Study shows pastors, church workers play key role in inspiring future church careers
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But at what point, and in what way, do children begin considering a career in church work? What would make someone decide to enter church work?
According to a recent study by the What a Way committee of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), current church workers play a critical role identifying, informing, and encouraging the next generation to consider a career in church work. An LCMS media release says ministry workers said church workers, when grouped together, were the leading reason for their career choice, at 64 percent. Pastors were the single most influential group followed by family, the study found. The ministry workers surveyed said the following influenced them the most: ** 29 percent pastors So what makes a good church worker? The apostle Paul referred to himself as a servant, as did Peter and the author of James. What would make someone want to be a church worker when ’servant’ is the primary job description? The answer comes from Bible, the media release states. On the night he was betrayed Jesus took upon himself the role of a servant and washed the feet of His disciples. “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.’ ” (John 13:12-16 ESV) Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, director of What a Way, said that servant-minded church workers must have a love for God and his Word. They must also have “the ability to work with people, a passion for studying and applying God’s Word, excellent communication skills, a love for sharing the Gospel with others, and patience,” he said. “But at the center of it all, a church worker believes in Christ, follows His example, and joyfully serves God’s people.” Sometimes this service is straightforward as with Anjee Stiles, a teacher at Gethsemane Lutheran School in Northglenn, CO., who instructs her kindergarten children about Jesus the Good Shepherd as part of the academic curriculum. Sometimes it is as simple as when Deaconess Carol Goldfish, from Trinity Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, IA, visits a shut-in and shares the news of a God whose love is unending. Other times it is as obvious as when Alaina Kleinbeck, director of Christian education from Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles, MO., takes the time to visit youth in her school, reminding students that Jesus’ love is not bound by walls or institutions. Very often, it is as clear as when Pastor David Gunderson of St. John Lutheran Church in Yankton, S.D., prays with a couple before they are married. “Our prayer is that men and women, no matter their stage in life, keep open hearts and minds in order to hear and respond to the call to church work.” In the media release, LCMS says there are many professional church worker positions open throughout the world. For information about church work positions within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, please visit www.WhataWay.org or www.LCMS.org . The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod began its What a Way initiative in May 2000 as a way to recruit, train, and retain church workers. The goal of What a Way is to ensure a sufficient supply of ordained and commissioned workers. For more information, including descriptions of church work positions within the LCMS and resources, please visit www.whataway.org . The St. Louis-based Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, founded in 1847, has nearly 2.4 million baptized members in some 6,200 congregations and more than 9,000 pastors. The church body, which ranks as one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, owns and operates KFUO radio, two seminaries, and 10 colleges and universities. Its congregations operate the largest Protestant parochial school system in America. The LCMS has relationships and active mission work in 88 countries around the world and is in full doctrinal fellowship with 33 other confessional Lutheran church bodies on six continents. Also, the LCMS is a founding partner of Lutheran Services in America, a social ministry organization serving one in every 50 Americans. For more information, visit www.lcms.org . _______________________________________________ Media Contact: Vicki Biggs
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