Last week, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod announced that its president, the Rev. Matthew Harrison, had been re-elected to a second three-year term. The 2013 LCMS convention begins one week from today in St. Louis.
The Post-Dispatch submitted questions to Harrison last week. Topics ranged from the church's declining birthrates to Harrison's controversial decision to ask the pastor of a Lutheran church to apologize for participating in an interfaith prayer vigil after the Newtown, Conn., school massacre.
POST-DISPATCH: What single accomplishment during your first term can you point to that made the LCMS a healthier denomination?
HARRISON: Our church?s emphasis on Witness, Mercy, Life Together has taken root and blossomed in ways I could never have imagined.
In terms of witness, I?m encouraged by the number of new missionaries we?ve commissioned in the past few years along with the fact that other Lutheran churches around the world are asking us to send our brightest and best theologians to help teach them the faith. There is a tectonic shift happening in worldwide Lutheranism unlike anything before. The 6.2 million member Mekane Yesus Church of Ethiopia has sought us out, and we are providing assistance with theological education. There is much we are learning from them too. The bishops of the 4.5 million-member Malagasy Lutheran Church are also seeking fellowship with us. It?s the most exciting shift we?ve seen in the Lutheran world in the last 150 years.
When it comes to mercy, I?m more confident than ever that it?s a hallmark of our Synod. We responded to the heartache and chaos caused by the earthquake in Japan, Hurricane Sandy, and the tornado in Moore, Okla., to name a few. The Missouri Synod has been blessed with much, and it?s humbling to see how the people of the church come together to share these blessings with others for the sake of the Gospel.
I?m also thrilled to see our life together playing itself out in our young people and our renewed focus on campus ministry. Our nation?s campuses are the greatest mission field we have in this country, and they?re a place where the faith of our youth is challenged in many ways. We held the first LCMS-sponsored campus ministry conference in 40 years. Some 450 young people came from across the country to participate. It reminds me that the time is now, the stakes are high, and the eternal lives of our young people stand in the balance.
P-D: You've mentioned declining birth rates in the past as a reason for a membership decline in the church. Aside from trying to reverse that trend, how will you tackle the membership problem in your next term?
HARRISON: Our LCMS birth rate mirrors that of the broader population of the U.S, which is at an all-time low. So, how do we best encourage our young people to treasure marriage and have children? How do we make the point in a freeing and Gospel-oriented way? How do we take concrete action in our congregations to care for children and encourage young parents? How do we encourage the adoption option? Be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28)!
The second most significant factor is that, by best estimates, fully half of the children we baptize never make it to confirmation, and many of those confirmed don?t attend church regularly. This is staggering. And we do better than most denominations! How do we deal with this? To be sure, this is evidence of the cultural forces at work in our day. But there are answers. This is a matter of family emotional and spiritual health. It?s a matter of congregational and pastoral health and good practice, love, care and hard work. I love to hear from our church members about good things happening in their congregations in this regard, and there are many. I just spent several days with 25,000 LCMS youth in San Antonio, and nearly 4,000 LCMS women in Pittsburgh. For all our weaknesses, there is tremendous resilience in the Missouri Synod.
P-D: Why do you think the Synod's constitutional prohibition on syncretism and unionism is so fascinating to other Christians whose ancestors didn't flee 19th century Calvinist Germany?
HARRISON: There is no doubt that we live in a time of unprecedented cultural, religious and technological change. In a number of situations, the state or the culture have become antagonistic to the faith of the Bible by advocating and advancing views that are inconsistent with natural and revealed law.
I can?t really speak for how other Christians view us, but what I do know is that we are called to be faithful. We are to be who we are for the sake of the Gospel. We?re to stand on God?s Word and its objective truth. History bears out that we are willing to suffer all for the sake of that Word, for the sake of souls. The world, the culture, increasingly wants all lines to be blurred, seeing truth as relative, making decisions based on the subjectivity of feelings and emotions rather than the objective truth of God?s Word. The moment at hand demands that we make a confession, that we confess the truth of God?s Word.
P-D: Did anything positive come from what you termed the Newtown "debacle"?
HARRISON: The Lord always blesses, and we saw that from the beginning when our disaster folks were on the scene almost immediately, bearing mercy, being with our congregation and pastor there, providing counsel, dollars and aid. It also provided an occasion for the pastor and district president and me to work and pray together and to find the best way to care for those affected both in the community and the congregation. It was an opportunity for us to be boldly faithful for the sake of the Gospel out of love for those who directly suffered from this tragedy.
P-D: Several district presidents publicly supported and campaigned for a different candidate in this election, as the elected leader of the church as a whole, how will you reach out to these district presidents?
HARRISON: Things always get a little tense around convention time. We all care deeply about the church. All our district presidents know that my door is open to them to share their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. These pastors are, each one, a gift of God to His church, and we are called to work together for the sake of the Gospel. And that is what we must and will do.
P-D: Given the church's declining revenues and shrinking numbers, how long before the Synod must sell the International Center and return to its pre-corporate roots?
HARRISON: God is faithful, and the Church is His own. He will continue to bless us as He always has. Certainly we?re as affected by the economy as anyone else, but we?re encouraged by the increase in the average gift amount for our church?s core work. We have increased undesignated net assets by $10 million over the past three years. This year, unrestricted giving saw the smallest decrease in over a decade this year. Designated giving remains strong, and we have operated in the black since my election. People like to give for designated projects. Societal demographics and the increased secularism of our western culture are present realities that every faithful Christian denomination is facing. Yet God is bringing people hungry for the Gospel to our shores and our doors, people who want what we have: salvation in Christ Jesus. So we will continue our bold faithfulness, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and trusting God to open hearts and minds to the Gospel.
P-D: What role do large congregations play in your vision for the Synod? How do you plan to work with them?
HARRISON: Our church is blessed with a number of large, well-established parishes located near large population centers. These churches have many blessings to share with their sister congregations and do so. Their resources and capacity to engage the culture and bear mercy are magnificent. I?ll continue to invite them to consider how they can be of service to the rest of the Synod, sharing the blessings they have received with congregations who are in areas that face the challenges of declining demographics and economics. We are a church body that values all congregations, large and small, and we take great joy in sharing our blessings and struggles with one another.
P-D: Do you feel groups like St. John the Steadfast are healthy for the church?
HARRISON: One of the great things about our church body is the diverse conversations we?re able to have. This happens in a variety of mediums: social media, blogs and in print. We have committed saints who stand on their convictions and strive to be boldly faithful, and I am confident that when we put all of our thoughts to the test of God?s Word, the exchange of ideas will continue to bear fruit, like iron sharpening iron.
P-D: What do you say to pastors who are convinced that losing members and dividing congregations is a not a sign of failure but of faithfulness (separating the wheat from the chaff)?
HARRISON: Those who would feel that way are a very tiny minority. The church cannot fail. It is Christ?s, and He is faithful. I?ve met many, many of our pastors over the course of my work serving the national church body, and what I know to be true is that?out of their love for the people of God and for the sake of souls eternally?their desire is to be faithful in season and out. They are caring for their flocks with much prayer and supplication in a world that disdains such faithfulness. Our clergy are hard-pressed on every side, and we as the church need to love our pastors and support and encourage them. Eternal lives depend on it.
P-D: How have you surrounded yourself not just with yes-men, but with people who will challenge your perspective and give you honest feedback?
HARRISON: I am blessed to serve with some of the finest, most faithful ministry leaders our church possesses. The overwhelming support demonstrated by this election is a resounding affirmation of these tremendous leaders. They are consummate professionals. These men and women say ?yes? only to the Gospel of Christ Jesus, and they hold me accountable to the Gospel and to the highest administrative standards. Additionally, our LCMS structure provides for a wide group of advisors and coworkers in this work: the Council of Presidents, our LCMS Board of Directors, and the Boards of National and International Mission?all elected by the members of the LCMS.
P-D: What three practical goals do you have for the Synod over the next three years?
HARRISON: (1) Recruit, train and raise the funds for more career missionaries. Specifically, we need theological educators to help strengthen our expanding list of partner churches who are begging for our help in this area. It really is the Missouri Synod?s international moment.
(2) Back at home: Continue our efforts to revitalize and strengthen churches while planting new ones, especially among the many ethnic people God is bringing to our American shores. We will also focus on unity, healthy theology, and relationships in Synod in the Koinonia Project.
(3) Focus on our high school and young adults, equipping them and supporting them as they move into adult life where their faith will be tried and tested.
unitarian new black panther party lost in space elizabeth banks battle royale key largo ryan madson
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.