Oregon pact models Methodist, Lutheran communion

When a United Methodist congregation and a Lutheran congregation in McMinnville, Ore., formed a cooperative ministry two years ago, the decision emerged out of a desire to share a common mission, not out of desperation.

Neither the McMinnville United Methodist Church nor Trinity Lutheran Church, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was in danger of closing, according to the Rev. Stephan Ross, the United Methodist pastor.

“Both of our churches could survive quite well on their own,” he explained. But the congregations liked the idea of being “a model of and a testimony to the unity of the church, which transcends denominational distinctions.” (United Methodist News Service)

wfn.org | [UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 178-Oregon pact models Methodist, Lutheran communion

Watch Bishop Burkat’s Lenten greeting, via video from Jerusalem, by clicking the image above.

Pastor to speak to faithful from the Holy Land

Two local Lutheran leaders are marking the start of Lent in the Holy Land, and the power of the Internet will allow them to share the experience with parishioners back home.

Pastor to speak to faithful from the Holy Land phillyBurbs.com | Intelligencer

Local pastor will deliver his Ash Wednesday sermon from the Holy Land phillyBurbs.com | Intelligencer

Local pastor will deliver his Ash Wednesday sermon from the Holy Land phillyBurbs.com | Intelligencer

One faith, oceans apart

The Rev. Eric Shafer, senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, will be in the holiest of holy lands on Ash Wednesday: Jerusalem.

It will be there where Shafer will give a 10-minute sermon on the first day of Lent from the Mt. of Olives outside Jerusalem.

Through Internet and Google Video, that same sermon will be witnessed by members of Trinity Lutheran at the three Ash Wednesday worship services.

Shafer will be accompanied on his trip by … Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod.

“I want to experience the culture and I really want to better understand the dynamics and possible solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East,” (Burkat) said. “I want to listen to the stories and witness the minority Christian population in the Holy Land.”

“It will be very poignant and spiritual for me,” Burkat said.

Read it at: TheReporterOnline.com

Aging congregations, clergy driving change

From Gannett News Service: Aging is an issue that many traditional Christian churches cannot ignore.

And the issue is twofold:

* There are more gray-haired people in the pews and congregations are dwindling.

* Clergy are aging, too.

A 2001 report for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America set the median age of its members at 54 and the median age of the U.S. population at 41.

Read more: Aging congregations, clergy driving change

United Methodist, Lutheran Churches Pursue ‘Full Communion’ | Christianpost.com

United Methodist, Lutheran Churches Pursue ‘Full Communion’ | Christianpost.com

Herbert W. Chilstrom: What being evangelical means to me

Herbert W. Chilstrom: What being evangelical means to me
By tacking on a political agenda, some have sullied and secularized what once was a revered term, the former ELCA presiding bishop writes.

Lansing State Journal: New age: Aging congregations, clergy driving change

Lansing State Journal: New age: Aging congregations, clergy driving change

Everyday Lutherans Working in Mission and Ministry Overseas

wfn.org | Everyday Lutherans Working in Mission and Ministry Overseas