CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The distribution of the Holy Bible to men has been the best "outreach tool" to date for Lutheran Men in Mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), according to Douglas Haugen. With that in mind, the board for Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), at its meeting here March 24-26, moved to distribute 5,000 Bibles to men in the church and considered other business to support men's ministries.
The Bibles will be available at a minimal cost later this summer, said Haugen, director of LMM, the men's organization of the ELCA. The Bibles are called "Lutheran Men in Mission -- Master Builders Serendipity Bible" and include more than 70 study sessions and courses containing 20,000 study questions designed to help men to deepen their faith life, Haugen said. The Bibles will be made available by Serendipity House Publishers, Littleton, Colo.
"Most men do not participate in Bible study groups because they are intimidated by them. The LMM Bibles include non-threatening study questions that assist men in building relationships while learning Scripture," Haugen said.
William Sapp, a member of LMM from Omaha, Neb., donated 1,500 Bibles last year to LMM for distribution to congregations and other ministries of the church committed to men's ministry. Haugen said the Bibles have become the "best public relations tool" for the men's organization.
The supply of Bibles is near depletion, Haugen said. With the board's approval to acquire 5,000 Bibles, the men's organization can continue to support ELCA congregations and others starting men's ministries, he said.
About 200 Bibles will be allocated for the ELCA's Simba Circle, a two-week camping experience that establishes "a safe place for healing and restoration" in the lives of African American males between the ages of 10 and 18.
Lutheran men's ministries in the ELCA North Carolina Synod have requested 240 Bibles for each congregation in the synod developing men's ministries. "We hope that other LMM organizations in the ELCA's 65 synods will follow with the same request," Haugen said.
In other business, the LMM board heard from Steve Sonderman, one of a handful of pastors in the United States specifically engaged in men's ministry. Sonderman is associate pastor for the men's ministry at Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, Wis., and is the founder of Top Gun Ministries, a "Christ-centered ministry dedicated to preparing churches to equip, empower and deploy men in Christian service to their family, church, community and the world."
"About 90 percent of men attending church today have never heard a sermon on work. Churches fail to make the connection between work and Christianity," Sonderman said. An effective men's ministry should develop avenues that connect Christianity to elements that are important in a man's life, such as family and work, he told the board.
The board resolved to offer men's ministry internship opportunities through LMM. According to the board action, "Lutheran Men in Mission strives to serve men of all ages. Part of the mission of the organization is to train men for effective leadership."
Malcolm Carroll, a student at Trinity Lutheran College, Seattle, completed a three-month internship with LMM in March. In his report to the board, Carroll offered four recommendations for ministry among young men. They are to nurture relationships that connect young men with older men in churches, develop resources about men's ministry on compact discs for young adult men, identify men's ministries that "take place in racially-diverse settings;" and develop a "rights of passage" ministry model for men's ministries in congregations.
The board approved the recommendations and appointed Carroll as LMM "member-at-large."
The staff and board of LMM will investigate the possibility for LMM members to visit Nicaragua in the next year. A purpose of the visit is to determine ways for LMM to engage in dialogue, exchange resources and pray with men from Iglesia Luterana Fe y Esperanza de Nicaragua (Faith and Hope Lutheran Church of Nicaragua).
At a meeting in March last year, the board passed a resolution to research how LMM might begin direct communication with Lutheran men in Nicaragua and develop ways to address the specific needs of Nicaraguan farmers and families.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
