Goal #2: Daughter New Congregations
As the Holy Spirit blesses our gospel efforts, our gifts will daughter new congregations, establishing a strong foothold of confessional, evangelical Lutheranism in central Virginia.
Today, our focus is on growing our capacity to reach more souls through our own congregation. When we develop our site with additional facilities and parking, we will have the opportunity to think beyond the souls we can serve in our own building. Then, we would be able to meet the need for churches centered on teaching God’s Word in its truth and purity.
Even in our densely populated part of the United States, within a 150-mile radius around Living Hope, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) has only 14 other churches. We’re the only one within 50 miles! Many in our congre- gation drive more than 30 minutes to reach us. We each represent towns and cities that need to hear the unadulterated Gospel message.
There are many churches around us. Many of our members drive by dozens of churches to reach us. Why? Certainly, it’s because they belong and are loved. It’s true that a sense of belonging is increasingly rare in our society—but it’s not impossible to find other places to belong. Most often, people drive such distances past other churches because of the preaching and teaching at Living Hope. Because we are committed to God’s Word. Because we do not bend our teaching to the surrounding culture. We don’t follow fads and whims.
Every Sunday, we hear the same message. Grace alone. Faith alone. Scripture alone. Christ alone. Christ crucified for me for the forgiveness of all my sins. Salvation received by faith in the waters of baptism. Forgiveness conveyed by the body and blood of Christ at the Lord’s Supper and in the absolution spoken as if by Jesus himself.
That reliable message that has transformed our lives comes from the Bible and is summarized in the Lutheran Confessions. God doesn’t make us guess what the truth is. He tells us in his Word. The Small Catechism distills the content of Scripture into memorable teachings we can use to educate our children and grandchildren. They gather together the truths of God’s Word into a confession that we speak in our hearts and proclaim with our mouths.
At our confirmations, we promised we would hold onto the Lutheran Confessions until we die! Do you remember when you said that? We were willing to make that radical commitment when we stood before the whole church. And we believe that everyone else would also experience great joy and purpose in life if they were to live by that same confession of the Christian faith.
And so we pray and give not only that God would triple the number of fellow believers who experience such joy and meaning in life, as we do. We pray and labor also that our joy and purpose would overflow into new churches that teach the same Lutheran confession.
Starting new churches certainly requires money. But it also requires lay leaders. As we have the opportunity to par- ticipate in the growth of Living Hope as lay leaders in the congregation, we may be preparing to provide leadership in brand new WELS congregations someday.
Imagine if we gave so abundantly and served so generously that Living Hope couldn’t contain the gifts and the service! Imagine if the dollars and the hours had to seek out out new recipients who would hear the soul-saving, life-giving message of Christ who is for us.