Summer KFUO series highlights ‘Set Apart to Serve’ initiative

The Rev. David Nehrenz, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Norman, Okla., and newly elected president of the LCMS Oklahoma District, prays with students in Trinity’s early childhood center in 2021. Among other things, the Synod’s Set Apart to Serve initiative emphasizes the role that pastors, other church workers and parents play in raising up the next generation of church workers. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

Set Apart to Serve (SAS), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) church work recruitment initiative, will be featured on KFUO’s “The Coffee Hour” this summer with a weekly series airing on Fridays in June, July and August. “The Coffee Hour” can be heard M–F at 9 a.m. Central time on AM 850 in St. Louis and at kfuo.org. On-demand listening is also available at the KFUO website, on the KFUO radio app or on your podcast app.

Sarah Gulseth, KFUO digital media specialist and co-host of “The Coffee Hour,” said the SAS series will include interviews with church workers and lay people about the varied vocations that serve the church and why these vocations are important. In addition, Gulseth and her co-host, KFUO Director of Programming Andy Bates, hope to highlight ways to encourage young people to enter church work and to support parents and other adults in encouraging them also.

“We are planning a great lineup,” Gulseth said. “We have pastors, deaconesses, campus ministry leaders, lay people, camp counselors, DCEs, church musicians and more coming on to talk about what they do and to share ideas for raising up a new generation of church workers.”

The first episode of the series aired on June 10 and included an interview with the Rev. James Woelmer, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas. Faith has a Lutheran school that spans early childhood through 12th grade.

Woelmer said that recruiting church workers today is critical to teaching the faith tomorrow: “We have to keep in mind, first and foremost, the need for the Gospel … for sinners. … [God] has instituted the pastoral office to baptize, to teach, to forgive sins, to preach and to administer the Lord’s Supper. There are also very important auxiliary offices as well [that assist] in the proclamation of the Gospel. … We want church workers … to hand over the faith to the next generation.”

In addition, Woelmer noted that the adults in a young person’s life are key to encouraging that young person to consider church work: “Sometimes potential church workers may not see the talents that God has given to them or the potential that they could serve in God’s kingdom. … It takes a parent, teacher or pastor to point that out.”

Set Apart to Serve is a comprehensive, multi-year initiative that seeks to form pastors and church workers to share the saving faith with God’s people until Christ’s return. Everyone in the LCMS can participate in the initiative by praying for God to provide workers, encouraging young people to consider church work and showing appreciation for the workers God has already provided.

To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, listen to “The Coffee Hour” or visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

KFUO is the official radio ministry of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Posted June 16, 2022