Golter to lead 2017 Reformation celebration, ‘Preach the Word’ effort

By Roger Drinnon

A plaque in the Rev. Randall Golter’s office reads: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” The “main thing” for Golter is the “sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ,” which he focuses on, no matter what he’s doing. It’s an appropriate focal point for someone now serving in the LCMS Office of the President as special assistant to the president.

Golter

Golter began working in his new position Oct. 1. He previously served as executive director of the Synod’s Office of International Mission since October 2012. In that position, he oversaw all LCMS international ministry staff, programs, projects and activities.

“Seeing our church partners around the world and the joy they have being Lutheran, the joy of their proclamation of the Gospel and the joy of our missionaries going into so many different places and being God’s instruments to have the Gospel spread — that’s so significant,” Golter said.

In his new role, Golter is responsible for leading the Synod in coordinating and planning for the 2017 Reformation-anniversary celebration.

“The 500th anniversary is a spectacular moment for the Church to rejoice over the sweet Gospel and the clarity of the Gospel that the Lutheran doctrine confesses,” he said. “We hope to publicize what we and others will be doing so people around the world can join in the celebration, which is also a proclamation.”

Golter also will lead a Synod initiative called “Preach the Word.” This initiative is being developed as a voluntary, collaborative program for pastors who seek to improve their preaching abilities.

“There’s a tie-in here to the Reformation celebration, because at the heart of the Reformation was preaching the Gospel,” Golter said. “If we can help fellow pastors preach and proclaim the full accusatory Law with the full sweetness of the Gospel, the whole Church will rejoice.”

He said although “Preach the Word” is in the early-planning stage, he envisions a large number of participants.

“Another exciting part of this program involves a Bible study for laity to help them identify what to listen for in a sermon and how to listen,” he said. “So the program not only involves helping the proclaimer but also the listeners.”

Golter is the former president of the LCMS Rocky Mountain District, where he served the maximum three terms (2003-12). In that role, he provided ecclesiastical supervision of the pastors and other church workers of some 180 congregations and 70 schools in the district. From 2009-12, Golter also served as the district’s mission executive.

Roger Drinnon is manager of Editorial Services for LCMS Communications.

Posted Oct. 3, 2014