1. Mission in Transition Lutheran Hours Ministry ROC Chicago

3. Agenda – Mission in Transition  How serious is the need?  What are the symptoms?  What can we do?

4. How Serious is the Need? Mission in Transition Lutheran Hour Ministries ROC Chicago

5. LCMS Trends (numbers shown in millions)

6. LCMS Trends

8. LCMS Trends Average Weekend Worship Attendance* * Based on average of reporting congregations

9. What are the Symptoms? Mission in Transition Lutheran Hour Ministries ROC Chicago

10. The Canary in the Mineshaft

11. Canaries  Declining worship attendance  Decreased giving or “I’ll only give for…”  Can’t pay people to serve on the and the Boards  Members define the “problem” as lack of money  People propose as the “solution” to the “problem”  People put up with (quality)  “If only…” becomes the hope / reason / excuse

12. Toxins in the Body  Lack of belief in God’s promises and provision  Poor stewardship  Complacency / self satisfaction  “Inside” perspective  Poor quality  Few Christ-centered relationships  Money is the problem and the answer

13. Sin and Programs Results or Effects of Sin in the World Manifestations of Sin Sin Programmatic responses What we observe Word and Sacrament

14. The Lutheran verses  Ephesians 2:8-9  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:10  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

15. What do we do? Mission in Transition Lutheran Hour Ministries ROC Chicago

16. Survival or…?  Israel in the wilderness  Abraham  Moses  Barak  Gideon  David  You  Me

17. Transformed  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2,3 (NIV) 17

18. St. Charles to Papua New Guinea

19. No Coffin Required!

20. Outreach vs. Engagement  Outreach  “to reach out”  Engagement  “a : the act of engaging : the state of being engagedengagingengaged  b : emotional involvement or commitment”

21. What do we do?  Jesus is the point, the center, the direction, the answer, the…  Pray for your pastor and his family  Do an informal assessment: inward or outward focused  Website  Signage  Visitor’s POV  Programs  Quality  Board and Voter’s meeting subjects

22. What do we do? (cont.)  Mission of the congregation  Purpose  Direction  LCEF / Mission InSite Study  Point of engagement  Long-term  “Emotional commitment”  Start small and keep going  The flywheel principal  Requires engaged people to be engaged!

23. Together “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV) 23

24. What does the future hold?

26. Contact Information Bob Gleason Robert Gleason Consulting LLC bob@robertgleasonconsulting.com 414-530-3195 26