We Have an Amazing Church

I love the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. I have been attending Bethesda Lutheran Brethren Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for more than 35 years, have been involved with Lutheran Brethren International Mission for fifteen years, and with North American Mission for about five. I love our history and theology, and the work we are doing around the world and here in North America. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who knows all the amazing work that is being done within our Synod. I know that’s not true, but sometimes I just want to scream, “Do You Realize What an Amazing Church We Have!? What an Amazing Theology We Have!? And the Work We Have and Are Doing Here and Around the World!?”

We have an autonomous local church structure. I really like that about our Synod, but it does have some downsides. None of our churches are required to financially support the Synod. But without the Synod we might have pastors who are trained in a different theology than ours. Without our Seminary we would lose who we are as a Church body. The work that God has done through LBIM has resulted in more Lutheran Brethren churches and people who have come to faith overseas than here in the US and Canada. This could not have happened without the synodical-coordinated effort of LBIM. We need our Synod, and our Synod needs the churches.

Our churches and their pastors have a lot going on. It should not be the responsibility of the pastors of our congregations to make sure that the Synod has enough funding. That rather needs to come through our elder boards and deacon boards and leaders within our churches. Businesspeople need to step up, as they understand better than anyone how important structure and leadership is, and how it makes a difference. I have been in business for over 30 years, and from my perspective, our Synod is run with incredible efficiency.

We just need a handful of people from each of our churches to support the work of the Synod so that our local churches can do the work needed in our communities and support the work around the world. Would you join me in supporting the great work of our Synod? I would appreciate your consideration to contribute on a regular basis to our Synod so that the Church of the Lutheran Brethren can preserve our theology, plant new churches, and continue our work around the world.

Dean Hansen is a member of Bethesda Lutheran Brethren Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.