If you only have a couple of minutes to read this now, set it aside and come back to it later. Seriously. You’ll want to spend a bit more time with the information that follows. I’m inviting you into my thought process as I joyfully (did I actually say/write that out loud? Yes, I did!) relinquish the role of “acting principal” of our school and return more fully and less distractedly to my primary calling at Trinity – pastor/under-shepherd to Jesus the Good Shepherd.
I shared this with our Church Council last night. I’ve shared some of this before, but I’m returning to these thoughts as I reorient myself more fully to my role as pastor.
About 20 years ago (I’ve been privileged to serve as a pastor for nearly 34 years), I developed the following personal philosophy of ministry:
Philosophy of Ministry
Seek to reach more people with the Gospel in more ways more often, without compromising Law and Gospel (1 Cor 9:22b,23 – “I have become all things to all people so that I may save at least some. And I do everything for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in it along with others.”)
These are just practical applications of what it means to carry out Gospel ministry. Trinity does, in fact, have a mission statement:
Our mission at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is to:
-teach the Word of God
-train believers for lives of Christian service
-tell the good news of Jesus Christ to the Northwoods community and to the world
In short: Teach, Train, Tell.
Ok, alright, yep, got it, so let’s go, let’s do it! We’re good to go, right?
And, that’s where we can sometimes fall short. Saying we’ll do something isn’t a “best practice.” We’ve got to “do.” How will we carry out ministry?
More recently, I’ve been thinking through the above information in my personal Bible study and assessing what we do as a church and school family. Here are some “core values” that, in my opinion, should be important to our Trinity family. These are the driving values that lead us to carry out Gospel ministry and that shape our efforts. Whether we are carrying them out faithfully or whether there are other items that should be on this list is certainly up for discussion.
Trinity Lutheran Church Core Values
Thoughts?
Praying and working with you for the spread of the Good News of Jesus,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
I shared this with our Church Council last night. I’ve shared some of this before, but I’m returning to these thoughts as I reorient myself more fully to my role as pastor.
About 20 years ago (I’ve been privileged to serve as a pastor for nearly 34 years), I developed the following personal philosophy of ministry:
Philosophy of Ministry
Seek to reach more people with the Gospel in more ways more often, without compromising Law and Gospel (1 Cor 9:22b,23 – “I have become all things to all people so that I may save at least some. And I do everything for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in it along with others.”)
- Ministry must be personal and involve intentional, repetitive communication
- Train/involve laity
- Seek multiple points of entry to our church and exposure to God's Word
- God's Word/Sacraments are the power, the "dynamite" ("gospel" in Romans 1:16)
- Remain confessional while seeking to reach the community
These are just practical applications of what it means to carry out Gospel ministry. Trinity does, in fact, have a mission statement:
Our mission at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is to:
-teach the Word of God
-train believers for lives of Christian service
-tell the good news of Jesus Christ to the Northwoods community and to the world
In short: Teach, Train, Tell.
Ok, alright, yep, got it, so let’s go, let’s do it! We’re good to go, right?
And, that’s where we can sometimes fall short. Saying we’ll do something isn’t a “best practice.” We’ve got to “do.” How will we carry out ministry?
More recently, I’ve been thinking through the above information in my personal Bible study and assessing what we do as a church and school family. Here are some “core values” that, in my opinion, should be important to our Trinity family. These are the driving values that lead us to carry out Gospel ministry and that shape our efforts. Whether we are carrying them out faithfully or whether there are other items that should be on this list is certainly up for discussion.
Trinity Lutheran Church Core Values
- Christ-centered and confessionally Lutheran
- Means of grace are powerful and effective
- Balance of nurture and outreach
- Organized, accountable, and trained laity w/ ownership of ministry
- Every soul matters; love takes initiative
- Timeless worship with faithful preaching
Thoughts?
Praying and working with you for the spread of the Good News of Jesus,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
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