Joining the Lord’s mission: Summer ‘Engage’

The Rev. Dave Keane (left), pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Vista, Calif., prays with Karen and Rich Sahag in the Sahag home on March 17. Keane is featured, along with other second-career church workers, in the Summer 2026 issue of Lutherans Engage the World. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

There will always be a desire to have more workers in the church: more pastors to fill vacancies, more rostered teachers to serve in Lutheran schools, more missionaries to send around the world. At the same time, we trust that the Lord provides.

The Summer 2026 issue of Lutherans Engage the World highlights a few of the ways that the Lord does just that, as He calls people into His service from secular careers, during times of transition and through formative experiences like time spent at a Lutheran camp. The issue also looks at a couple of the ways God sends partners — including partner churches and alliance missionaries — from other countries to join us in His mission, and it gives a behind-the-scenes look at what to expect at the upcoming LCMS convention in July.

Thanks be to God that He uses all things — even imperfect people like us — to encourage His children and accomplish His purposes.

The summer issue started arriving in mailboxes in late June. Read it online at engage.lcms.org. If you aren’t currently receiving the magazine but would like to, visit engage.lcms.org/subscribe to sign up for a free subscription. Both individual and bulk subscriptions (for congregations) are available.

Posted June 26, 2026