Lutherans Urged to Reach Beyond the 'Walls of the Congregation'
The president of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund challenged members to fulfill the goal of ‘Ablaze!’ – the initiative of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod to reach 100 million ‘unreached’ people by 2017
Members of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) were urged to “get involved, personally and organizationally, in a big way” through the ‘Ablaze!’ initiative of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Mission initiative to reach 100 million unreached people by 2017.
"I believe this is the right initiative, at the right time, by the right organization; and, as such, is an opportunity of unparalleled importance to The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod," said Merle Freitag, president of LCEF during the group’s meeting on Nov. 21.
Jesus "gave us an example" of how to accomplish the Ablaze! goal when he said in Luke 10, "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” said Freitag, according to the LCMS news service. "Then He sent out disciples to spread the message, the Good News," he said.
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"So, it is clear," Freitag said. "Our mission as a community of believers -- as a church -- is to be outreach-oriented, not contained within the walls of a congregation, but to go out and instruct others [and] share the message of the Word."
"You need to be an initiator," he told conference participants, "in your organization, your department, your school and your church. ... Start your own Ablaze! movement. Share your passion with others."
In reaching the goal, Freitag listed three crucial points to keep in mind:
Adopt the elements of Ablaze! in marketing efforts over the next three years; designate $10 million to the effort and provide the funds at only 1 percent of the cost to new mission districts in North America; and roll out a Special Interest Program to support specific ministries with their interest earnings through LCEF investors.
In other business, Freitag reported on the activities of LCEF throughout the last fiscal year.
According to Freitag, the total assets on the LCEF stood at a record $1.398 billion as of June 20, 2004.
"Congregations continue to be our primary customer and our primary focus," he said, "accounting for 77 percent of the loan portfolio.
"In addition to growth in loans, the other good news is that the loan interest rate has been remarkably low for the past year, [with] rates for congregations on new loans dropping to as low as 5 percent," Freitag said.
"We had a remarkable year," Freitag told the conference participants, with earnings for 2004 "substantially above prior years."
As a result, LCEF management and its Board of Directors "doubled the distribution of shared earnings to our partners in ministry," he said.
Meanwhile, the LCMS president Gerald Kieschnick said he has the utmost faith in the leadership of the denomination.
"I am counting on each and all of you to provide leadership for our wonderful church in the years ahead,” said Kieschnick during the LCEF meeting.
According to the LCMS news service, Kieschnick said he has "passion to move this church that has gained the reputation of being a 'sleeping giant' into one that will be known as a 'church ablaze' in the One Mission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
"It is no secret that I am energized by the One Mission--Ablaze! emphasis that is sweeping across our church," Kieschnick said. "As I look at all that is going on at this particular conference and at so many of the 6,150 congregations of our Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and [its] mission stations and partners, I truly believe the hand of Almighty God is upon our little church body, preparing us for a time ... analogous to the excitement, commitment, and passion catalyzed by none other than God the Holy Spirit on the occasion of Pentecost."
"I realize that the Lord can do far more than we can ever imagine might be done and that He can accomplish far more than we can envision," Kieschnick told the assembly. "So, as I speak of goals like 2,000 new mission congregations and 100 million people around the world reached with the Gospel, I do so with fervent prayer that God will do far more among us than our feebler minds can conceive."
He concluded his address by challenging the 650 attendees to "... to join me in praying to the Lord of the Harvest to work a mighty work among us for the sake of His church and for the mission of Christ, that the hearts of many may be set ablaze with the Gospel."
The LCEF meeting was held in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 19-21.
