Mission Advancement (including Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa) serves those who—moved by the Holy Spirit—voluntarily contribute time, talent, and financial resources (entrusted to them by God) to support the mission and work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, as well as those open to making their first contribution. The desired outcome is a solid, diverse, joyful source of voluntarily given charitable revenues working to proclaim the Gospel. The unit’s goal is to carry out its assigned duties in complete accord with God’s Word. Mission Advancement is a distinct programmatic (direct services) unit under the supervision of the Synod’s Chief Mission Officer, per Synod . All giving in support of the church body is voluntary, as God’s people respond in a visible way to the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. During the period between the 2019 convention and the writing of this report, our Lord’s disciples voluntarily contributed (whether as an individual, a family, a group, or a congregation) $203,589,406.84 to support the international and national mission and mercy work (including disaster response) of LCMS-called or appointed missionaries, pastoral education, Worldwide KFUO, and a number of special focus projects through gifts to and through the Synod’s corporate office, excluding donations for the Concordia University System, LCMS National Housing Support Corporation, and the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty. Fifty-three percent of this gracious, voluntary outpouring of blessings came from 51,708 households. The other 47 percent came from 5,571 organizations, mainly LCMS member congregations and the 35 districts. Details regarding the intended use of contributions can be found in the LCMS annual reports, which are publicly accessible at lcms.org/giving/transparency. Other information relating to Advancement and voluntary contributions is available on the same website. Mission Advancement gives thanks to God for every single person whose voluntary choice makes this type of report possible. The Advancement unit’s professional and technical staff, including those at Mission Central, are honored to serve God’s children, who voluntarily respond to the Gospel and work to fulfill Synod policy, state and federal regulatory requirements, and ethical obligations on behalf of those who give and for the owners of the Synod. Advancement staff members are available to address the questions of laity and professional church workers about the Synod’s work and to give presentations about the mission and mercy efforts of the Synod that embody the best her congregations and their members can offer in the name of Jesus. For more information, please contact Mission Advancement at 888-830-4438 or mission.advancement@lcms.org. Mark D. Hofman, Executive Director
A. Work Mandated by 2019 Convention Resolution 4-07, “To Commend Actions to Synod Boards and Offices to Revitalize Synod’s Recognized Service Organization Program”: Work with the Office of National Mission (ONM) to develop a communication plan for use during the six months after convention. LCMS Communications worked with ONM to develop and implement a communication plan. This plan was immediately enacted as appropriate and continues to find new outlets and aspects of implementation. Res. 11-01A, “To Give Guidance and Encourage Action on Beginning-of-Life Issues”: Post “The Child as a Gift of God” paper. The paper is now available at resources.lcms.org/reading-study/ctcr -paper-the-child-as-a-gift-of-god/. Omnibus Res. A, Ov. 4-28, “To Improve the Clarity of Written Communication.” LCMS Communications regularly reviews its style guides, editorial processes, and overall presentation of materials. Clarity of communication continues to exist as an ideal and goal for all communications projects.
B. Future Plans B.1. Multi-Platform Approach to All Publications Print remains an important and necessary format for Synod publications. Yet due to both the rising costs of paper and postage and the rising availability and desirability of other media, LCMS Communications continues to explore avenues to make content available to a varied audience, understanding preferred consumption patterns of media by new and changing generations.
B.2. Social Media Advancement Social media continues to change and grow. New platforms and adaptations of established ones require constant evaluation of strategy and content creation. Important to this decision-making process and strategy are the mores and appropriateness of each medium for the church body’s presence there in and the communication of the Gospel. Though the media and platforms continue to change, our goals remain consistent with those previously stated: • Employ new outlets where people gather online.
- Increase our use of social media analytics to inform content creation and posting.
- Redouble our efforts to help our congregations and ministries use these tools well and consistently according to our confession of faith.
C. Challenges
Many challenges remain and are inherent to the communications task. Even so, we continually strive to better serve the Synod by addressing the most pressing ones, chief of which are as follows: • Reach more LCMS households directly through online and other forms of engagement.
- Reach a greater number of LCMS members under the age of 30. This is imperative for the future life of the church body.
- Increase the trust level of parish pastors so they feel confident in sharing our communications with their members. Our content is faithful to the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions and well produced for the benefit of the church body.
- Be wise stewards of our resources while keeping up with the pace of communication technology in ways that serve the Church well.
D. Opportunities • Continue creating a strong, confessional Lutheran voice worldwide through joint communications efforts with our partner church bodies.
- Continue to evaluate new media and formats to advise the Synod on the proper use of new ways to communicate with and to the world and one another.
- Continue to utilize new media and formats to present faithfully the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ to our Synod and throughout the world.
E. Departments LCMS Communications presents the stories of our Synod’s endeavors in compelling ways. The Communications department’s structure focuses on different aspects of communication.
E.1. Editorial
The news and information of the Synod provides a constant flow of content for a variety of audiences delivered through the following media outlets: Reporter (print and online) reporter.lcms.org/ • The official newspaper of the LCMS, offering news and actions of Synod offices, boards, ministries, task forces, events, congregations, and workers.
- Monthly print circulation: 33,000
- Email newsletter subscriptions: 13,000 The Lutheran Witness (subscribe to print and digital issues at cph.org/witness) witness.lcms.org/
- •
The official magazine of the LCMS, now in its 142nd year of continuous publication, making it one of the longest-running periodicals in America. Monthly paid circulation: approximately 77,000 (with a “pass-around rate” approximately double that)
The aim of The Lutheran Witness (LW) is to provide LCMS laypeople with articles on faith and life, theology and culture that
help them “interpret the contemporary world from a Lutheran perspective.” Web-exclusive articles from expert bloggers expand the reach of the magazine on social media, while KFUO Radio and Issues, Etc. interviews bring LW-related conversations to listeners over the airwaves. Lutherans Engage the World (print and online) engage.lcms.org/ • Quarterly magazine for LCMS donors, roster ed workers, and missionaries, which shares uplifting stories about the church body’s work in the world while also providing accountability on how financial gifts given to the LCMS are being spent.
- Circulation: around 75,000 (plus another 6,500 sent as free bulk subscriptions to congregations) Life Together
- A monthly digital news digest from the Synod president.
- A subscription-based online compendium of the top stories and other highlights from multiple communications outlets of the church body. It includes stories, photos, videos, new resources, links to KFUO Radio programming, and more.
- Subscribers: 4,150
E.2. Church Information Center lcms.org/cic • Year-round call center and email responses to questions, concerns, and requests for information coming into the International Center.
- Total inquiries for Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2022, is 31,544: o
53 percent laity queries
o
17 percent congregation or school staff queries
o
17 percent clergy queries
o
13 percent other queries
E.3. Production Our production team is at the center of every LCMS Communications project, orchestrating the daily work of the department and ensuring accurate and congenial interactions between Communications and the ministries in the building. These projects range from missionary prayer cards to published books, and from exhibit planning to brand management.
E.4. Web Services
In cooperation with the offices, ministries, and mission regions of the Synod, we create, manage, and update lcms.org. Web Services also facilitates email communications, online event registration, and calendar pages.
E.5. Graphic Design
This team creates and implements the look and presentation of Synod materials, including branding for the Synod and its ministries. This includes promotional materials, curriculum, and multiple exhibit opportunities. LCMS Communications designs the monthly The Lutheran Witness and Reporter and the quarterly Lutherans Engage the World publications. These resources are designed to create and strengthen bonds with our target audiences to deepen their resolve and heighten their experience. Our designers work with web, video, and social media to bring powerful visuals and design to strengthen our voice and image to our audiences.
E.6. Social Media Social media continues to be the most immediate and far reaching tool to disseminate news and information and to discover audience opinions and trends. LCMS Communications constantly monitors our presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, even as we research and consider new platforms where we might reach more people with the church body’s messages. On Facebook at facebook.com/thelcms: • We have a global audience of 147,000-plus followers. In terms of “page likes,” the Synod has the largest Lutheran denominational presence on Facebook.
- The Prayers of the Church and weekend church service posts continue to be requested and appreciated. Congregations and individuals share these posts frequently.
The LCMS has established its presence on Twitter and Instagram and continues to explore other media platforms for suitability and feasibility.
E.7. Photojournalism lcms.org/photos Through documentary photographic storytelling, we have visually shaped the national and international mission work of the LCMS. LCMS Communications offers a free church and liturgical images gallery for use by all LCMS congregations and partner churches.
E.8. Video Services Our video team gathers video footage from across the globe to produce all manner of videos—documentaries, live streaming, web in ars, missionary biographies, disaster relief, marketing, curriculum, training, interviews, and news—that help shape and tell the stories of our collective work, making a strong case for its support.
F. Support for Other Units
The Communications department makes a major contribution to the LCMS Mission Advancement and LCMS Disaster Response (LCMS World Relief and Human Care) work on behalf of the church body. This work includes publishing stories reflecting the Synod’s mission and mercy work domestically and internationally, as well as publicizing and providing opportunities for contributions to the Church’s work. In summary, the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus is at the core of all we do. This eternal truth straightforwardly compels us to strive for excellent communication. Michael Behr, Executive Director