“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Luke 10:1-3

One of the tools in my toolbox God has given me to share with others is a gift of music. I play and sing the guitar. Currently, I use it to write songs and melodies for people. What usually ends up happening when I sit down to write a song, though, is something like this:

I don’t try to sit down and write Christian music or worship music. It’s just what comes out. Why is that? The only thing I have been able to come up with is that God granted me the gift to write spiritual songs as well as sing.

Brothers and sisters, God has granted us our gifts to be invested and used. Each of us has different spiritual gifts. Each of our gifts has a time and place to be used to support our fellow saints. Each of our gifts has a time and place when they need to be supported and complemented with our brothers’ and sisters’ gifts.

We are all one body and Christ is the head. When doing mission work don’t forget to ask for the support of the body and don’t be afraid to enlist the aid of a fellow worker in the field.

I started this journey sort of by jumping on a bandwagon. I knew this from the get-go. I knew that missional was just a buzzword that would fade in use over time, but my goal was to identify excited Lutherans who had been learning about what it meant to be “missional” and wanted to put this into action. And I haven’t found a better word yet Since then, several camps have emerged under the banner of “missional.” Some of those are really just church-as-usual, only with a new buzzword and programs implementing it (although not calling it a program). Many of them are church growth consultants who saw the business shifting and jumped on the next wave. Others are house church and small group ministry advocates who saw this as a return to old-fashioned discipleship. It became clear that being missional is primarily about ecclesiology (how we do church) for most. From the beginning, our vision has been to make “the mission of God an unavoidable issue for the Christian community by encouraging believers to lead Christ-centered and Gospel-driven lives by being incarnational, indigenous, and intentional in the communities they have been called by God to serve, keeping in mind that all believers are called to be full-time missionaries within their respective vocations.”

Many have figured out how to be “missional” within their existing theological frameworks, and that is working very well for many folks. Including for many Lutherans. But somehow I couldn’t jive with that. It seemed to me that Lutheran ecclesiology is actually at odds with missional beliefs and practices, specifically the notion of the “Office of Holy Ministry” and the emphasis on this pastoral “office.”

As I learned more, I also came to realize that uniting Lutherans is a pipe dream in many respects. The reasons why are complex and often nuanced, but suffice it to say that most Lutheran factions really don’t believe that they are on the same mission as other Lutheran factions, often with divisions and sub-factions seen even within denominations.

I was/am young and naive. I was an idealist. I knew that Christians had trouble rallying around the Great co-mission, but I thought that by focusing on one tribe (Lutherans) of the Christian faith there might be better success. Boy was I wrong. Dead wrong. In fact, I found out that there are a lot of Lutherans who don’t even think that the Great Commission given in Matthew 28 is really our co-mission at all – they believe that it was exclusively given to the apostles.

And on the note of apostles, you can pretty much forget the APEST model of ministry in Lutheranism. The ecclesiology of most major Lutheran denominations prevents anyone from preaching, teaching, or administering the sacraments without being a called and ordained pastor who has completed a sanctioned Master of Divinity degree from an approved seminary. Not to mention, most Lutheran factions believe that only the pastoral office is divinely established, while all other church offices are human institutions. In other words, forget about APEST – the pastor must fill all of those roles. Others can help, but not in any ways that overlap with the pastoral office (preaching, teaching, administering sacraments). That really puts a damper on apostolic ministry efforts, and those within Lutheranism who do it anyways are in dissonance with their professed theology.

I’ve reached out to a bunch of Lutherans over the past year+, and many indicate an initial interest, but this quickly fades. The LCMS congregation in which I am somewhat involved is in the process of planting a church, and they worked through Ed Stetzer’s Simple Church and some other resources, but ultimately it became clear to me that their theology and practice were in dissonance, and I could not proceed with this inconsistency, ultimately declining to serve as a church planter/Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP), a role which is not even considered to be a pastor by most other Lutheran pastors within the denomination (another problem in and of itself).

Some have said that I should simply ignore the detractors. Some have said that I should have worked to reform Lutheranism. But I have come to believe that Lutheran theology is incompatible with being missional. Others would disagree, and I will grant them that. We may be defining ‘missional’ differently, and that’s OK too. But as for me, I believe that I must look elsewhere for a suitable theological framework that is historically rooted in the faith of the apostles and also is lived out. I still have a lot of respect for my Lutheran brothers and sisters in Christ, and I admire their commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of His Word and Sacraments, but I’ve come to realize that the theological framework is insufficient for what I believe God is calling us towards.

As such, I will no longer be maintaining this website once the domain expires in November 2012. If anyone else is interested, I will gladly transfer the domain to you at no charge (unless your domain manager requires a fee, but I cannot control that). You will also need to acquire a hosting plan or use a free service.

You can still follow my thoughts over at the O’Day Family blog. You can follow other authors at their respective blogs, which can be found here.

God bless, thanks for your feedback, and I continue to look forward to co-laboring with you in His kingdom… just not as a Lutheran

Ordain Women Now (OWN) is a movement within the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod that thinks “the ordination of women should be publicly discussed in the LCMS.” Those within the LCMS who oppose female ordination have formed a Facebook page entitled Ordain Men Only (OMO). So far the debate has been confined mostly to texts dealing with women’s role in the church and nation, not with what I would say are the underlying issues. Below are some of my thoughts on issues that would need to be discussed prior to any meaningful discussion on the role of women in the Church. I will use the acronyms OWN (Ordain Women Now) to refer to the pro-women’s ordination crowd, and OMO (Ordain Men Only) to refer to those who oppose women’s ordination (the present official position of the LCMS). Here are four issues that must be addressed before any meaningful discussion can occur….

Four issues that need to be addressed before fruitful discussion of the role of women in the Church will occur

1) The nature and authority of the Word of God
The LCMS believes the Bible is literally the Word of God and is thus completely truthful, reliable and infallible (free from error). They believe that the Scriptures are the final standard by which everything that they believe, teach and confess should be judged. The OMO folks take passages dealing with women’s role in the Church literally and at face value. The OWN group employs a historical-critical evaluation of the texts and develops a hermeneutic that implies that there are cultural aspects to Paul’s directives and they are thus not binding in all times and places. The OMO will need to be consistent in this position – they often are not. The OWN will need to consider the ramifications their hermeneutic has on other issues – particularly that of homosexuality.

2) The view on the Office of Ministry
The LCMS maintains that Jesus instituted a specific Office of Pastor/Elder. The OWN group appears to take a functional view of ministry (see Preus’ 2005 article for more information on this distinction). The OWN movement will need to be able to explain why Jesus chose only male disciples to fulfill this “Office,” if indeed they maintain this view of the Ministry of the Word (and Sacrament). The OMO group will need to become consistent in belief and practice. The LCMS officially allows women to be deaconesses and vote in congregational meetings, yet practice varies in the Synod. Since in LCMS polity only the Pastor is a true elder, those who are often called elders are actually deacons, and thus women could serve in these roles. There are many inconsistencies in belief and practice in the LCMS in regards to the Office of Ministry and what roles women may serve in the Church, and the OMO movement will need to acknowledge and address this.

3) The doctrine of two kingdoms and how it challenges and differs from Western culture’s notion of a sacred/secular divide
This is a cultural bias of modernity that we owe to the Enlightenment. But nevertheless it must be addressed. This issue is far too complex to address in a paragraph, but suffice it to say that the OMO group needs to be prepared to explain why their views on women in ministry are confined only to the Church and home and do not apply to women’s roles elsewhere in society. The OWN group needs to be sure not to confuse these two issues nor allow modern cultural biases to obscure their argument.

4) Distinguishing Western feminism from biblical complementary egalitarianism
Feminist movements tend to go too far when advocating women’s roles in society – often surpassing equality and arguing that women are better than men. The OWN group will need to be careful to argue exegetically, not eisegetically, from scripture – not from Western feminist thought. The OMO group will need to be kind and civil in the discussions, not misogynist and arrogant as they often become when dealing with these issues.

These are four issues I believe must be addressed in order to have meaningful discussion on this issue. Failure to address any one of these will prevent authentic dialogue. What do you think?

As a teenager, I unwittingly stumbled across stories of my great-grandfathers, who came over from Germany as some of the first Lutheran pastors in America. They braved the unyielding wilderness of Michigan and Missouri and established the very first Lutheran churches and schools in this country.

What struck me with surprise is how they considered reaching out to the local Native Americans as one of their primary goals. Sharing the Gospel with these people who were considered “uncultured savages” by everyone else around them was of the utmost importance. Despite obvious language barriers and drastically different ways of life, the German Lutherans and the Native Americans established deep and meaningful friendships.

When did we lose this?

When did we decide that wrapping ourselves in a cocoon of safety away from the big, bad World was the way that Christ intended for us to “go therefore, and make disciples”?

When did we start insisting that correct doctrine and a perfect understanding of Luther’s works was of more importance than simply reading our Bibles, knowing our Savior and having a true relationship with Him?

When did we start caring about our own egos and pride more than the eternal home of peoples’ souls?

I don’t know. But I’m tired of it.

I’m pretty sure that these Lutheran settlers in America didn’t insist that the Native Americans first adhere to Luther’s Small Catechism and the Book of Concord before they invited them over for dinner. I don’t think those parents admonished their children for enjoying the woods and animals and world around them. I don’t think the pastors only discussed deep theological terms that they could understand with their new friends.

So, why is our current Lutheran church so terribly distorted from the vibrant, energetic Lutheran church that first started here in America?

Perhaps we’ve forgotten what Jesus himself tells us:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)

Every day, I work with people who don’t know Jesus and don’t understand the depths of His love and sacrifice for them. But so often, I see them disgusted and appalled by prideful, arrogant Christians—oftentimes, pastors and youth workers and worship leaders.

I think it’s time for that to change.

I think it’s time to return to a time when our church was alive, joyful, and active—instead of standoffish, unapproachable, apathetic, and smug.

So—I ask again: have we gotten our heads so stuck in the sand that we’ll never be able to pull them out again?

Or are we actually open to overcoming our German stubbornness and making change?

Well, first pray.  Like the man who came to Jesus with his demon-possessed son, pray, “Lord, I believe you can do all things.  I believe you can use me to be missional. Please help my unbelief.”  Then step out as Abraham did and answer the call.  “But where? Where do I go?”   How about right where you’re at?

To be missional, one does not have to travel across the sea to far away lands anymore.  Your mission field is anywhere you find yourself on a daily basis.  In traffic, at home,  at work, at school, at the local restaurant–these are all places where you may confess your faith in thought, word, and deed.

To Pray: Lord, teach us to recognize opportunities to love others and share your Gospel whether it be with words or actions.  Let us faithfully live out our vocation and help our unbelief during times when we’re not sure if it’s possible–for with You, O Lord, all things are possible.  Amen.

Here is a powerful video reminding us of the hope we have in Christ, despite worldly tragedies and suffering. Please pray for the families of those who lost loved ones on 9/11/01, soldiers serving overseas in war zones, and for the salvation of Muslims, including those who would commit terrorist attacks.

Ultimately, God does not want us to be at war with Muslim nations. He desires for us all to live in peace and follow Him in righteousness and purity. God was grieved over the death of Osama Bin Laden; He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). “In Islam, it is still a virtue to slay an infidel… But in God’s sight, it is still a virtue to love our enemies…” (R.C. Sproul).

Jesus: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15).

Paul: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11-12).

H/T Kevin DeYoung