LCMS World Mission Blog

Tony Whitter, of Trinity Lutheran Church in Mission, Kan., shared about a May 2009 visit of The 72 volunteers Al and Joy Axelson.

“We had prepared to start a capital campaign in the fall of 2009 and thought The 72 ministry would be a good preface to our campaign. We applied for a team from The 72 in late 2008. The 72 volunteers Al and Joy Axelson stayed with us in May 2009. The ministry was a tremendous blessing for Trinity. We held 14 sessions, a Prayer Canvass, and a community outreach event called ‘The Simple Life-Living Better for Less.’ Approximately 150 members attended various sessions. Twenty people participated in our Prayer Canvass, and approximately 40 volunteers supported our community outreach event.

“First, The 72 was a blessing for the planning team. We held regular meetings prior to Al and Joy’s arrival, including devotions and brainstorming sessions. Our faith grew a lot just in the planning process. Second, The 72 helped us refocus on our community. For years, Trinity was a community church. Over time, as members moved to distant suburbs, Trinity lost some of its community feel. Our sessions, and particularly the Prayer Canvass, helped us reconnect with our local municipality and neighbors. We have had another neighborhood canvass since The 72 team left to continue learning about the increasing diversity of our neighborhood.

“Second, The 72 helped us refocus on our community. For years, TLC was a community church. Over time, as members moved to distant suburbs, TLC lost some of its community feel. Our sessions, and particularly the Prayer Canvass, helped us reconnect with our local municipality and neighbors. We have had another neighborhood canvass since The 72 team left to continue learning about the increasing diversity of our neighborhood.

“Third, Al and Joy came exceptionally prepared and committed to provide a ‘birdseye’ view of our ministries and effectiveness. Our sessions and their feedback have positively impacted various ministries at Trinity. Their organization was tremendous and really made it easy for us to facilitate the assignment. Fourth, the outreach event we held (‘The Simple Life’) was a tremendous learning experience for us. We offered community services and well-known local speakers in our city’s annual festival. We walked in a parade, and several hundred patrons came to visit our booths and hear great speakers on such topics as saving money and entertaining kids with recycled items. Among other things, we learned that our neighborhood is more diverse than we thought. We also learned that Lutherans are not always comfortable discussing their faith in a public setting. In addition, some Lutherans do not fully understand what it means ‘to be a Lutheran.’

“Finally, since completing the assignment, we updated our demographics study and are currently planning targeted outreach opportunities for 2010.

Our suggestions for congregations as they partner with a team from The 72 are:

• Motivation is critical.
• Give careful consideration as to how you promote the sessions/events.
• Recognize that many of your members are not comfortable in faith conversations, so you have to be realistic about what will entice someone to participate.

Al and Joy set a great example for personal testimony and encouraged many members to take some risks in their daily routine and recognize faith-sharing opportunities.”

• Learn more about The 72—Partners on the Road
• Pray for LCMS World Mission’s national work
• Download the latest Partners’ Voice—a quarterly newsletter for this ministry