Hello friends of Jesus and Peace
Outdoor service
Last outdoor service Sunday September 1st 9:30 am weather permitting! Can’t wait to see you.
Avoiding the managerial life at Peace
In 2000, Peace had 390 members and about 150 people in services each week, all served by one pastor.
In 2024, Peace has 177 members and about 85 people in services each week, all served by one pastor.
Our synod is a similar story. In 2000, WELS had about 1200 congregations and 325 members per congregation. In 2024, we have about the same number of congregations (about 1200) and only 265 members per congregation (see WELS Statistical Summary pg 12 https://welscongregationalservices.net/download/wels-statistical-report-2023/?ind=1716408846506&filename=CS-WELSStatisticalSummaryAndAnalysisFor2023-NEW-052024.pdf&wpdmdl=3471&refresh=66d22b66c141b1725049702)
I’m not focusing on the spirit or attitude we have about these numbers, but let me say a quick thing. Please keep in mind, the numbers are what they are. They aren’t inherently better or worse, although they bring certain strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I’m not excited about the numbers. I try to remind myself that we can do different things with different numbers of people. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing - to carry out the mission of God’s church according to the teaching he has given us - and to do so with all the strength that he has given us.
Today what I want to focus on is the function we expect our pastors and other key workers to carry out.
My main thought or concern I want to address is the growth of the managerial function of our pastors and other church workers. Instead I want to encourage us to have pastors who do gospel ministry.
What do I mean when I say the growth of the managerial function of our pastors? Let me explain first by drawing your attention to the number of pastors carrying out gospel ministry in place of the congregation. At Peace, one pastor works for about 175 members; 24 years ago that was about one pastor for 390 members. Across the 1200 congregations of the WELS, each of the 1350 pastors serves about 245 members; 24 years ago each of the 1360 pastors served about 310 members. The trend is simple: 20 plus years later, each pastor serves fewer people.
Again, by itself this is neither good nor bad. Perhaps 390 people is too many for a pastor to care for. Perhaps 175 is too many members for one pastor to care for. However, pastors are serving fewer people.
As a pastor, I’ll tell you we are certainly still busy enough. But it is easy to be busy doing tons of small, non-ministerial things. We check the mail and don’t get or ready anything related to the Word of God and prayer but lots of ads. We file reports that get longer and longer with the facility team, the elders, the teachers, the council, the circuit pastor, and the voters. We track spending and categorize purchases. We make volunteer lists and get volunteers to sign up. We file and organize paperwork. We throw away paperwork. And the list goes on. All this is part of ministry today, but does it help the kingdom of God?
What I’m saying is that the growth of the managers has been fairly well documented, and it is part of the Christian church too. If you haven’t heard about the rise of the managers, you can learn about it in many places. Here are a few. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional%E2%80%93managerial_class https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/newsletter-63-understanding-the-managerial?s=r https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2017/02/james-burnhams-managerial-elite/ In short, the modern industrial age has created an entire class of people who simply push paper and resources around supposedly to empower other people.
I want us to question and challenge this trend. Yes, pastors are busy. But we should busy telling people about Jesus, confronting sin, teaching people God’s Word, praying, and studying God’s Word.
What do you think? Do you like what pastors do these days?
BLESS
We’re slowly and surely making progress praying for every home in our cities. Let’s pray that God’s good gospel would fill this place.
Who have you prayed for these days? Add a pin to the map and if it is a particular prayer, drop their name in the box.
Thanks for joining me as we pray for the gospel to fill the homes and lives around us.
“LOVED” Fall kick off
You are loved. Peace Lutheran Church is a place for people who want love, a place for people who need love, and a place for people who are committed to extending God’s love. We are all sinners who cannot fix ourselves or the world around us. We need God’s love.
Come be loved September 15th at 9:30 am. We’d like to see the whole congregation together as people loved by God.
We’ll have …
installation service
team building activities
snacks
congregational project
Let’s be people who are loved.
Ministry planning and budget
Pastor, the staff, and the council is preparing the ministry activities and arrangement for next year. Have suggestions, thoughts, questions, and ideas for ministry next year? Love to talk with you about how God can work among us and through us these days! Talk with pastor please!
Evangelism workshop
A huge shift takes place in life when we realize that we have been saved only by the gracious love of God whether we need it or not, no matter how good or bad we are.
It’s the difference between calling the gospel a doctor or a lightning bolt. If you get sick, you go to a doctor and ask for help. The doctor helps you; maybe even saves you from dieing. You’re so grateful that you go and tell anyone who is sick about the doctor. But what if you aren’t sick?
The gospel is just as much like a lightning bolt. It strikes us when we’re walking down the street and hits us out of the blue. Whether we want it or not, we have to figure out what to do with it. The lightning bolt of the gospel has irreversibly changed our life.
That’s the gospel!
Come to the evangelism workshop Saturday morning 9:30 and become the lightning bolt in someone’s life!
Calendar
September 3rd 6:30 pm Team and Task Time
September 7th 9:30 am Evangelism workshop
September 15th 9:30 am Fall kick off/Welcome Home
September 21st 9:30 am Christian Theology #4
September 22nd 9:30 Volunteer recognition and celebration
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Peace Lutheran Church 805 S Wilmott St Otsego, MI 49078
269-694-6104 https://peaceotsego.org