Issue 1| January 2023
CORE Voice Newsletter, Issue 1,
January 2023
In This Issue

  • Response of the ELCA's VP
  • Remembering Jim Nestingen
  • Mission: Pine Island, FL
  • Unfair treatment of small congregations
  • Our role in creating new NALC leaders
  • Pastoral formation at the Global Lutheran House of Study
  • Faith GreenHouse: Looking for an internship?
  • New Video Book Review for January; interim ministry

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Who Counts and Who Does Not
by Pr. Dennis D. Nelson, Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

In my letter from the director for December 2022 I wrote about several concerns that arose in my mind as I read a November 16 news release from the ELCA about the November 10-13 meeting of the ELCA Church Council. A link to that letter can be found here. In that letter I said that I would be writing to Imran Siddiqui, vice president of the ELCA, who also serves as chair of the church council. I would be asking him how it was decided that a representative from ReconcilingWorks would become an advisory member of the church council and whether any consideration would or had been given to having a representative from a group with traditional views as an advisory member of the church council. Here is the letter which I sent him the morning of December 13. Please note that I also expressed my concern that the ELCA would be committing a massive breach of trust if in the revised human sexuality social statement traditional views on same sex relationships were no longer seen as valid and legitimate and having a place of respect within the ELCA.  
 
* * * * * *
Dear Mr. Siddiqui –
 [...]
Jim Nestingen Tribute
by Pr. Steve Shipman, Former Director of Lutheran CORE and Dean of the Atlantic Mission Region of the NALC

I first got to know the name James Nestingen through what I still believe is the best confirmation text ever produced — the first edition of Free to Be co-written with Gerhard Førde. (Jim was unhappy with the later revision of it by AugsburgFortress.)
 
But while I heard him speak from time to time, the first occasion I spent at length with him was the Lutheran CORE Conference at Lindenhurst, Illinois, on September 28, 2007. Many of Jim’s friends and students describe him with the word “prophet,” and he was certainly in full prophetic mode at that event regarding the directions the ELCA was taking. The event gathered those of us who would lead the response to the sexuality decisions that would be made a few years later, leading to the change in strategy of Lutheran CORE and the formation of the North American Lutheran Church. [...]
The Potency of Missional Engagement
Pr. K. Craig Moorman, board member of Lutheran CORE and NALC pastor of River's Edge Ministries, Mt. Airy, Maryland

A most happy and blessed New Year to you and yours.
 
No doubt, many of us reading this article can readily receive such a greeting; but, for some, these words may be welcomed but not so easily received or even believed. This may include an individual who just discovered they have a very difficult illness to contend with or maybe it’s a husband who lost a beloved wife of 35 years or one trapped in overwhelming bondage to an addiction or perhaps it’s a family who experienced a natural catastrophe and lost everything. The list goes on. When facing such a reality, it can be much more difficult to receive a word of blessing, while happiness is illusive at best.

This is precisely when the Community of Faith, the Body of Christ, is called to rise up and consider the potency of missional engagement. It is helpful for us, as brothers and sisters who are bound up in Christ, to be aware of those who are struggling and then allow the Great Commandment to settle deeply into that place of compassion: “‘ ... and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:30, 31) This will necessarily push us towards mission which can quickly and graciously re-prioritize the living out of these most challenging days.  
 [...]

(Image: Flickr)
The Need for More Lay-led Lutheran Congregations

It has, for decades, been an incredibly unfair reality faced by smaller rural and inner-city congregations. In a denomination that has traditionally insisted that viable, healthy congregations must be led by a resident, ordained pastor, the number of pastors willing to serve in these settings have often been “few and far between.” Even back when there were an abundant number of seminary graduates, the majority of those graduates often showed little or no interest in serving churches located in such communities. And this unfortunate attitude was not limited to graduating seminary students looking for a first call; it was also common among already ordained, serving pastors looking for their next call.

So what did these rural and inner-city congregations do when even new seminary grads had little interest in their calls? They waited. And they knew that eventually—if they waited long enough—their bishop or district president would find them a new graduate whom they could “take under their wing” and train. Unfortunately, as soon as these first-call pastors were “trained” they would usually move on, within two or three years, to a larger church in a suburban setting. Then the congregation’s pastoral search process would begin once more. [...]
Better Call Saul: Discernment at Damascus
Pastor Jeff Morlock is Director of Vocational Discernment at the North American Lutheran Seminary. He may be reached at [email protected].

Ananias (not Sapphira's husband, but the other Ananias) is an obscure figure in the New Testament. He appears only twice, for a total of eight verses. Yet Ananias is much more than the answer to a Bible trivia question. The Lord used this ordinary man to change the world in unfathomable ways. His story teaches us to listen for God's call, discern our next assignment, and discover the astounding impact that obedience can have.
When God called him, Ananias' spiritual resume was a blank sheet of paper. Yet he was exactly the kind of person that God delights to use. Over and over, the Holy Spirit calls imperfect people with hang-ups, doubts, questions, and often, a rocky past (or present) to do His work and proclaim His Word. What these Biblical characters, from Aaron to Zerubbabel, have in common is that when the Spirit of God nudged them and the voice of God came to them, they replied as Ananias did, “Here I am, Lord.” [...]
Global Lutheran House of Studies
Pastor Richard Blue is a Co-Director of the Global Lutheran House of Study at United Lutheran Seminary. He is ordained in the NALC, the LCMC, and the Lutheran Orthodox Church.

Introduction by Dennis D. Nelson: Two of the top priorities of Lutheran CORE are the raising up of the next generation of Biblically faithful and Great Commission minded pastors and the nurturing of youth and young adults in the life of Christian faith and following Jesus. In light of the first priority, in years past we have had articles that have featured several schools that are training the next generation of confessional Lutheran pastors. These schools include the North American Lutheran Seminary, the Institute of Lutheran Theology, and Saint Paul Lutheran Seminary. In this issue of CORE Voice we have an article about another such school, the Global Lutheran House of Studies at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. In light of the second priority, we have the first in a series of articles about residential discipleship ministries for young adults. We pray for God’s blessings for the Global Lutheran House of Studies as well as for Faith Greenhouse, a ministry of Faith Lutheran Church (LCMC) in Hutchinson, Minnesota.  

As the Directors of the Global Lutheran House of Studies at United Theological Seminary (UTS) in Dayton, Ohio (established in 1871), we are honored to announce the launch of a new program for pastoral ministry formation in the Lutheran Tradition that is deeply committed to The Historic Faith and Church Renewal. At UTS, we are motivated by the belief that the church is essential to the renewal of the world and the development of disciples of Jesus Christ. We are dedicated to empowering faithful and fruitful Christian leaders to fulfill this mission.

One way we aim to honor the legacy of Martin Luther is by emphasizing confessional Lutheran teachings and the importance of upholding and declaring the Lutheran Confessions. We believe that the church has a responsibility to remain true to its Lutheran distinctives and to pass on the rich heritage of the Lutheran tradition to future generations. This includes offering classes on the Lutheran Confessions and their relevance for practical ministry, as well as opportunities for students to learn from and connect with scholars and leaders from various Lutheran traditions. [...]
Introducing Faith GreenHouse
Dave Wollan serves as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, MN. Dave and his wife, Andrea, are proud parents of four children.

Faith Lutheran Church, in Hutchinson, MN, is excited to be launching a new initiative to address the need for future leaders of the Lutheran church. Because our old leadership-training institutions can no longer be trusted, and because many of the new online institutions are not as ideal for young interested leaders, Faith Lutheran is cultivating an environment and community for learning and formation. 

I have a gifted daughter who is about to graduate from college and is interested in pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. But where can she go to get that degree? Our old Lutheran institutions are no longer truly Lutheran, and while the new online seminaries are great, she hardly wants to get her M-Div. while living in her parent’s basement! 

We need to cultivate quality learning environments, opportunities, and communities that will attract and accommodate young seminary students and other young adults interested in congregational ministry. Our friend, Pastor Nathan Hoff, has one such intern community at Trinity Lutheran in San Pedro, CA, and Faith Lutheran is now creating another in big-town rural Minnesota.

Faith Lutheran began to aggressively pursue this vision in the summer of 2021.  [...]
Video Ministries

January 2023
by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson, Lutheran CORE Executive Director

Many thanks to NALC pastor Tim Hubert for his very wise and insightful video on interim ministry. A link to his video can be found here.
 
Pastor Hubert has been ordained for forty years. For twenty-five years he served in regular calls; for fifteen years he has served various interim assignments. He has seen and experienced both kinds of situations - when a very beloved pastor leaves as well as when a pastor in a very troubled situation leaves.
 
Tim describes three questions that congregations will have regarding the new interim pastor –
 
1)     Can we trust the interim pastor? Including, Can we trust the interim pastor to love us in the way our former pastor loved us?
 
2)     Will the interim pastor stay long enough - until we are ready to call a new pastor? Church councils want a seamless transition in ministry. [...]
Fall 2022 SIMUL
by Pastor Dennis Di Mauro, NALC pastor and member of the Teaching Faculty at Saint Paul Lutheran Seminary

The Fall 2022 SIMUL, the Journal of St. Paul Lutheran Seminary, is out! Click on this link to read SIMUL:  https://issuu.com/stpaulsimul/docs/simul_issue_5_12-15

In this issue, Roland Weisbrot starts with an insightful review of the eucharistic debate between Zwingli and Luther, explaining how their Christological views influenced their beliefs about the sacrament. Andrew Weisner discusses what the Eucharist means to us as embodied, but nonetheless spiritual beings. And David Yeago and Nathan Yoder explore Holy Communion as a means of grace in the era of “social distancing.” Dennis Di Mauro finishes out this issue with a review of Bob Benne’s history of Roanoke College. 

SIMUL is available only online, which has two advantages. It allows the seminary to offer the journal free to the public, and it also allows readers to read the entire journal on a computer, or they can also scroll down to the individual articles that can shared and read on a smartphone!

Enjoy!
Coming Events
  • Cross Country Mission - Pine Island, FL. January 30th through February 4th. Click here.
  • 2023 Pastors' Conference - San Antonio, TX. January 31 - February 2, 2023. Click here.
  • Pro Ecclesia Conference - Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD. June 5-7, 2023. Save the date!
  • NEXUS Institute Summer 2023 - Des Moines, IA. July 16-22, 2023. Click here.
  • ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering - Phoenix, AZ. July 17-20, 2023. Click here.
  • NALC Lutheran Week 2023 - Oklahoma City, OK. August 7-11, 2023. Click here.
  • LCMC 23rd Annual Gathering & Convention - St. Charles, MO. October 1-4, 2023. Contact Cathy for more information.
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Lutheran CORE's mission:
  • A Network for Confessing Lutherans
  • A Voice for Biblical Truth

Our purpose can be summed up in two words– Network  and  Voice. As  Network  for confessing Lutherans, we support and connect Lutheran individuals and congregations who seek to live in accord with Biblical and confessional teachings and practices. As a  Prophetic Voice, we advocate for Biblical authority and confessional fidelity among churches of the Lutheran community.

We communicate Biblical truth through our newsletter, mailings, and various forms of social media.
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