Lutherans Ready to Spread the Gospel in the New Millennium

MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- About 900 lay leaders and clergy from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) learned how to transform congregations into "vital faith communities," reach and serve greater numbers of people and invite others into a "deeper walk with Jesus Christ" at the 1999 ELCA Domestic Mission Conference, "At the Name of Jesus: Congregations for the 21st Century," Nov. 19-21 here.
The 1999 Domestic Mission Conference focused on innovative ways for evangelism, outreach, Christian education and discipleship among the 11,000 congregations of the ELCA. Highlights of the conference included Bible study, keynote presentations, worship and workshops.
"One of the most overlooked and under-studied power principles of church growth is making our concern for children a program rather than making our children a priority," said Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin Jr., Light of the World Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Indianapolis, in his keynote presentation.
"One of the signs of a healthy church and a healthy society is the manner in which they treat children. It takes a whole village to raise a child," Benjamin said. "As adults, we are history. Children are not the future, they are our destiny."
In his keynote presentation Benjamin told participants, "Do not bring children to church, bring them to Jesus. The church is an adult organization. Stop trying to be professional and start getting personal."
The Rev. George Tan, St. John Lutheran Church, Cerritos, Calif., led a Bible study on the book Philippians of the Christian Bible.
"Multi-ethnic congregations are the future of the church. Our Anglo-community must embrace and appreciate that vision or it will die," Tan said.
"Too many Christian churches are trying to present Jesus in a modern way. They fail to make known that Jesus is a gift. There is too much package and not enough gift," said Tan. "That is why we are here for 'At the Name of Jesus.'"
Tan told participants, "To have a successful church, we must work together. There is tremendous potential in unity. That is not a new thought, but people just do not get along. We need to reduce conflict and have more cooperation. Congregations must be of the same mind and spirit and struggle for the same purpose. If not, the congregation will die."
Richard Nysse, professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., led a Bible study on the Bible book Isaiah.
Sponsored by the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries and Division for Outreach, the conference offered more than 35 workshops. Topics ranged from family ministry to rural and small town ministries, from evangelism through drama to worship in the post-modern generation.
Sally Morgenthaler, author of "Worship Evangelism: Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God," Littleton, Colo., led a workshop titled, "Touchstones of Post-Modern Worship."
"To update our church of 500 years, we must read the signs of our culture and understand the God of history. We must experience the bread and cup in a new way," said Morgenthaler. "The transition from tradition to contemporary was optional. The transition from modern to post-modern is not optional because that is where we live now." Morgenthaler also led a keynote presentation.
"Today's young people face divorce, day care, debt and downsizing. The 20- and 30-somethings represent the biggest generational shift in more than 200 years. This age group has segregated themselves from other generations, and they are people that have unbiased observations. They process information set by set," Morgenthaler said.
"What does it mean to be a member of the post-modern generation? It means that truth is no longer something to be discovered. Truth is created among community and self. The post-modern generation craves mystery -- there are other ways of knowing," she said.
"We, the church, must stop ignoring the post-modern generation. Lessons we have come to know about this generation is that they believe there is a God and we are not it. The post-modern generation believes we are all a mess, and we need each other to get through the mess. These lessons can help us create a post-modern church," Morgenthaler said.
"Worship in the next millennium should be the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. Your success as a leader relies on your ability to be fully present in the people God has given you," Morganthaler told participants.
Keynote speaker Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International, Americus, Ga., told participants that Habitat for Humanity is a way of expressing service for God.
"Every house we build is a sermon from God. It is amazing what people can do together when love is in their hearts," Fuller said.
As a demonstration of God's love, Habitat volunteers have built homes with more than 75,000 families in need in more than 1,485 U.S. cities, said Fuller. Habitat volunteers are also at work in more than 60 countries around the world. More than 375,000 people now have safe, decent and affordable shelter because of Habitat's work around the world, he said.
The Rev. Norma Cook Everist, professor of church administration and educational ministry, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and the Rev. Timothy Lull, president and professor of systematic theology, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif., preached during worship services.
Some participants at the conference phoned Milwaukee-area homes to help a Milwaukee Lutheran congregation reach out to its neighborhood.
The "phone bank" was created to provide information about House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Mequon, Wis., said the Rev. Marta Poling- Goldenne, ELCA director for witness, evangelism and Christian education, Division for Congregational Ministries.
The phone bank was an opportunity to invite people to discover Jesus at House of Prayer, Poling-Goldenne said.
"We have learned that roughly half of all Americans do not go to church and about 25 percent of unchurched people will ask you to send them information about a church. About 10 percent of the people who receive the information will actually come to worship," she said. Poling-Goldenne was conference manager.
Three "enrichment tracks" preceded "At the Name of Jesus" on Nov. 19. The tracks, designed to highlight ELCA congregations noted for their "distinct" areas of evangelism, were "Turning Around Your Congregation: From Plateau to Growth;" "Neighborhood Outreach Strategies in an Urban Setting;" and "Reaching Seekers Through Powerful Worship, Communication and Discipleship Strategies."

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