Dear disciples of Jesus at American Lutheran,

Does the church matter? If it does, how do we as a community of faith make a difference in the world? These are the questions that began our first Lenten Conversations this past week. We had lively discussions with two different groups after worship on Sunday and at our Soup Study on Wednesday night. These are important conversations happening not only at our church but in congregations throughout our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, using the resource "Claimed, Gathered, Sent". Why these conversations? Because we live in a time of great change and culture shift. Studies show that people in the U.S. without any religious affiliation will soon surpass those who do. And 48% of the Millennial generation (born between 1984-2002) might be described as post-Christian in their beliefs, thinking and worldview.

Given the graying demographics and decreasing worship attendance in mainline churches such as ours, how do we continue our calling to lead people to transformed lives through a relationship with Jesus Christ? What are the challenges and opportunities for us in this changing world? Our Lenten Conversations are the beginning of a process the Council has begun in reviewing our congregation's mission statement this year. This process will include listening to each other, listening to our neighbors and the wider community, and listening to God as we discern where the Spirit is leading us.

Our Confirmation youth have also been discussing the nature and purpose of church. At a recent Sunday night gathering they were asked: If you were able to build the church the way you think it should look, or how God wants it to look, what things would you include? What are the important building blocks to help us grow upon our foundation of Jesus Christ? Come to worship on Youth Sunday March 1st at 10am to hear their answers! And then participate in the four remaining Lenten Conversations (Sundays from 11:30-12:30 and Wednesday evenings from 6:15-7:15; both in the Administration building lounge across the patio from the church).

I'm not worried about the church's survival. From its humble beginnings 2,000 years ago with just a dozen disciples, the Holy Spirit has been transforming the lives of billions of people since, all over the world. And in fact the church is currently growing significantly in places like South America, Africa and Asia.

The question now for us is this: how will American Lutheran Church be faithful to God's mission?

Your partner on the way,

Pastor Gretchen