SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY (9:15am)
Our Lutheran Moment: Why Now Is a Good Time for Us
to Be Doing What We Do Best
The first WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership ended on January 23, 2020. That was roughly a thousand days ago. It might as well have been an eternity ago. Can you even remember the world that existed on that date?
It would be understandable if you can’t. Those thousand days have presented a seemingly endless barrage of challenges for leaders of all kinds: a global pandemic and the lockdowns that followed; the death of George Floyd and a summer of unrest; a closely contested election and its turbulent aftermath; mask mandates and vaccine mandates; the continued erosion of public trust and the continued deepening of societal division. If you can remember the world that existed before these last thousand days, do you ever wish you could go back to it?
Assuming we shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand and wait for that to happen, Lutheran leaders might consider several possible responses. On the one hand, we might wring our hands, lament our misfortune, and reminisce about the pre-pandemic “good old days” as we watch our churches continue to lose their relevance.
On the other hand, we might conclude that ministry in this new and different world needs to look new and different. Every leader has no doubt learned to think, act, and minister in new and different ways in the last three years. If we are going to remain relevant in our reshaped world, perhaps a willingness to do things differently will be the key.
This presentation, however, highlights a different response: to see the challenges of recent years as a much-needed reminder that what our world needs most is the very thing we do best. The presenter will demonstrate how hallmark Lutheran doctrines offer the only adequate solutions to problems that the people of our world are desperately trying to solve. As a result, we are already positioned to proclaim and practice these truths in a way that few others have the interest or ability to do. We are certainly better positioned to proclaim and practice these truths than we are to pursue any other strategy for maintaining vitality and relevance in our time. Despite the many challenges of our day, now is a good time for us to be doing what we do best.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
The Book of Hebrews
In person at church, or online via Zoom, every Thursday at 10am!
To join on Zoom, click the link at the top of this webpage.
