I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
―1 Corinthians 3:6-8, ESV

As I think about our shared vision, I keep coming back to this passage. Our instant gratification culture does not appreciate planting and watering. However, God has always worked through planting and watering seeds of faith. It is God alone who gives the growth. Those seeds, when planted in good soil, end up producing 30 or 60 or 100 times what was sown. Our shared vision is about how we can be good soil for the Lord to create growth.

The Church faces challenges from without and from within, threats to the planting and watering of seeds of faith. It has faced challenges through its entire existence, and there is only one reason it hasn’t crumbled under their weight. That reason is Christ alone. The Church is built on the confession that Jesus is the Christ. My definition of the Shared Ministries of the CLB extends beyond the ministry departments centered in Fergus Falls to include both the churches and mission fields, and further still to each person who is a part of those churches. We have a Shared Ministry given to us by our Lord, our commission to make disciples of all nations, baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and taught to obey the teaching of Jesus. We can do this only by planting and watering.

Planting and watering happens on many different types of ground. Some ground is harder than others, some has more weeds, some has more rocks. In other words, ministry contexts are different and what is needed to plant and water in diverse contexts may be different. The soil of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren includes mission fields where the gospel is new and the challenges include producing the Word in a language that can be understood so God can do his work. It includes cities and regions where many have disregarded the gospel as outdated and irrelevant. It includes rural areas that are shrinking in population. All of these contexts have unique challenges. All of them have disciples who are already there for God to use in the work of planting and watering.

How can these disciples be enrolled, equipped, and encouraged in the work of planting and watering? How can they hear the “go” of the great commission? “Go” might mean going across the street to get to know a neighbor, going to serve the least of these in a community, or going somewhere they have never been in response to God’s call. It might mean going to prayer or giving sacrificially to support the larger work of going with the gospel. What if each congregation spent time seeking the Lord to see what new way they may be called to go together? How can leadership support, equip, and encourage them as they do?
 
Disciple-making results in people connected to the Head of the Church. Over the CLB’s 125-year existence, many seeds have already been planted, and God has given kingdom growth through them. The Church is always called to go to new places. Seeds are already planted and being watered for expanded church planting in North America. We have a long history of planting and watering internationally among unreached people. We need to be seeking the Lord’s call regarding new challenges to the work in Chad.

We need to best steward the disciple-making capabilities of our seminary. LBS is an existentially important ministry within the CLB. The future of our church is only as strong as the seminary is now. We must support LBS in their primary mission of training leaders for pastoral and missionary service while exploring opportunities to utilize the teaching resources of LBS to enhance other areas of disciple making. In addition, we have groups like Rooted, a strong history of Bible Camp ministries, and Hillcrest Lutheran Academy that serve to strengthen the reach of our disciple-making. We should also continue to explore how to cooperate with like-minded groups such as our brothers and sisters in the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations.

I would hope to continue the disciple making focus that President Larson has championed, seeking to help congregations own and creatively live it out in their local context as the next step of implementation. Determining how to best CALL, PARTNER, UNLEASH, and MULTIPLY is a continual process of seeking God’s wisdom and strength. This is best done in conversation with others on the Mission Team and in our congregations.

We have pastors, trained disciple-makers, in every one of the communities of disciples that are Lutheran Brethren churches. Their job is sometimes misunderstood by a consumer culture. They are not the expert who is the one to do all the work. They are there to teach and preach the Word, to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”, to disciple those who will go in their contexts with the best news ever. Often, the biggest obstacle to this is resistance from those who are already in the church, who seek to gain something from their involvement in the church, but are deaf to the call to go. In addition, our sin nature wants significance assigned to us, not truly Solo Dei Gloria… all glory to God, the one who alone gives growth. So we (including myself) must repent so we can get out of the way and let God work. We must continually learn not to care about getting the credit in practice, rather than just in our theological beliefs.

God has been at work through, and sometimes in spite of, the Church for 2000 years. When we see him at work bringing growth, we can and should celebrate and give him the glory. For those called to positions of authority over our family of churches, we need those who exhibit strong integrity, willingness to take risks for the sake of the gospel, and willingness to be held to a high level of accountability.

Over the next season of our Shared Ministry, I pray that we are found holding onto Jesus, honoring his Word, and telling his story in diverse contexts to an ever-changing culture. I pray there are many more people, everywhere God has placed our Church family, who are dedicated to planting and watering the seeds of the gospel and trusting God for the growth.

It is my chief desire that we would intentionally be a “people of the Word,” and that every missional strategy and tactic would be clearly authorized and directed by God’s Word, rightly interpreted in the light of our Creeds and Confessions. We should strongly and continually emphasize the doctrinal distinctives to which we hold and catechize as a Church. We should not water these distinctives down in order to be “attractional.” We should only entertain strategies that don’t require us to compromise our distinctives. We should not allow pragmatism or irenicism to cause us to adopt teaching that contradicts our own. We should boldly stand on and proclaim the “faith of our fathers.”

There are plenty of churches that can do baptistic, broadly evangelical, and charismatic church better than us. So what? That is not who we are. We are Lutherans who believe the Word of God, and our primary task is not church growth and multiplication. Our primary task is faithfulness. And where and when we have been most effective in efforts to grow and multiply, it has been the result of the faithful preaching of the Word of God in both Law and Gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit, with no minimization of what makes us distinctive among Churches.

In a 1522 sermon, Martin Luther proclaimed, “I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word… I did nothing; the Word did everything.” From the same sermon, “We should preach the Word, but the results must be left solely to God’s good pleasure.” The Word accomplishes what God desires and achieves his purposes. That is a solid rock foundation for all of our ministries and the outworking of them.

As taught in our Confessions, our mission is to rightly teach the gospel and administer the Sacraments through which the Holy Spirit is given, and faith is worked in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake (Augsburg Confession V and VII). Properly speaking, this is the work of the local congregation, not the synodical administration. If we are to faithfully fulfill this mission, then our Shared Ministries must live to serve our churches, not to be served by our churches. Every leader of these ministries should be able to point daily to a way in which he or she has personally impacted a particular church, pastor, church leader, or missionary with assistance or advice. Our ministries must not only be productive but also relationally accessible in such a way that our churches view us as primary resources, not last resorts.

However, my vision for our Shared Ministries is not limited to assistance. If the CLB is to achieve the ministry goals of our Disciple-Making Church Initiative, then our ministries must also proactively challenge passivity and assumptions that hinder the accomplishment of our agreed-upon goals. Because the CLB president’s calling includes leading and speaking for the vision and mission of our Church, I would note that my leadership style tends toward the bold, direct, and decisive. I am an extravert who enjoys people and am energized by relationships. I highly value being part of a team and building teams. I am engaged by big ideas and prefer to allow other team members to develop the strategies and tactics necessary to carry out the vision. I am change-agile and expect this of others. I also anticipate that I will have much to learn about and from the directors and staffs of our ministries.

The office of the Presidency has never been something that I aspired to hold. God in his wisdom, through the invitation of the Council of Directors, has placed me as a candidate before you. I have no campaign platform. I have much experience in leadership, but no experience as a president. Acknowledging that I know what I know and don’t know what I don’t know, I humbly present a few thoughts regarding the individual arms of our Shared Ministries.

It is my view that the distinction between international and North American mission is lessening, not because of our intentions, but simply because of increased mobility. The call to go to the nations remains, but we must continually consider how to address that call when the nations are increasingly coming to us. I would like to see an increased synergy between LBIM and NAM that addresses both the need for church plants and the need for workers in local, multi-cultural contexts. Should political realities bring any international ministries to a close, we should consider future international ministries as being carried out both overseas and in North America.

In regard to the goals set for NAM, I would like to see an emphasis on disciple-making in the home. We should be looking for ways to support young fathers and mothers as they raise up good and godly families who will form the foundation of our churches and, by their faithful presence, will revitalize congregations. Women’s Ministries can have great impact here as well as they strive not only to learn the Word together but also to encourage and exhort each other to obey it as it pertains to biblical family order and its attendant blessings (Titus 2:3-5). In addition to our current church planting efforts which are often clergy-driven, we should promote and support lay-driven church planting, supported by NAM. We should re-visit our earlier understanding that church planting can be a “frontier-type” effort. When a family moves to an area in which there is no CLB church, they should consider planting one, then calling a pastor.

We need to continually raise up new pastors, and all Shared Ministries and congregations must encourage young men to serve and shape them for service. As we do so, we must clearly communicate the stringent biblical qualifications and be honest about the challenges of God’s life-long formation process of a pastor.

It is critical that LBS be protected from wolves for the sake of the sheep and be supported by our churches as a highly valued partner in our ministries and mission. The partnership between the synod and the seminary must be active and robust, promoting the health of both the CLB and LBS. Finally, it is my hope that Communications and Prayer will continue to excel at doing just that and leading us to do the same. Ultimately, we are Christ’s Church and he will work out his good purposes in and through us.

Disciple-making has been the driving motivator of our church’s mission from our beginning. Where and when disciple-making has been most effective, it has been a result of the uncompromising preaching of the Word of God in its fullness, empowered by the Holy Spirit, through the ministries of interdependent congregations and believers who share a confession of faith. Faithful people of all ages, but especially young disciples are looking for the bold preaching of biblical truth, and faith practices set apart from culture. We will “unleash” new leaders as we teach, practice, and celebrate what makes the CLB distinct among churches. As we engage this generation, we must catechize them well, have discipling relationships with them, and proactively give them opportunities to serve and lead, under the guidance of elder and wiser disciplers.

The vision is the Lord’s and given in Scripture. Our ministry should include honest, direct encouragement and exhortation according to the Word of God, not only as it regards making disciples in the Matthew 28:19-20 sense but also in the Genesis 1:28 sense. Decline is not simply a function of a lack of evangelistic fervor. It is also a symptom of disobedience to God in regards to raising up a good and godly legacy in our families. Babies revitalize congregations. “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2, NKJV). We must not only actively support congregational health but also family health. New disciples will be formed in our churches and in our homes. As these disciples are called to serve in existing ministries and envision new mission opportunities and work to establish them, we must boldly and substantially invest both financial and people resources in them, entrusting the work to our Lord in prayer and thanksgiving.

I love that our family of churches is focused on being a Disciple-Making Church. This is, of course, rooted in the Great Commission, so in that sense it is Jesus’ idea. However, looking at all the expressions of Christianity out there, it seems an intentional focus on this is not a given. Disciple-Making Church keeps the main thing in front of us. A disciple is someone who learns from Jesus. To be a disciple-maker, we must first be disciples ourselves. A disciple-making church needs everyday disciples to make it happen; everyday people who follow Jesus every day. That means knowing him as the way, the truth, and the life, the One who came and died for our sin, whose mercy and grace lead us to repentance and faith. It means having the humility to learn from him and not pretend we know everything or can figure out how to follow him on our own. We learn from him how to share what it means to know him through the gospel and help others learn how to follow Jesus. This is disciple-making. It looks like parents teaching their kids to pray, engaging our neighbors in friendship and praying for opportunities to point them to Jesus, walking with youth through their teen years, reminding them of God’s great love for them and giving them a strong foundation on their way to learning to “observe everything I have commanded you,” as Jesus tells us in the Great Commission. It looks like coming alongside people in the challenges and triumphs of life with compassion and good news that the world cannot provide.

Within our family of churches, disciple-making happens at three levels: individual, congregational, and corporate. In a sense, all disciple-making is individual, life on life. To truly be a disciple-making church, followers of Jesus seek to be used where they are to disciple others, to help them learn from Jesus. What would happen if every believer had one person they were intentional about discipling? I pray we find out. The second level is congregational, a front-line group effort in the local church. This does not replace the individual, but encourages and facilitates it. The third is corporate, a family of churches coming together to do what individual churches cannot do in developing resources, events, and sending strategies such as equipping pastors, missionaries, church planters, elders, and others, that ultimately support individual and congregational level disciple-making. Those called to serve at this level are tasked to encourage, equip, resource and celebrate disciple-making. As we lean into what God is calling us to at all three levels, I am excited to see how he will work in and through us.

Dear President and Brothers and Sisters of the CLB,

Greetings!

Although this letter arrives a few days late, the joy and gratitude from the Chinese Lutheran Brethren Church (CLBC) in Taiwan remain undiminished. We write to extend our most sincere congratulations to you as you celebrate these "125 Years of God's Faithfulness."

Looking back at history, the gathering of those five churches in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 17, 1900, not only marked the beginning of the CLB, but also became the very root of the close partnership between the CLB and the CLBC today. It was the vision established at that gathering that launched the journey of sending missionaries—first to China, and later to Taiwan. Without your obedience and beginning all those years ago, we would not be here today. We offer our deepest thanks to God for this missionary history that extends from China to Taiwan.

Knowing that you gathered on December 14th to count God’s blessings and pray together, we in Taiwan join you in proclaiming: "To God be the glory!"

Looking ahead, we also eagerly anticipate the Biennial Convention to be held in June 2026. May God continue to lead the CLB, just as He has for the past 125 years, granting you growth, strength, and steadfastness in His work in the years to come.

Your partner and brother in Christ,

Enoch
President of Chinese Lutheran Brethren Church (CLBC)

I was baptized as an infant and grew up in the church. However, I do not remember salvation being talked about at all, nor the idea of having a relationship with God through Jesus. During my freshman year of college, I was invited to a campus ministry group, and the first night I attended, they had an open question night. The question I wrote was, “How do we know which parts of the Bible are true and which are made up by humans?” The response was that all of the Bible is inspired by God and can be trusted as his Word. I had never heard that before. Later that year, I was giving a friend a ride home in the pouring rain in rush hour traffic in the Twin Cities. They chose that moment to ask, “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” I knew the right answer and said “Yes.” My friend did not ask any follow-up questions and we immediately went back to whatever we had been talking about. Not the best witnessing plan, but God used it. The question began to repeat in my head: Did I really know this? What was the basis for my answer?

I had brought my Bible received at confirmation with me to college, and it was still in pristine condition. Due to my parent’s influence, I had begun to pray prayers for God’s guidance toward the end of my high school years; however, I had not read the Bible at all. I decided that, if I was saying I was a Christian, it was time to figure out what that really meant. By the end of my freshman year, I began reading it daily, with a goal of reading the whole thing. I started with Matthew through Revelation and then went back to Genesis through Malachi, which took about 18 months. By the time I was done with the Old Testament, I was so desperate to hear about what God did to fix the mess of sinful humanity that I started with Matthew again. By the time I finished the New Testament, I knew. My answer was the same, but I knew why. Assurance of salvation is based in Jesus alone. His work on the cross. His perfect life. His defeat of death in the resurrection. I am still amazed that Jesus offers that to us. His story created faith that knew. Faith that knows assurance of salvation is simple; look to Jesus.

The Bible is still the primary way that God shapes my relationship with him. I don’t know how many times I have read through it, but I have worn out four Bibles since then. Of course God has, by the Holy Spirit, used prayer, worship, other believers, experiences of following him (and failing to), and times of brokenness to shape the relationship as well. But the Word is what keeps me connected to the Vine.

…as they are led from the faith received in infant baptism into a clear conscious personal faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior and being assured of salvation, rely solely on the finished work of Christ, and the power of the Gospel to live as children of God.
―CLB Statement of Faith, 7b

My earliest memory is one of misplaced terror. I was about three years old and living on the campus of the Lutheran seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at which my father was studying to enter the ministry. Walking past a basement apartment, I took it upon myself to close its open window. From the moment I closed it, I felt shame and great alarm that I would face severe consequences. My mother took me to the grocery store and, looking up at every adult that we passed, I imagined that each one would be the one who would stoop down and accuse me of my crime and I would be punished. Not surprisingly, it never happened and nothing ever came of the window-closing incident. Closing a window may not seem particularly sinful but, even at three years old, I understood that I had done something that I was not permitted to do and that a just consequence for disobedience was punishment.

Despite being baptized as an infant, raised in a Christian home, and catechized in a Bible-believing church, I was inclined to see God only as a holy, demanding judge, not as a loving, merciful Father. I was very aware that I sinned in thought, word, and deed and deserved only condemnation. At the age of five, I had an occasion in which I believed that I was having a heart attack and I remember my father consoling me and trying to allay my concern that if I should die, then I was going to hell. Not surprisingly, I lived to see another day. But I was becoming increasingly driven to find some sense of assurance of salvation. Mistakenly, I sought it in works-based righteousness. From childhood, to adolescence and, then, adulthood, I found myself in a vicious cycle in which I sinned, begged God for forgiveness, and tried to do better and work harder. The sins got bigger and bolder, the prayers more fervent, and the efforts to achieve righteousness more intense. Even pursuing a Biblical Studies degree caused further harm as the Word was taught to me as errant, unreliable, and conditioned by time and culture.

Unmoored from the Word of God, tired of the cycle, and now living in “adult” freedom, I drifted into sinful worldliness, justifying my sin rather than repenting of it. I abandoned the church for at least half a decade and spent another half decade in churches that did not challenge my false thinking or sinful behavior but, instead, accepted it and, sometimes, affirmed it. By God’s grace, destruction was averted. By God’s providence, at the age of 33, a role change in my secular job resulted in my family and I moving to McAlisterville, PA, where we attended Good News Lutheran Brethren Church in October 2004 and heard Law and Gospel preached. That sparked a desire on my part to better understand what I was hearing so I searched online for sermons and Bible studies to download that seemed like they may provide answers. While making a drive to a work site, listening to a sermon on the way, I was convicted not just of my sin, but of my sin nature. In that moment, I realized that my striving for righteousness (and my pursuant striving against righteousness) was entirely the result of not trusting on Christ’s righteousness alone. And, for the first time in my life, I truly believed, relying solely on the finished work of Christ, now possessing assurance of salvation.

Luther observes in his Smalcald Articles that “God is superabundantly generous in his grace.” Over the last 21 years of my life, I have daily experienced his generosity through his Word and Sacraments and the encouragement and exhortation of fellow believers. My wife is my closest and wisest confidant. I have friends who encourage me and are honest about my shortcomings. I have had the benefit of many good and wise mentors in my life, including my elder board. I am blessed to pastor a congregation of believers who model the Christian walk to me. By these means and others, the Holy Spirit leads me into continual repentance and the assurance of forgiveness and salvation. My misplaced terror has been supplanted by well-placed trust. The Lord has been very kind to me.

With gratitude to the Lord of the Church for His provision and trusting His leading for the future of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, it is my privilege to inform you that we have two nominees to be presented to the 2026 Biennial Convention for the office of CLB President. Rev Michael Edwards (Good News LBC, McAlisterville, PA) and Rev Mark Nienow (True Life Church, Rochester, MN) have been put forward by the Council of Directors and have graciously agreed to be open for nomination.

Join us as we pray for the Lord's leading and will for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren in this process. Please also be in prayer for the nominees, their families, and their churches as they wait on the Lord's direction through the call of His Church. May all we do be for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in service to His kingdom.  

On behalf of the CLB Council of Directors,

Jeff Kleveland, Chair

Born and baptized as an infant in Kansas, I was raised by Christian parents in rural McAlisterville, Pennsylvania, where my father served as a Lutheran pastor. My introduction to the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was by way of annual summer camps at Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center. While pursuing a Biblical Studies degree at Messiah University (Pennsylvania), I married my high-school sweetheart Christy in 1991. Shortly thereafter, I took employment with Waldenbooks/Borders Books and Music which resulted in a 20-year career, the first 13 years in store and multi-store management, at one point overseeing 30+ retail locations in New England and metro New York City, followed by 7 years in corporate human resources, supporting and counseling operational vice-presidents and 300+ retail locations nationwide. In 2004, my wife, children, and I moved back to McAlisterville where we found Good News Lutheran Brethren Church and I was called to be an elder. In 2011, I was called to pastor Good News LBC and was ordained in 2022, following further studies at Moody Bible Institute and Lutheran Brethren Seminary. I have served on various sub-committees of the CLB Eastern Region, and as Vice-chair of the Region’s Executive Board since 2021.

Our son Gabriel, his wife Leilynn, and their daughter Anastasia reside in Lititz, PA, and are members of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church (LCMS). Our daughter Margaret resides in Mifflintown, PA, is a member of Good News LBC, and is engaged to be married.

It is an honor to be considered for this office. The Lord has been very kind to me. May God’s will be done!

My name is Mark Nienow and I am currently serving as a pastor of True Life Church in Rochester, Minnesota. My wife Andreia and I have been married for 28 years and we have two sons, Luke and Caleb. Luke recently graduated from the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, MN, and will be married in December. Caleb is a student at the Free Lutheran Bible College in Plymouth, MN.

I began reading the Bible during my freshman year of college, and it has had a profound impact on my life and faith. Following graduation, I received intensive training in youth ministry from Tentmakers and served a church in the Chicago, Illinois, area in two roles. The first was as a youth director and later as the Director of Discipleship Training. It was through this position that I recognized my need for further training and began my journey to the CLB. I graduated from Lutheran Brethren Seminary in 2007 and have served at True Life since, first as an associate pastor with Pastor David Rinden, and then as the Lead Pastor since 2012.

I have served as secretary for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren Council of Directors since 2016. I have enjoyed being part of the Council of Directors for our family of churches and have sought to bring the voice of our congregations and pastors to the Council as we continue to pursue being a disciple-making Church. I enjoy spending time with family as well as being a “car guy” and long-suffering Vikings fan.

Rev. Paul Larson

Beka Nadgwick, Youth and Worship Director at Word of Life Church, LeSueur, MN, was commissioned on May 18, 2025. Beka says, “I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity and I am so blessed to be a part of Word of Life!” Rev. Brandon Pangman, Director of North American Mission, officiated the service.

Jonathan Bovia Sr. was ordained as an elder on June 1, 2025, at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Antler, ND. Rev. Mike Hussey, vice-chair of the Western Region, officiated the service.

Pastor Tony Schmid was installed as pastor and Fred Trappe as an elder on May 4, 2025, at Salem Lutheran Brethren Church in Grand Rapids, MN. Rev. Jordan Spina, Associate Director of North American Mission, officiated the service.

Joel Erickson was ordained as an elder on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Brethren Church in Fergus Falls, MN. Dr. Eugene Boe officiated the service.

Doug Panchot was installed as elder at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Brethren Church in Minot, ND, on March 23, 2025. Rev. Mike Hussey officiated.

Al Sherrill was ordained as an elder at Hope Lutheran Brethren Church in Appleton, WI, on March 16, 2025.

Rev. Ed Nugent was installed as Pastor at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Brethren Church in Minot, ND, on February 23, 2025. Rev. Mike Hussey, vice-chair of the Western Region, officiated.

Reed Kramer and Shannon Dokken were ordained as elders at Living Word in Minot, ND, on February 16, 2025. Dr. Troy Tysdal, President of Lutheran Brethren Seminary, officiated.

Lonnie Snyder, Deron Swartz, Josh McMillen, and Guy Roszel were ordained as elders at Good News Lutheran Brethren Church in McAlisterville, PA, on February 16, 2025.
Note: The constitution of Good News requires at least three years of service as an elder before ordination.

After a thorough and prayerful search, the Board of Directors of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is pleased to announce that Luke Fiskness has been selected as the school’s next President. Mr. Fiskness brings an impressive resume and deep connection to Hillcrest and the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. As the grandson of a Lutheran Brethren pastor, he was raised in the theological tradition that has shaped Hillcrest’s identity. His commitment to ministry is evident in his past service in youth ministry at Victory Lutheran Brethren Church in Jamestown, ND, and in his service at Inspiration Point Christian Camp and Retreat Center. Beyond his theological grounding, Luke possesses expertise in organizational leadership as an executive at a Fortune 20 company with master’s degrees in both Business Administration and Executive Leadership.

Adapted from the full announcement and personal bio, which can be read at www.ffhillcrest.org/president

Myrtle Esther (Kivley) Larsen died peacefully at Broen Home in Fergus Falls on Dec. 13, 2024. Myrtle married Morris Larsen on June 22, 1951, and served with him as a missionary in Japan from 1954 to 1971, as well as at churches in the Midwest and Washington. They were married for 66 years. Myrtle lived her life through faith in her Savior Jesus Christ, and in the sure hope of eternal life in him. She clung to God’s promises throughout her life, especially during difficult life transitions and the dark days of grief, as well as the many moments of joy and peace.

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, Chad Strand and Benjamin Tonneson were ordained as elders at Grace Lutheran Brethren Church in Bottineau, ND. Dr. David Veum officiated the ordination and Rev. Brad Hoganson participated in the service as well.

On January 31, 2025, Lincoln Church & Community Center, a Lutheran Brethren church plant in Lincoln, ND, purchased a building that will be renovated to serve as both a community center and a place of worship and ministry. Church planter, Pastor Carl Juhl, writes, “There are so many people that I encounter who know of God, but do not know God. When many of these people think about going to church, they get anxious. All of the anxieties of being in a new place, with new people, and worshiping a God they don’t even know yet can be too much. Coffee shops and public spaces are a great non-threatening way to get to know someone. Lincoln does not have these spaces. This building will not only be home for our church family but will also be a place where our community can gather. We want it to be a place where kids can play, families can have parties, people can visit over coffee, and the list goes on. We are so grateful for God’s provision and excited to begin to use this space to serve our community and help people follow Jesus.”

Our goal is to provide a practical resource for you, your small group, your Sunday School class, or your family, that can be easily implemented and applied.

For this edition we’ve created a four-week topical Bible study centered on the theme of intergenerational ministry. Each week, read the assigned Scripture along with the devotional, and answer the reflection questions.

Companion videos, along with a PDF version of this study, are also available for you online at: www.FFBOOKS.org/4weekstudy

Timothy had an unconventional upbringing. The son of a Greek father, he was raised in the Christian faith by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Though we don’t know the exact timeline, it is likely that this Lystran family came to faith as a result of Paul’s preaching in their hometown during his first missionary journey (see Acts 13:8-19). From the cradle, Timothy was taught the fundamental truths of the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother.

Lystra was a Roman province located along a major trade route in modern-day Turkey. In a market town like this, Timothy was exposed to a vast array of sights, sounds, smells, languages, and religious ideas, along with pressure to conform to the Greek culture around him.

With a mixed lineage, he was neither fully Jewish (he was uncircumcised) nor fully Greek (he had a Jewish mother), so it is reasonable to assume that he felt out of place. We also know that he was timid and prone to bad health. Factor all this together, and you have someone in desperate need of discipling.

Enter the Apostle Paul. Paul became a spiritual father figure for Timothy, mentoring him in the faith and taking him along on his missionary journeys. Paul was a continual source of encouragement for his young protégé, providing sound instruction and guidance as he sought to establish the early churches throughout the Mediterranean world.
 
Eventually, Paul passed the torch to Timothy, and he became a faithful pastor in his own right. The mentorship of Paul, Lois, and Eunice was indispensable in Timothy’s spiritual upbringing, with God using these relationships in powerful ways to spread the gospel and grow his Church.

Reflection Questions

1. Which part of Timothy’s life experience do you identify with the most? Why?
2. Who in your life has functioned as Eunice, Lois, or Paul did for Timothy? How has that relationship affected your life?
3. Pray for God to show you who you might disciple or who might disciple you.

Picture an elderly priest at work in the house of God. He’s in his 90s, his sight is failing, and he stumbles through his duties slowly. He’s been doing the work here at Shiloh for close to 40 years now, and it’s starting to weigh on him. He pauses frequently to catch his breath, reflecting with some bitterness on his family tree. None of his sons had followed him into the family trade, his own failures as a father had seen to that, but he’s not alone in his work. There in the Holy Place, across from the table containing the bread of the presence, stands a young boy―maybe ten or twelve―tending to the lampstand.

In contrast to Eli, Samuel moves with some pep in his step. He has been a priest-in-training since the age of three and Eli, old enough to be Samuel’s great-grandfather, has become his day-to-day mentor in the House of the Lord. The vigor of youth and the wisdom of old age were working in tandem, and it must have been a sight to behold. For some reason, God saw fit to throw this odd pair together; a failed priest who couldn’t even keep his own sons in line, and an awkward pre-teen with zero previous altar-boy experience. What could possibly go wrong?

God’s ways are surprising, if not outright amusing, at times. No one would describe these two candidates as “qualified” for the ministry, much less as rostered Ministers of the Gospel in the First Church of Yahweh. Nor do we have any reason to assume that they would automatically forge a compatible, mutually-beneficial partnership. Yet for some reason God, in his grace and wisdom, brought Eli and Samuel into one another’s lives. Despite appearances to the contrary, discipleship was happening at Shiloh.

We don’t always have a lot in common with the people God calls us to disciple or be discipled by. We may not share the same hobbies or have compatible personalities. We may not always get each other’s cultural references. By worldly standards, there may be much to prevent such a relationship from forming at all. But the miracle of the Church is that God brings us, his perfect spotless Bride, together. Whatever our differences, the blood of the Lamb makes us eternally more similar.

Reflection Questions

1. How might Eli have struggled in discipling Samuel? Why do you think God put them together?
2. What are some challenges to intergenerational mentorship? How can you pray about this?
3. Read Psalm 145:4-6. What can older generations offer younger ones concerning the faith? And what can younger generations offer older ones?

“Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16b). Ruth’s words to her mother-in-law Naomi reveal the depth of her love. Drawn together by the shared trials of famine, death, homelessness, and widowhood, these two women forged a friendship whose strength weathered the worst of life’s storms.

Shared experiences―even the bad ones―have a way of bonding us together. When we attend the same event, participate in the same activity, share a common meal, change a flat tire together, or ride out a blizzard in front of the same fireplace, we get to know one another at a depth we otherwise would not. We see one another’s quirks, weaknesses, and strengths more clearly. We learn more about each other’s pasts and regrets and hopes and fears. The more time you spend with someone, the more vulnerable you become, and the more the relationship grows in depth and transparency.

Being vulnerable is uncomfortable, yet it is only when we are vulnerable that we open ourselves up to the possibility of being truly known and loved. Throughout Jesus’ life, he portrays perfect vulnerability, opening himself up to ridicule for his actions, speaking truth when he knew it would be rejected, and ultimately humbling himself before God’s will at the Cross. In this weakness and vulnerability, Jesus bridged the gap between sinful humanity and God, making a way for us to have peace with our Heavenly Father. Through reconciliation with our Creator, we are set free to be vulnerable with others. Since we are fully known and loved, we have nothing to fear. Our identities are secure in Christ, opening us up to the real possibility of genuine friendship with others.

Reflection Questions

1. In what ways did Ruth and Naomi depend on each other? How might they have supported each other?
2. Think of a good friend. What traits make them a good friend? How does it feel knowing they are there for you?
3. Why is friendship such a challenge? What barriers prevent us from being vulnerable? How does Jesus’ example of vulnerability embolden you?

The word translated by the NIV as “indignant” in verse 13 means more than merely “bothered.” Throughout the New Testament, it has strong connotations of irritation and anger. In ancient sources, the word can literally mean “bubbling” or “fermenting.” This wasn’t just a casual eye roll. Jesus was bubbling with frustration at his disciples’ behavior. Why? Because they wouldn’t let the little children come to him. Don’t get between Jesus and his kids!

If Jesus had been a pastor, I’m guessing he would have given a children’s sermon every Sunday. He loved kids; the littler the better. Such an observation might not shock us as moderns living in a culture where kids are often made the center of attention. But in Jesus’ day, his attitude was nothing short of radical. Children in ancient times were supposed to be seen, not heard. They were regarded as ignorant and unimportant. The disciples knew this, and maybe their hearts were even “in the right place” (as we often say). Their rabbi had a busy ministry schedule to keep after all. He’d probably had a long day, and dropping everything to give high-fives to a pack of rugrats was only going to slow them down.

But Jesus always seemed to have time for those the world regarded as unimportant. Not only did he stop to bless them, but he held the little children up as examples: “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (v. 15). Jesus uses children to teach grown-ups about the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, he highlights their dependence. If you want to see the clearest picture of faith, Jesus says, look not to the wizened sage but to the unquestioning trust of a child.

Reflection Questions

1. What stands out to you most about this story? What grabs your attention?
2. How does the faith of a child differ from the faith of an adult?
3. Following Jesus’ example, how might your church better foster discipleship relationships between children and grown-ups?

We already know that adults have a lot to offer children and teenagers as they learn and grow. But it’s also true that we, as adults, have a lot to learn from children. Their curiosity, their trust, their excitement, and their sense of wonder are some things that we tend to dismiss as we grow older and “wiser.” At times, we slide into a state of taking care of our daily needs and lose our enjoyment of the simple things in life. This can creep into our daily relationship with God. When things don’t logically make sense, do we really lean on God? Or do we wait to trust until we see the outcome?

What can we learn from the children in our lives? What can they learn from us? How might it look to be intentionally intergenerational in our ministries? What would happen if you stepped into the life of a teenager in your congregation as a retired person? What can you do as a college student to connect with the fifth grade kid you usually sit behind during the worship service? What can you do as an empty-nester to care for a young family with a restless preschooler? There are so many opportunities in any congregation to cross generational lines and grow together and learn from each other. Sometimes, we just need to be intentional to make it happen.

This issue explores what some congregations are doing to break down the walls between ministries and bring generations together, impacting young lives while opening the hearts of the elderly. We’re also excited to announce a Lent Devotional that will be available on January 20 (see below).

How have you seen God working through the people around you? How will you join Jesus on his mission across the generations in your community?

Lunch box in hand, I hopped into the passenger side of a 1980-something Ford F-150. I was greeted by Fernando Ortega singing praise songs from the cassette player and the distinct smell of dust. Dave was at the wheel. As we pulled onto the road, he asked me, “So do you love Jesus?” His second question was, “Have you ever worked with drywall?” Yes to the first, no to the second.

Thus began my first career as a drywall finisher. At 18, I had just left my parents in Africa and looked forward to forging my way in life in the suburbs of Chicago. Daunting, to say the least. My brother got me a job with Dave, a drywall finisher in the church. Jesus and drywall, that’s pretty much all Dave talked about. And he only listened to that one cassette of Fernando Ortega. Every day. The same cassette. When that cassette got worn out, he bought the very same cassette to replace it.

Dave was just what I needed, a complement to my own father. He had a direct way of teaching me the trade and giving corrective feedback. Like “I’m not paying you to be creative.” But also “If you left your brain at home, we can adjust the hourly rate accordingly.” One could not accuse Dave of misplacing compliments, which made one more meaningful when he chose to bestow it.
 
The older I get, the more I realize how much Dave gave me during those two years. Beyond his words of wry wisdom, he gave me his time. I’m sure it was quite a few months before I contributed positively to his bottom line. But he patiently taught me a messy, dusty trade that most people do their best to avoid. And we had fun doing it! He explained to me how he dealt with difficult homeowners and demanding contractors. He taught me not to follow his management approach (101 sticky notes on the dashboard). He taught me how to drive—a knee on the steering wheel, a sandwich in one hand, and a phone in the other. Soon after, he helped me negotiate the purchase of my first truck, a 1998 Ford Ranger. He showed me his love for Jesus, for his wife and kids, and his commitment to a flawed church. In all this, he showed love to me.

So, Dave, if you stumble upon this article, thanks for investing in me. After you left Chicago, the business you left in my hands paid for my education in theology and set me on my way to being a missionary in Chad, just like we talked about so often. But more than that, you were a mentor when I needed you to be.
 
Put in other words, my relationship with Dave was the ministry of the church. Dave’s investment in me wasn’t just about drywall—he did the church’s mission to build relationships and make disciples. A hundred years ago, most kids could walk down the street to Grandma’s house for a cookie or a stern lecture. Their uncles and aunts could speak into their lives and complete the role of parents. Today? Families are flung across time zones, and FaceTime can’t quite replace the smell of Grandpa’s pipe.

I have observed two types of relationships that cause my children to flourish in ways that I could not provide: the first is quality time with their peers; the second is when older generations take time for them and are unafraid to speak into their lives.
 
Hadjamama is in her 80s. She lives on our property in Africa because her late husband used to be our guard. Some mornings she can’t get out of bed because of her bone aches, and her biggest chore in the day is making it to the outhouse. But she’s now our guard, my counsel in all things cultural, a busy grandma, and a formidable mother. Most days she’s surrounded by a large handful of neighborhood toddlers while their parents are off working in the fields or selling goods in the market. Hadjamama benefits from a culture where people live side by side, and elders are celebrated instead of sidelined. Relationships are the currency, not just efficiency. If she were in the US, she would probably be in assisted living. That would be easier in a lot of ways. But right now, she is being loved and is a valued contributor to her family.

When I think of Hadjamama, I think of my own daughter! Talitha was born during a trip to the US, but we returned to Chad shortly thereafter. The villagers immediately gave her their own name: Hadjamama. Named for her village grandma of course. Along with the usual angst of bringing a new-born to the bush of Africa was a joyful confidence: this daughter of God would bring the light of Christ to a people who don’t know him. “Hadjamama’s granddaughter” has made friends, been scolded and praised by our neighbors, and harvested the corn with her Chadian “cousins.” She is learning to forgive and be forgiven, to be the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, “growing in wisdom and favor with God and man.”
Friends, this is the role of the Church. As American families are increasingly scattered, we need Dave, Hadjamama, and Talitha. It takes time and it takes intention to mentor a young person, to care for elders, or to be a friend. Fernando Ortega, of course, is optional. 

A couple of rustic cabins carved into a clearing in the woods at a nearby lake provided the setting for significant times of spiritual awakening and growth in faith. Weekend retreats hosted several times each year by our youth group were packed with adventures appropriate to the season. They were the platform on which rich memories were created that I continue to treasure.

Every retreat also included several sessions of worship around the campfire and the teaching of Scripture. Leaders from the congregation, young adults returning from Bible school, or our pastor, would be invited to teach God’s Word. Testimony evening was a key event at every retreat as well. Each served as a platform on which the Holy Spirit created faith through the influence of one generation spurring on faith in the next.
 
Throughout history God’s spokespeople have proclaimed the works of God in order that his chosen would continue to place their trust in him. In both distant and recent history, this has been the means through which faith was imparted from one generation to the next.

Our own history, both distant and recent, is set on a biblical foundation that calls for the activity of one generation to influence another for the furtherance of faith development. 
The Protestant Reformation sought to re-center the Church and individual faith on Scripture. Theological pillars upon which we are moored include the conviction that God’s Word enlivens faith and renews worship, both corporate and individual. Luther’s question-and-answer catechism, intended for use at home to teach both children and adults the basics of the Christian faith, was one of the most notable efforts to ensure the gospel was imparted from one generation to the next.

An attitude of humility was to characterize the life of faith, as Christians were centered on the truths of Scripture, seeking its application in day-to-day life. Luther wrote that though he himself was learned and experienced, he “must remain a child and pupil of the catechism and… do so gladly.”¹

It is by hearing the word of Christ that faith is created (see Romans 10:17). Scripture is a book of promises from a gracious God, a book that God uses as an instrument in every generation to turn humanity to Christ. Giving thought to what platforms are available in our contexts will strengthen faith development opportunities as we remain anchored to the Bible and share its riches with one another.

Faith development does not come about without the work of the Holy Spirit. Embedded in the CLB Statement of Faith is the conviction that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, each person comes “into a clear conscious personal faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior and being assured of salvation, rely[ing] solely on the finished work of Christ, and the power of the Gospel to live as children of God.”²

From infancy, through childhood, onto adolescence and into adulthood, one’s understanding of what it is to yield to God comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit. Submission to the lordship of Christ frequently is aided by intergenerational interaction. Mentors sharing their experiences of God’s revelation, formal times of biblical instruction, one generation praying for another and setting an example for each other all serve to guide us in what it means to walk in the truth. The fruit of these interactions is joy.
 
The Apostle John’s delight is evident in his letter to those followers (likely younger) who had been under his spiritual care: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).

The generational transmission of faith from grandmother Lois and mother Eunice to Timothy was a great encouragement to the Apostle Paul as well (see 2 Timothy 1:5-6).

CLB Core Values emphasize that whether in the local fellowship or in our households we have opportunity to share the love of God and spur each other on through the spiritual gifts given us. “We experience God’s peace as we worship and work together, forgive one another, and bear one another’s burdens.”³ Platforms for these experiences to occur are endless but are dependent on authentic relationship with one another.

The need for adult-child relationship (especially parent-child) to be characterized by warmth and conversation about spiritual topics is invaluable for transmission of a genuine faith.⁴ My teenage experiences rooted in youth retreats provided opportunity for Scripture’s application in the life of a Christ-follower to be shared from one generation to another within the context of a caring relationship. Establishing platforms such as this for intergenerational ministry is essential for a genuine life of faith to be shaped by the Word of God.⁵

It’s beautiful to see a congregation sharing and celebrating the gospel across generations! A family who adopts an older couple with no kids as “grandparents,” gives the couple and their kids the opportunity to do life together. Families who welcome college students and newcomers to the community, give them a place to belong. As a disciple-making church, we bring the gospel to people who need it, and we live it out together, extending the promise across generations. Here are a few pictures of how I see it working:

We just had our annual Women’s Christmas Tea, where we filled our gym with school girls, grandmas, and women of all ages in between. As the guests enter that morning, each table has already been decorated by a host with special dishes and centerpieces. On their way to find their table, they greet one another and rejoice in the beauty of each table, sharing in childlike wonder. As they gather at their tables, boys and men serve them. During the program, they play games and laugh together, sing Christmas carols, and hear a gospel testimony from a woman in the congregation. Each one is encouraged to see Jesus for who he is, know they are loved by God, and trust him. It’s a beautiful tradition where our families, neighbors, and friends see that the gospel makes a difference at every stage of life and are reminded that we learn with each other and from each other. Each of us has a place here, and we all come to Jesus with childlike wonder.

We have an amazing team of leaders serving in Student Ministries, individuals and couples in their 20s to their 70s. Computer programmers, nurses and social workers, property managers and mechanics, stay-at-home parents, educators, etc. These adults have a wide range of skills and training, yet they all come to invest their time and their lives in students from 6th grade to college. These leaders participate in the program each week at church. They go on summer spiritual formation trips with these students. They attend band concerts, cross country meets, dance recitals, and hockey games. The time they take to be with students in life and in Bible studies helps students feel seen and loved. They lead Bible studies and discussions with grace, and students seek them out to explore deep questions, discussing relationships and decisions. Leaders pray for students and are prayed for by students. Leaders answer questions, and they learn from the insight and perspective of students, too.

In turn, many of these students serve as leaders in Children’s Ministries. They partner with other adults to invest in younger kids―birth through 5th grade―in the nursery, in Sunday School classes, and in Vacation Bible School. Students make up a third of our Children’s Ministries leader team. They pour themselves into younger kids the way their parents and leaders invest in them. The younger kids look up to them, greet them with bear hugs in the hallways, and enthusiastically tell stories about the games they play and the things they learn from their big kid friends. Students are partners with us in the gospel, and they learn from kids, too, all the while affirming their faith and being assured that they have a valuable role in our church family.

We have older people who pray for our ministries and the people in our congregation. They serve as greeters and learn the names of younger people in the congregation, listening to stories about our lives and kids. Many are facing difficult health challenges, heartache in family situations, or grief of many kinds, yet as they continue walking with Jesus, they encourage our church family. They have passed the baton of leadership to a new generation, yet they remain engaged, cheering on those who are coming after them, reminding us to stay close to Jesus and to trust his Word. They make room for new approaches to ministry, as we continue the mission they own with us.

My friend John is an inspiration to many. Although he’s naturally an introvert, he prayerfully seeks people out for conversations. It might be a new person at church or a worker at a coffee shop. He prepares by praying that the Holy Spirit would give him good questions to ask. He listens to podcasts to be aware of what young people are interested in, so he can be ready to connect those interests and questions to conversations about Jesus in meaningful ways. He anticipates sharing his faith with someone who feels far from God, as well as helping young believers be anchored in God’s Word and equipped to follow Jesus. He simply makes himself available and offers what he can.
 
Experiencing the gospel in intergenerational contexts is powerful. In smaller congregations, it may come more naturally to live as a family. Larger congregations can often get segregated by age groups. While there are important reasons to learn with our peers, the gospel is a rich treasure for us to share together across generations. Each of these relational connections matters. The gospel unites us as a people and mobilizes us. It is a precious partnership unrestricted by labels or age. As we live and serve together, we see the gospel’s power and truth impacting our church family through every season.

In the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25 we hear about a wealthy master who goes away on a journey and entrusts three stewards with his wealth. To the first he gives five talents, to the second he gives two talents, and to the third he gives one talent.

The first and second stewards, motivated by their desire to please their master, put their money to work and doubled the wealth their master had entrusted to them. The third however, motivated by self-interest, fear and mistrust, did nothing with the talent and did not increase what his master had entrusted to him.

The first two were accordingly entrusted with more of the master’s wealth and invited to share in the blessings of the master’s house.

The third however had the single talent removed from his care, and he himself was removed from the master’s house.

One of the applications of this parable is as a reminder to us, as servants of Jesus, that we are being invited to use our “talents,” our lives and the resources and abilities God has given us, for the good of the master’s household and for the love of the master.

Over the past few years, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren has realized anew the call to honor what God has entrusted to us in our youth and young adults.

This fall, NAM sponsored our first two Youth Cohort groups. “How do I talk to others about Jesus?” was led by NAM director Brandon Pangman. “How do I lead others in Worship?” was led by Pastor Matt Schweitzer.
 
With around 17 participants, the two cohorts met weekly during the fall, diving into their respective topics and giving students the chance to ask questions and find answers.

I reached out to some of the students about the cohorts, and the following is a description of their experiences. It’s encouraging to see how God is moving in their lives.

Ellie Cagle was part of the “How do I lead others in Worship?” cohort. Though she has been helping lead worship for four years, the cohort has encouraged her faith and reminded her that “Every day, everywhere we go, we are worshiping something.” She was reminded that “People are what make up a church, not the building,” and that as a worship leader she is invited to step outside the doors of her church and live her worship publicly.

Lauren Krause, who was part of the same cohort, said that joining the cohort has altered her perspective on worship. She said, “Being a young worship leader isn’t always easy. Sometimes I worry about not being able to hit the right note or worry if I’m not leading the congregation the best I can. But none of that matters. The worship isn’t about us, it’s about God. The Lord doesn’t want anything more than our worship.”

Austin Iverson was part of the “How do I talk to others about Jesus?” cohort. The cohort encouraged him to explore some of the more difficult questions that he may face while sharing his faith. Austin went on to note that he has also been reminded that learning to share his faith was not primarily an intellectual exercise. He said that one of the most impactful elements of the cohort had been learning to lean into healthy relationships with the people around him and to share his story as a friend.

While we are still learning, this has been an encouraging first round of cohorts for North American Mission, and we are excited to announce that this spring we plan to host at least two new cohorts, the topics of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Consider this alongside the Rooted Gap Year program which is heading into the second semester of its inaugural year, the NAM Mexico mission team tentatively planned for March 2025, the Youth Convention planning team preparing for Elevate 2026, and several other youth and young adult initiatives in the works. We hope that you will join us in praying for our youth and young adults and that we as a body will use our talents for the good of the Master’s household and for the love of the Master.