Christ Is Risen Indeed and He lives in us and works through us! God is at work drawing us into Himself, building each one of us, growing us together, and reaching out through us that others, too, might believe. Amid our brokenness, God has chosen you and me as members of His Body to perform His gracious work. Following the seven mission priorities of the Synod, the Nebraska District congregations and staff are working to:
1. Plant, Sustain, and Revitalize Lutheran Churches
4. Collaborate with the Synod’s Members and Partners to Enhance Mission Effectiveness Individuals, congregations, and the district have a strong partnership with Mission Central, but God’s mission is also right here. Every One is His Witness. We are currently developing a Lay Formation Initiative to help our laity live out their vocations in Christ.
5. Promote and Nurture the Spiritual, Emotional, Financial, and Physical Well-Being of Pastors and Professional Church Workers Our personal lives and relationships are our loudest Gospel message. God calls us to live in and live out that Gospel, first to those closest to us, which in turn speaks to those around us. Conferences, trainings, intentional communication, and individual interactions seek to promote an engaged faith integrated in all of life. We are working to bless workers’ spiritual relationship with our Triune God. We are working to nurture cognitive, emotional, physical, and financial health. We are working to build strong bonds in marriage, family, and close friends. Enhancing the relational health of our workers strengthens our work to reach out to the lost with a heart for the hurting.
6. Enhance Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Youth Ministry
The work of the district is fundamentally the work of each congregation serving the Body of Christ with Word and Sacrament and sending people out into their vocations as witnesses of the Savior. Parents, grandparents, and guardians are called to make disciples of the children God has placed in their life. Ministry opportunities like Vacation Bible School, daycares, preschools, schools, youth ministry, and small groups are used to develop relationships and foster discipleship, service, and outreach. Vocations of neighbor and coworker give us the opportunity to reach out with Christ’s compassion and Gospel. We have had the joy of planting several congregations, with plans to plant at least three more in the near future. We have outlined a clear process to help congregations evaluate their current culture and assess next steps for ministry. As district president, assisting in the call process is my highest priority. Visitation and evaluation to encourage congregations are also critical priorities.
7. Strengthen and Support the Lutheran Family in Living Out God’s Design
2. Support and Expand Theological Education
Koinonia
Our seminaries receive great support from individuals, congregations, and the district. While seminaries have responsibility for preparing our pastors, theological education and formation begins in the home and congregation. Conferences, circuits, and leadership development focus on lifelong formation of our pastors.
We cannot walk together if we do not talk together. We cannot talk together if we do not meet together. As leaders, we seek to care for one another, foster unity, and build trust in our work together of forwarding the Gospel message. We need one another. A healthy Synod must have healthy relationships. God calls us to work together. As a Synod, we have committed to walk together. Pastors communicating, congregations cooperating, and reconciliation happening are signs of a healthy Church. Visitation is an element that benefits this unity. We also tried a more extensive effort for Koinonia in the areas of closed Communion, differing worship styles, and online technology. We meet together around Scripture and our Confessions to transparently and fraternally discuss issues of doctrine and practice, to build relationships, to foster trust, and to seek better practice and understanding. To God be the glory.
3. Perform Human Care in Close Proximity to Word and Sacrament Ministries Human care is the work of every congregation as we live out the compassion of the Lord. Nebraska is also the proud home of many service organizations, including Orphan Grain Train, Grace Point Institute for Relational Health, Jesus Our Savior Lutheran Outreach and School, Lutheran Family Services, Our Place After School Care, and Homestead Refuge. Nebraska also has very active Lutheran Early Response Teams.
As of this writing, we host 26 freestanding early childhood centers, 31 elementary schools, and 6 high schools. Several of these have been established in the last triennium, and several more are in the planning stages. We sent 1,280 participants to the LCMS Youth Gathering and hundreds more to Higher Things. Some 600 youth attended our most recent annual Middle School Youth Gathering.
It is a joy to see Concordia University, Nebraska, renewing its Masters in Family Life Education and to see the developing partnership of Concordia Center for the Family and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in strengthening congregations to help parents as the primary faith-shape rs for our children. We are excited to financially support our members in attending these trainings and working to strengthen family ministry.