Strategic Planning
Strategic planning provides congregations with a process and tools for developing a realistic and executable Strategic Ministry Plan.
Resource Type: Print
Outreach (Congregational Evangelism)
“Outreach” refers to the things we do to share the Gospel with the lost people in our community through the ministries of the congregation.
Inactive Members
Inactive members are members who voluntarily stop attending worship. Engaging them is a spiritual concern because being away from Word and Sacrament is a great risk.
Church Renewal (Revitalization)
Revitalization addresses the needs of congregations that have plateaued or are in decline. Resources are available at little to no cost through re:Vitality.
Assessing the Congregation
CADDS is a survey-based self-assessment tool that relies on input from people within your congregation to evaluate your congregation’s well-being.
Disaster Response
These resources answers “why” and “how” a church should respond in love with Christ’s mercy during times of disaster.
Witnessing (Individual Evangelism)
Witness is the work we do as the church scattered. We have opportunities to speak of Jesus with the people in our everyday lives.
Human Care
By witnessing to the hope of salvation, we offer the answer to life’s biggest questions. In sharing that hope, we should not deny the need for human care.
Life Events/Issues
Witnessing to people experiencing life events or issues means extending the same love and compassion that Jesus extends to us.
Unchurched
“Unchurched” refers to those who have never been connected to the Christian church. We are called to witness to the unchurched people in our lives.
Dechurched
“Dechurched” refers to those who were once connected to the church but are not any longer. We are called to witness to the dechurched people in our lives.
Religious Organizations & Movements
Witnessing to someone who is a member of a religious organization or movement means gaining understanding of their beliefs and worldviews in order to share the Gospel.
World Religions
Witnessing to different world religions means gaining an understanding of those beliefs and worldviews, which inform how witnesses should share the Gospel.
Witnessing in Specific Contexts
As we witness to the people in our everyday lives, we need to be mindful of the specific contexts in which they are living.
Basic Witnessing
Basic witnessing addresses how to witness in a general sense. It focuses on an approach to witnessing that can be used in a variety of settings.
Cradle Roll
Cradle Roll is a ministry for the families of infants and toddlers following their baptism. Resources and encouragement are regularly sent to parents.
Worship Planning
These resources, linked to the one-year or three-year lectionary series used in the LCMS, are designed to aid in Worship planning.
Worship Instruction and Reference
Find explanations for the liturgies found in the Lutheran Service Book, including components of the Divine Service, marriage, baptism, and daily prayers.
Seasonal Resources
These seasonal worship resources are offered by the LCMS to help us enter into the particular joys of the different seasons of the Church Year.
Children in Worship
Resources to help congregations provide younger members with a better understanding of the encounter we have with Christ through the Divine Service.