Ministry Recommendations

     As the New Jersey District moves into the future and engages in its next chapter of ministry endeavors, a few recommendations for your consideration:

+. that congregations, especially in densely urban settings and in nearby university campuses, 
foster the gathering of His people around Word and Sacrament, and for the extension of His Gospel in new places, through a network of house churches

+. fostering the ministry concept, and implementing the church extension strategy, of “micro-church”

+. the need for training in leadership skills among clergy and laity, specifically those skills connected with biblical and adaptive leadership

+. to affirm “the ministry of the baptized” and to equip His disciples to live out their identity and ministry as His “wise scribes, trained for the kingdom” (Matthew 13:52) so that they may serve faithfully and fruitfully as His evangelizing, edifying and missionary priesthood to the nations (Matthew 7:24-27; 13:1-23; Romans 10:9-17; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

+. since LCMS congregations are located in the 3rd largest mission field in the world, it is essential that those who lead His people, along with “the ministry of the baptized,” receive training to live as missionaries in their daily lives and vocations

+. that in our ministry as His ambassadors and missionary people, we commit ourselves to three things:

     +. a lifetime of studying God’s Word and acquiring a biblical view of reality – a biblical worldview

     +. a lifetime of studying the worldviews, and ways of living, of those people whom we seek to bless with the proclamation of the Gospel

     +. a lifetime of being His “incarnational bridges” as we communicate His message of judgment, grace, forgiveness and hope in words, and ways of living, that the hearer can understand (Romans 10:9-17; 1 Corinthians 9:9-13)

+. over the past decade, I have been a frequent advocate at the national level for the LCMS to discuss, and act upon, an observation that Carl Braaten made in The Apostolic Imperative; that is, “Lutherans are strong on the Word but weak on Office”…what Carl meant is that we possess a very sound “theology of the Word” but we are weak in our theology when it comes to identifying the various “offices of ministry” needed to accomplish His mission, with the pastor serving as the overseer of these auxiliary, essential ministries

     +. in an article written by Quentin Wesselschmidt, sainted professor of historical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, the local congregation in the 2nd century was a presbyterial body with plural leadership that was collegial (bishop, elders, deacons); and they were responsible to oversee the liturgical, educational, social and legal needs of the community

     +. what auxiliary offices, and auxiliary sub-offices, should be identified and established in “our time,” serving as auxiliary offices to the pastoral office, so that we can accomplish His mission of making disciples through our evangelistic and edifying labors

+. approximately two-thirds of NJD congregations are experiencing a ministry situation in which it might be prudent to consider one of four options for their future ministry so that they will have sufficient funds to compensate their called church worker, operate and maintain its facilities, and fund its essential ministries of edification, evangelism and human care:

     +. two New Jersey District congregations agree to form a “dual parish” in which they are served by a shared pastor; in this kind of ministry partnership, each congregation retains its congregational identity and church property and, through a process of mutual conversation with some generous give-and-take, they agree on the particulars pertaining to worship times, office hours, ministry expectations for their shared pastor, along with determining how much each congregation will contribute to the pastor’s compensation and housing needs

     +. two or three New Jersey District congregations join together to form a new congregation, with each congregation selling its current facilities and establishing its ministry in a new location

     +. five New Jersey District congregations, located in close proximity to each other, could enter into a ministry partnership in which they are served by three, full-time pastors; each congregation would retain its congregational identity and church property and the three pastors would function as a ministry team so that the worship and pastoral care needs of the five congregations are met

     Each one of these ministry partnerships has its trade-offs (its own strengths and weaknesses) as they deviate from the traditional norm of one pastor serving one congregation; and which remains the preferred model of ministry for the majority of LCMS congregations.

+. ministry partnership with the Kairos Network

     In my estimation, one of the great blessings that has come to the New Jersey District was the establishment of the Kairos Network and the many tangible benefits that it brings to congregational ministry and church planting endeavors…in July I will share more thoughts on this with you in a future Grapevine article