In This Issue

• What group makes it difficult for ELCA bishops?
• Public acceptance vs. Scripture and Confessions
• Do progressive pastors feel accountable to the beloved community?
• Using the right leadership style can grow the body of Christ
• CORE's latest website page is focused on the ELCA
• Salvation videos by Mark Mattes
• Free ILT Evangelism class
• Free Vision Casting webinar
• How coddling leads to failure
• March for Life and Youth for Life Conference

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by Pr. David Charlton, Lutheran CORE Board President

This January marks the end of my term as President of Lutheran CORE. I have been on the board of CORE since 2019. In that time, my own congregation held a successful vote to leave the ELCA. As a result, the fate of the ELCA will not have a direct impact on me and my congregation. Nevertheless, with the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approaching, I wanted to share some final thoughts about the denomination of which I was a part for 35 years. 

When I think about the direction of the ELCA in 2024, the words “no way to slow down” come to mind. In case you don’t recognize those words, they come from the song Locomotive Breath by the rock band Jethro Tull. It tells the story of a runaway train. The refrain says, “Old Charlie stole the handle / and the train it won’t stop going / no way to slow down.”  [...]

by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson, Lutheran CORE Executive Director

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly passed two resolutions that called for reconsideration of the 2009 social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.”

• Reconsideration #1: A review of specific text references that “would consider the import that marriage legally is now a covenant between individuals;” review specific wording “in light of public acceptance of marriage of same-gender and gender-non-conforming couples;” and “consider references to diversity of family configurations.”
• Reconsideration #2: A fresh consideration of the “church’s current concept of the four positions of bound conscience” found on pages 19-21 of “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.”

The task force that has been appointed to work on these reconsiderations will have recommendations for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly regarding Reconsideration # 1. They describe these recommendations as “simply editorial.” [...]

by Pr. John Mohan, NALC pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Bloomsburg, PA

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

Our Lord gave these instructions to the 72 as he “sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go” (Matthew 10:1). I often think of these words when I attend an ordination. I don’t focus on the “sheep in the midst of wolves,” although that can certainly be true. Instead, I pray that the newly ordained may be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” It’s a lesson every pastor needs to learn.

“What is the wisdom of the snake?” Dallas Willard asks in his classic The Divine Conspiracy. “It is to be watchful and observant until the time is right to act. It is timeliness. One rarely sees a snake chasing its prey or thrashing about in an effort to impress it. But when it acts, it acts quickly and decisively. And as for the dove, it does not contrive. It is incapable of intrigue. Guile is totally beyond it. There is nothing indirect about this gentle creature. It is in this sense ‘harmless.’” [...]

by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson, Lutheran CORE Executive Director

Please check out the new page on our website, “ELCA Focus,” which brings together in one place a large number of resources and articles regarding the ELCA. It is intended to help pastors, lay leaders, and congregations become aware of and prepared for the dramatic changes that are anticipated from decisions that will be made and actions that will be taken by the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. A link to that page can be found here.

There are three sections to the page – “What Is the Issue?”, “Stories from Churches”, and “Relevant Articles.”

“What Is the Issue?” (LINK) contains links to the websites for the Lutheran Congregational Support Network, the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, and the DEIA audit which the ELCA had done of its governing documents. The page also includes a link to my evaluation of a communication from an ELCA synodical bishop [...]

by Dr. Brian Hughes, Lutheran CORE Board Vice-President

Wednesday, February 19 – 11 AM EST

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:9-10

An extraordinary vision launched St. Paul into new territory, setting the stage for a world history changing ministry despite all the challenges that would follow. Every movement in Christian history has followed the same pattern including the path taken by our own Martin Luther. God shows a way forward and believers do something about it. “What is God saying to me and how will I respond?” becomes the basis for a different trajectory because the inverse is also true: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18.  Vision is the place where tomorrow is shaped. Vision draws in excitement, motivates believers, and determines what may be accomplished. Vision inspires creativity and is a catalyst for innovation. [...]

by Pr. Douglas Schoelles, NALC Pastor in Indiana and Lutheran CORE Board Member

Is your word any good? Like the Old Westerns, “My word is My bond.” We like to think we are people of our word. We make a concerted effort to follow through and do what we said we’d do. We want to be seen as straight-shooting, trustworthy folks who keep their promises.

When someone doesn’t keep their word to us we get irritated, don’t we? Of course! With politicians, we just expect them to break their promises. We are disappointed when companies break their policies, their promises. We are hurt when someone breaks their word. Broken promises break our trust.

The Bible speaks about “giving your word” as making an oath. Like the president and other officials take an oath, a promise, to faithfully execute the responsibilities of their office. An oath is a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior. [...]

by Mr. Joel Williams, Institute of Lutheran Theology (ILT)

PT 400/500: EVANGELISM – Rev. Mark Mattes, Ph.D.

Build your confidence in sharing Christ with others, especially the unchurched. Whether layperson or pastor, student, faculty, or brand-new to ILT, all are invited to be a part of this groundbreaking course.

Explore opportunities to spark congregational outreach, along with hands on experiences of sharing Christ one-on-one and through social media. Attend presentations from skilled pastor/evangelists who will help you creatively strategize effective outreach. Pastors are not expected to be the sole evangelist in their congregations. Instead, pastors are encouraged to model a life of

witness and lead a team creating momentum for outreach. This promises to be a life-changing course. Sign up for this invaluable course at no cost! Classes meet on Thursdays from 6 pm-9 pm [CST] this spring semester [starting January 23, 2025].

To learn more about these opportunities, contact Joel Williams at jwilliams@ilt.edu, or call (605) 392-9337.

by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson, Lutheran CORE Executive Director

Many thanks to LCMC pastor Daniel Ostercamp for his video review of the book, “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure,” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. A link to Daniel’s review can be found here. A link to our YouTube channel, which contains over four dozen reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found here.    

Regarding the book, Daniel writes –

Successful societies find ways to teach their youth the timeless wisdom needed to build good lives [...]

by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson, Lutheran CORE Executive Director

Many thanks to Dr. Mark Mattes of Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa, for the video recordings of the lectures he recently gave on how we can be sure of our salvation. These lectures were given at Lutheran Church of the Master in Corona del Mar, California, where Russell Lackey serves as pastor. Until recently Russell was campus pastor at Grand View.   

Mark Mattes has been a Lutheran pastor for 38 years. He served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin and has taught theology at Grand View University for over 29 years. He has authored and edited numerous books in theology and has lectured both across the country and in various parts of the world.

Concerning the theological and spiritual significance of his presentation, Mark wrote, “Many Christians look not just to Christ for the assurance of their salvation but also to changed behaviors, such as a greater engagement with prayer, Bible study, and witnessing. They have a ‘checklist’ for evidence of conversion [...]

by Pastor Dennis Di Mauro, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church (NALC) in Warrenton, VA

The NALC Life Ministries team is once again preparing for the March for Life in Washington D.C. this January, but our plan is a little different. Instead of holding a life conference, NALC Life has decided to team up with Lutherans for Life (LFL) and participate in their events at the March! Their youth conference, Y4Life, will be held at the Hilton Arlington Landing Hotel (2399 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202) from Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 through Saturday, January 25th, 2025 and it has over 400 kids already registered [...]

• Free Evangelism Course--Online ILT class- Taught by Mark Mattes. Starting Thursday, 23 January, 2025. Enroll here.
• Free Webinar “Vision Casting” — February 19, 2025 from 11 am—12 pm EST. Click here.
• Free Webinar “Grief and Change” — March 19, 2025 from 11 am—12 pm EST. Details TBD.
• Free Webinar “Organizational Structure and Succession Planning” — April 23, 2025 from 11 am—12 pm EST. Details TBD.
• BYLD: Building Youth As Leaders Who Are Disciples of Christ—Geneva College, Beaver, PA. July 7-12, 2025. Click here.
• 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly—Phoenix, AZ. July 28 - Aug 2, 2025. Click here.
• NALC Lutheran Week 2025. Pittsburgh, PA. August 3 - Aug 8, 2025. Click here.
• LCMC 25th Annual Gathering & Convention — Lakeville, MN. October 5-8, 2025. Click here.

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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.