Lutherans Share Innovative Ideas for Church Growth

DENVER (ELCA) -- When the Rev. Mary Ann Moller-Gunderson arrived at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lake Geneva, Wis., six years ago, there were no children in church and the average age of its 62 members was 72. Today more than 100 children attend Sunday school, she said at the 2001 Great Commission Conference, "Go, Make Disciples: Release the Power!" Nov. 9-11 here at the Denver Marriot Tech Center.
The conference, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), focused on innovative ways for evangelism, outreach, Christian education and discipleship ministries among the 10,816 congregations of the ELCA. About 650 lay leaders and clergy from across the country shared what has worked for them in reaching people "with the gospel today" and, through keynote presentations, Bible study, worship and workshops, participants learned how "to ignite their spirit" for church growth.
In her keynote presentation, Moller-Gunderson described how Immanuel changed from being a declining, "inhospitable and conflicted" church to one of the fastest growing mid-size congregations in the ELCA - - more than 270 people now attend two services each Sunday.
"The first thing I learned in 25 years of ordained ministry is to listen compassionately to [a congregation's] grief," she told participants. "Nine out of 10 [congregational] redevelopments in the ELCA fail because members have not been able to grieve," she said.
Congregations in conflict "have lost their way and do not know how to find their center, which is Jesus Christ," Moller-Gunderson said. "Start by reconnecting people to faith. God gave us a spirit not of timidity but of love," she said.
Turning around a congregation can be discouraging, Moller-Gunderson said, citing "timing" as an issue. People may not be ready to act on a great idea. Seek God's timing, take the plunge, and live with the consequences, she said.
"Pastors and church staff must present a non-anxious presence in the church. They must learn to disengage from rage when it occurs. There are people who will not want change," she said. "Immerse your members in prayer ... and engage members in their passion and talent. Anchor everything you do in God," Moller-Gunderson said.
More than 40 workshops were offered at the conference with topics ranging from providing practical tips on evangelism among small-town congregations to evangelism in multi-ethnic contexts, from "evangelizing" through the Internet to exploring Christian education issues among people with disabilities.
The Rev. Ernie Hinojosa, Camino Real Christian Fellowship (ELCA), San Antonio, Texas, provided five "key practices" of a "great commission church" during a Bible study. Hinojosa led a Bible study on the Gospel according to Matthew, which tells the story of how Jesus instructed his followers to "make disciples of all nations." The instructions are known as the "Great Commission."
"A great commission church will leave its physical and cultural comfort zone for the sake of mission," Hinojosa told participants. "The number-one priority of a congregation should be to reach that person out there to come in here. Go outside of your church and make your presence known in the community," he said.
Second, a "great commission church will be careful with labels," Hinojosa said. The goal should not be for someone to become a member but to "become a disciple." A great commission church is careful with language; it hates the word 'membership,' because it implies that someone does not belong, he said.
"Great commission churches provide a process for 'growing' people into committed followers of Christ," Hinojosa said. Congregations can offer a series of courses designed to introduce people to church life, such as: "Class 101: Introduction to church family; Class 102: Introduction to spiritual maturity; Class 103: Introduction to service -- what are your gifts and place in the church?; and Class 104: Introduction to life in mission -- what is God calling you to do?"
Third, Hinojosa said, "A great commission church will prefer growing the Kingdom of God over assimilating displaced Christians. Reach unchurched people, not shuffle Christians," he told participants.
"Great commission churches will teach biblical submission and will teach by example via personal relationships," Hinojosa said, identifying the fourth practice. "The word 'submission' has a bad rap in society. The word should not be confused with 'oppression,' which is life-taking. Submission is life-giving. The greatest freedom you and I will find in this life is found under the authority of God. Experience the grace of God," show it, and share it, he said.
The fifth practice is "great commission churches will remember that ministry is messy. There are no models [for ministry], but there are principles. Starting new ministries is largely a trial-and-error proposition. Many will not work the first time, so stick with it long enough to get it right," he said. "A great commission church will remember that evangelism is primarily a spiritual battle," Hinojosa added.
The Rev. Kathryn Bradley-Love, Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Mobile, Ala., led a Bible study based on the biblical book of The Acts of the Apostles, which includes a story about a man named Philip who baptizes an Ethiopian court official.
"Don't forget to speak the word of God because someone needs you," Love said. "God's will is done through people," she said.
According to the Rev. Steve Sjogren, Vineyard Community Church, Cincinnati, and director of Servant Evangelism.com, evangelism "is the simplest and most basic of all ministries in the church." He described two types of evangelism: exclusive evangelism, which focuses on "the power of words to bring others to faith in Jesus Christ," and inclusive evangelism, which uses "the power of acts of generosity to attract not- yet Christians to God."
"Any Christian can bring the kindness of Christ to others. Small things done with love ... changes the world," Sjogren said. "God's kindness is doable. God's kindness happens when his people live in the power of his acceptance," he told participants in his keynote presentation.
"We've been called to reflect the love of Christ with children," said Duncan Campbell, founder of "Friends of the Children," a nonprofit organization dedicated to "long-term mentoring of at-risk children." In his keynote presentation, Campbell challenged participants to start a friendship with a child.
"'Friends of the Children' provides our most seriously at-risk and vulnerable children with an opportunity to realize and act upon their unique potential and inherent worth. The organization works with children who are most in danger of school failure, abuse, neglect, juvenile delinquency, gang and drug involvement and teenage pregnancy," Campbell said.
The organization provides full-time, paid, professional adult mentors called "friends," he said, to ensure that each "child has at least one positive, consistent and supportive adult in his or her life."
"God never intended for us to leave anyone behind," Campbell told participants. "We never leave a child. We unconditionally love children, even if they get expelled from school or get pregnant," he said. Campbell said his personal goal before dying is to change one child's life.
Dozens of participants took on a special project called "Postcards for Jesus" during the conference. Their goal was to place 10,000 labels on 10,000 postcards on behalf of Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church, an ELCA mission congregation in Aurora, Colo. The congregation, working to contact residents of Aurora, is sending three postcards to each new resident in the next year.
In another project called "Don't keep it under your hat," participants shared stories about confirmation and baptism ministries, communit