the event and invited to send participants). These one-day workshops are:
A third series of resources and learning objects will be offered only on the internet for missionary formation, with the presentations videotaped and placed on the Kairos Network website for individuals and congregations to view and download. The focus of these resources are: (1) the mission of God; (2) discipleship; (3) body life; (4) worldview; (5) culture learning; (6) core biblical narratives of an apostolic church; and (7) core ministry practices of an apostolic church. To request an onsite workshop, please contact Caren Vogt at the New Jersey District office at 908-233-8111 or via email at vogtc@njdistrict.org.  The year 2018 is rapidly coming to its conclusion… and as I visit New Jersey District congregations, and reflect upon the ministry priorities of Jesus for His people, there are four ministry focuses that seem paramount in our life together in the year 2019.
ministry focus #1: biblical literacy A frequent message and exhortation of Jesus for His people was to encourage them to know, and to build their lives upon, the sacred Scriptures. “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples…” For “everyone then who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man...” Or this admonition from the desert wanderings of ancient Israel, remembered and used by Jesus when He was tempted by the devil, “that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” In order to address this ministry priority of Jesus for His disciples, two workshops have been scheduled and made available for New Jersey District congregations in 2019: the parables of Jesus (click link to download promotional materials)…one-third of Jesus’ teaching was given to His disciples through the parables
the Divine Drama (with notes from The Bethel Series)…these two resources provide a comprehensive introduction into, and an overview of, the grand narrative and major biblical themes of the Scriptures
ministry focus #2: evangelism We are very familiar with these departing words from Jesus to His disciples: “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Or these words recorded by Luke in his Gospel, “thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” In order to address this ministry priority of Jesus for His disciples, three workshops have been scheduled and made available for New Jersey District congregations in 2019: life is all about stories (click link to download promotional materials) …life is all about stories and every person has a story so how have you gone about making sense of your story…God has a story that makes sense of every human story and evangelism can be understood as helping people make sense of life’s story in light of His story of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ
celtic evangelism (click link to download promotional materials) …Patrick was sixteen years old when Celtic pirates from Ireland invaded northeast England, captured Patrick and many other young men, and sold them into slavery…as a slave to a prosperous tribal chief and druid named Miliuc, Patrick grew in his understanding of the Irish Celtic people – their language and their culture – many years later God would use Patrick in a powerful way as His special evangelist to those who made him a slave…this workshop will study the missionary and evangelistic methods of St. Patrick as he engaged in Celtic evangelism
every one a witness…is an evangelism training event that teaches you to witness to your friends and any other de-churched and non-churched people you may know, using the LASSIE approach to witnessing (Listen, Ask, Seek, Share, Invite, and Encourage) and naturally sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ through relational, contextual witnessing…Rev. Mark Woods is the author of this training resource and will be the workshop presenter and trainer
ministry focus #3: biblical and adaptive leadership Lesslie Newbigin, one of the foremost missiologists of the 20th century, retired from missionary service in India and returned home to England in the 1970s. What he found in his beloved homeland was a more challenging mission field than he left behind. He wrote this: “England is a pagan society and the development of a truly missionary encounter with this very tough form of paganism is the greatest intellectual and practical task facing the church” (Unfinished Agenda, 1993:236) Newbigin foresaw that the West was quickly becoming a mission field and the church needed to develop a truly missionary encounter with their friends and neighbors. In other words, if western societies have become post-Christian mission fields... ...how do we lead a congregation to be faithful to the mission that God has put before us when the world has changed so radically? ...what kind of leadership does it demand of those of us who have been called to lead God’s people at this time and in this place? In order to address this ministry priority of Jesus for His disciples, two workshops have been scheduled and made available for New Jersey District congregations in 2019: adaptive leadership…four Saturday mornings have been set aside in order to discuss core adaptive leadership practices identified in Tod Bolsinger’s book Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
teaching fish to walk…a workshop on adaptive leadership by Peter Steinke, who is the author of this resource and who will be our presenter
ministry focus #4: missional lifestyle training Everyone has a mission, that is, everyone is being sent by God to do something, somewhere, at sometime; whether they fulfill the purpose for their sending, that is another matter. Personally I have embarked on many mission projects in my life. Some of them are rather trivial, such as my fifty year-old quest now to get a hole-in-one in golf. But other mission projects are much more important such as earning a paycheck to provide for my family; being a loving spouse to Carol and a caring father to our four children: Leah, Joseph, Joshua and Jonathan; and a good friend to many. Yet my primary mission, the foremost reason that I exist according to God’s plan, purposing and sending, is to “go and make disciples of all nations.” This mission is to permeate all of my life and it is to permeate your life as well. Forrest Gump, in the movie Forrest Gump, would periodically ask his mother, “Momma, what’s my destiny?” Your destiny, as a Christian, is to be and live as His disciple and to make disciples of the nations. In order to address this ministry priority of Jesus for His disciples, two workshops have been scheduled and made available for New Jersey District congregations in 2019: missional lifestyle training…so that we might become more intentional and equipped in joining Jesus in our every day lives as His missionaries; the workshop presenter and trainer will be Rev. Greg Finke, the author of “Joining Jesus on His Mission”
a door set open…a workshop that explores the implications of ministry for those congregations who are committed to His mission and is based upon these words from Revelation 3:8: “I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have but little power, but you have kept My word and have not denied My name…”; Peter Steinke, who is the author of this resource, will be our presenter
It is my hope and prayer that you will experience the good life in 2019…”and He has showed you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you: but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Your brother in Christ and in His mission, Tony Several years ago I came upon this relatively obscure passage (Matthew 13:52) in which Jesus helped His disciples to understand their ministry in the lives of others. Jesus, earlier in the day, shared many things with them in parables; as a result of His teaching in their lives, they were becoming wise scribes – trained for the kingdom.
These words are also meant for you as one of His disciples today: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” So that we may grow in our understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures, and to better serve our neighbor as wise scribes who have been trained for the kingdom, a one-day workshop has been developed that equips present-day disciples with the wisdom to help themselves, and others, make sense of their story in light of His story. The "Life Is All About Stories" workshop goes from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., with each of the six sessions being forty-five minutes in length – and will follow this outline:
This workshop will be offered two times in 2018 and two times in early 2019 at these locations:
To register for this workshop through the District office, contact Caren Vogt at (908) 233-8111 or via email. To register for this workshop online, visit the District Events webpage. The cost for the workshop is $10.00 in order to cover the cost of lunch and snacks. Download a bulletin insert and a poster to share with your congregations. If you would be interested in hosting this workshop in the fall of 2019, these Saturdays have been set aside for that purpose:
Jesus said “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you.” The word “disciple” is used 260 times in the New Testament and a proper understanding of its meaning is essential for God’s people if we are to live out our calling to live as His disciples; and in our ministry of making disciples of all nations.
Back in the early 1980s, the LCMS convened a “Great Commission Convocation” that focused on discipleship formation. One of the keynote presentations was given by Dr. Walt Stuenkel. Walt had many good things to share with us in his seminal bible study on discipleship – foremost that day were these take-aways from the biblical text:
Each workshop is from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The cost of attending a one-day workshop is $10.00 in order to cover the costs of lunch, and the various snacks, provided by the host congregation. Download a handout for the workshops here: Workshop Dates and Locations (Check the District Event Listing for links to online registration) life is all about stories
the parables of Jesus
If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please contact Caren Vogt at the District office…908 233-8111 Lesslie Newbigin, one of the foremost missiologists of the 20th century, retired from missionary service in India and returned home to England in the 1970s. What he found in his beloved homeland was a more challenging mission field than he left behind. He wrote this:
“England is a pagan society and the development of a truly missionary encounter with this very tough form of paganism is the greatest intellectual and practical task facing the church” (Unfinished Agenda, 1993:236) Newbigin foresaw that the West was quickly becoming a mission field and the church needed to develop a truly missionary encounter with their friends and neighbors. In other words, if western societies have become post-Christian mission fields… …how do we lead a congregation to be faithful to the mission that God has put before us when the world has changed so radically? …what kind of leadership does it demand of those of us who have been called to lead God’s people at this time and in this place? Each workshop is from 9:00 a.m. until Noon. The cost of attending a one-day workshop is $5.00 in order to cover the costs of the various snacks provided by the host congregation. Workshop Dates and Locations (Check the District Event Listing for links to online registration) topic | workshop date | location | presenter adaptive leadership – part one (1) | January 12, 2019 | Good Shepherd, Old Bridge | Tony Steinbronn adaptive leadership – part two | February 16, 2019 | Good Shepherd, Old Bridge | Tony Steinbronn adaptive leadership – part three | June 15, 2019 | Good Shepherd, Old Bridge | Tony Steinbronn adaptive leadership – part four | August 3, 2019 | Good Shepherd, Old Bridge | Tony Steinbronn Teaching Fish to Walk (2) | September 21, 2019 | “yet to be determined” | Peter Steinke Download a handout with the workshop information here. (1) workshop developed from the book “Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory” by Tod Bolsinger (2) workshop based on the book “Teaching Fish to Walk: Church Systems and Adaptive Challenge” by Peter Steinke; Peter Steinke will be the workshop presenter on September 21, 2019 |
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