Gottesblog

You may have heard about the alarming findings regarding the LCMS by the most recent Pew Religious Landscape Study.

In the big picture, a Capital-M Mission is a reason for being, a purpose. It is the “why” of any organization or entity. For many decades, corporations have been expected to have a “mission statement.” But in the church, a Small-M mission is some kind of outreach. A church’s Small-M mission might be to run a school, a VBS, Lenten fish frys, a consignment shop, a coffeehouse, or maybe supporting a preaching station intended to become a daughter congregation.

I listened to a recent podcast, in which the host, an LCMS parish pastor, said the following:

There is something very, very powerful about private '“for you” Confession and Absolution rather than just corporate confession. I sound kind of old school, I guess, when I say that, but, I think there people need to hear…

A member of an LCMS congregation posted with great gusto and passion on a Facebook group concerning the Sign of the Cross, of which he disapproved, because it is a “tradition of men.”

The guys at Unite Leadership Collective are adamant that the seminary model we have for pastoral formation is not sufficient. In the past, the narrative has been that the “residential model” is the “gold standard,” but we need something to supplement it. But the shift now is to question the “gold standard” part itself.

The origins of these two disparate approaches to clerical garb provide an interesting contrast.

I have a Substack called Most Certainly Beane. You are invited to subscribe (it’s free), or simply to read it at the website. Or not! I never post things behind a paywall. The name is tongue-in-cheek humor. I wanted to put my name on it (as I’m the only contributor) and make the name of the blog a kind of Lutheran “dad joke.” So there it is. You are free to groan, and as Lutherans, hopefully in four-part harmony.

The Texas District President, the Rev. Michael Newman, wrote a recent piece called “The Way to Unity in the LCMS.” In it, he makes the case that when it comes to vestments and liturgy, anything goes. His argument is based on the “satis est” of AC 7:

In looking to explain and combat the current laity shortage, a lot of the discussions seem to miss the elephant in the parlor.

It is always amusing when people assume the editors of Gottesdienst agree on every single issue. We don’t. And thanks be to God!

Should “casual” ever be someone’s impression of the miraculous Presence of God Incarnate in our midst in Word and Sacrament?

Recognized Service Organizations are independent organizations that the LCMS partners with. Per the LCMS website: “To extend its mission outreach, education and social ministry, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod works with independent Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) that agree to ensure their programs are in harmony with the doctrine and practice of the LCMS.”

The Church needs her based young men to consider vocations in the office of the holy ministry.

There is an extraordinary event to help young men in this discernment process: the Maier Conference, the weekend of Friday, May 2, 2025 in the Orlando, Florida area. Registration is open.

The Michigan District has its own Hymnal Project! You can find it at thehymnalproject.com.

There have been three relatively recent conversions to our Lutheran confession of the faith from other communions of Christianity: people whom we would consider to be “influencers.”

“Avoiding Contention” is the title of the January 23, 2025 Portals of Prayer devotion, authored by the Rev. Fr. Joshua LeBorious - Senior Pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Friendswood, Texas

Now get ready for Simia videt, simia facit (monkey see, monkey do).

“Lutheranism must change or die” is how the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast summarizes the 1840s hysteria of a General Synod Lutheran seminary professor named Benjamin Kurtz (1795-1867)…