Lutheran Mission

Friday, February 08, 2008

Handbook for Lent

Monday, February 04, 2008

Forming an Evangelizing People: persepectives and questions for use in the Church

The Wartburg Theological Seminart has put together this Evangelism preparation resource:

The format of each section is a story, some questions for discussion and reflection and a bible study.

It is a resource that can be used in many situations around the church

Chapters include:

Christ Goes Before Us: Evangelism in Seminary Admissions
Hebrew Bible: Immersing Ourselves in the Stories
Can This Congregation Live?
Foundations of the Church
Social Ministry and Evangelism - Craig Nessan
Advocacy, Evangelism and the Church in Public Life
Ministry in Time of Crisis: Stress, Depression, Conflict and Opportunity -
Educational Ministry: Learning Leads To Mission
Spiritual Direction Conversations
Evangelism and the New Testament
Becoming Evangelists through Seminary Study -
Master of Arts Program in Theology, Development, and Evangelism -
The Evangelism of Discovering Hope in Rural Congregations -
Acts: A Call to Servanthood -
Youth, Culture and Mission: Ministry with Young People
Theology for Youth Outreach
Systematic Theology and Bearing Witness To Jesus Christ
Student Services and Evangelism
Office of Mission Support
“I Can't Wait to Tell You!”

Obtain this resource at: http://www.wartburgseminary.edu/uploadedFiles/Resources/evangelism%20book.pdf

Get real conference: putting passion into leadership

Get Real – putting passion into leadership aims to:

Inspire and equip pastors and congregations with the principles needed for effective leadership in a new age of mission and ministry.
Assist leaders in asking the strategic questions and implementing strategies and structures that enable change
Help pastors and congregations develop a ‘team’ approach to ministry
Provide an opportunity for networking with others who are on the same page
Give participants a freedom to ‘Get Real’ in their own local settings.

The keynote speaker will be Dr Michael Foss of the Lutheran church of the Redeemer Atlanta. For more details visit http://www.getreal.org.au/speakers.html

Dates and Venues

Queensland: 11th- 13th April
South Australia: 17th to 19th April
New South Wales: 23rd to 24th April

For more details and the specific program visit http://www.getreal.org.au/schedule.html

Reasonably priced....starting at $60. http://www.getreal.org.au/pricing.html

Friday, February 01, 2008

The need to change for growth

Some congregations God has blessed with the opportunity to grow, eg. growing population, people coming to an area, better accessibility, yet for some reason they do not grow. Some suggest that is because different size congregations require a different approach to structure, administration, etc. .

Alban institute has dedicated part of their web page to this very topic...it is called Raising the roof

In one section they have identified 4 essential leadership qualities for growth and change:
Excavating the congregation’s religious culture(s)
Creating a foundation of authority for change using the congregation’s own cultural materials
Enriching the congregation’s practices of democracy and discernment
Locating the congregation on an organizational “System Change Index”
These are explored in more detail at: http://www.alban.org/raisingtheroof/foundations.asp

Paper: Is there room in the inn?

Is There Room in the Inn?
A Systems Theory Perspective on Congregational Capacities
for Mission and the Matter of Sociological Space
by
Edward R. Treat

This paper seeks to identify attitudes and expectations among three groups within the
congregation—pastors, key leaders, and regular members—around the issue of mission,
evangelism, and church growth. It particular focuses on what is required for a congregation to grow beyond its limits of just being a closed friendly family.

view the complete paper at: http://www.alban.org/raisingtheroof/pdf/THESIS_Ed_Treat.pdf