By James Baneck
The momentum that was born when the 2019 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) convention adopted the church work recruitment initiative that would become Set Apart to Serve (SAS) has not waned, and the goal for 2024–2025 is to continue that momentum. As the SAS team plans for the coming year, it has developed three major areas of emphasis.
Fostering continued awareness
In order for SAS to continue cultivating a Synodwide culture of church work recruitment and formation, it must maintain awareness of SAS strategies and resources among LCMS laity, commissioned workers and pastors. To do so, the SAS leadership team will:
- Release a toolkit for all 35 districts to help continue raising awareness about SAS;
- Carry out a pilot project with four districts to develop and implement a district SAS committee;
- Launch an email campaign to lay leaders and educators focusing on various aspects of SAS;
- Carry out an SAS circuit visitor pilot project with six LCMS districts;
- Continue the SAS series on KFUO’s “The Coffee Hour”;
- Continue featuring SAS in The Lutheran Witness, Reporter and across LCMS social media;
- Provide a monthly SAS report to over 500 LCMS stakeholders; and
- Continue speaking about SAS at events and conferences across the Synod.
Reaching youth
The heart of creating a culture of church work is conversations between youth and influential adults. To foster these conversations, SAS will:
- Continue meeting with those who took part in the initial 35 district pilot projects to discuss successes, roadblocks and new resources;
- Create a youth conversation guide that will assist youth in talking to their pastor, parents, teacher, DCE or other church workers or laity about church work;
- Continue the SAS Advisory Council, which will provide ongoing insights to SAS from a wide range of perspectives; and
- Collaborate with LCMS Youth Ministry on mission trips that allow youth to get a taste of missionary service.
Encouraging church work as a second career
To continue encouraging adults to consider a second career in full-time church work, SAS will:
- Continue to identify stakeholders — those who are integral to recruiting and forming second-career church workers;
- Develop journey maps to identify significant experiences and individuals who play key roles in encouraging adults to consider a second career in church work;
- Add resources specific to church work as a second career;
- Develop resources that help second-career individuals navigate the path to full-time church work;
- Develop a pilot program specific to second-career church work recruitment; and
- Create a marketing and advertising plan targeting second-career teacher candidates.
Everyone a church work recruiter
All of these plans are developed through the collaboration of so many throughout the Synod — from coast to coast, from border to border. But where these plans matter is in your congregation and school, as every baptized child of God is a church work recruiter. SAS is not a short-term focus, gimmick or fix for a current church-worker shortage. Forming and recruiting those who will preach, teach and share the Gospel of Christ in full-time vocations is what the church does and what the church is.
The loving command comes from Christ Himself: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matt. 9:36–38).
May the Lord bless our efforts until He comes again.
The Rev. Dr. James Baneck (james.baneck@lcms.org) is executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education.
Posted March 21, 2024
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As well as that great graphic of the two acolytes, there should be a bullet point highlighting that every time acolyte robe up to assist in worship services, that is a mission that has led most clergy into the ordained ministry.
And yet it seems that doing a poor job at church discipline overall—of both workers and lay people—becomes an avalanche of saints going out the back door. It’s no use disrespecting workers once they get out there. Likewise, it’s no use for workers to not care for the congregation so that their opinions are totally ignored or looked down upon. A friend with decades in the LCMS recently called these problems “our accumulated garbage.” Clean that up. Empower reconciliation among the saints, and discipline where needed.
A healthy fellowship is a natural vehicle of church worker recruitment.