"From the Pulpit" - reflections on the weekly texts, from Pastor Greg at Living Lord Lutheran Church, Vero Beach, FL 1/31/2026

8 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,  and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.  26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 In contrast, God is why you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”     SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Grace to you, and peace, from God ou rFather and the LORD Jesus Christ.

Shocking!

That's the only way I can describe what I read this week in one of my many online feeds.  You see, there were, way back in the good 'ol days, 8 ELCA Lutheran seminaries around the country, turning out roughly 300-400 grads total per year, each waiting for their first call to a congregation.  Typically, there were twice as many congregations looking for a first call pastor, so the "job" prospects were pretty good, if a grad was able/willing to move anywhere around the country.  When I graduated in May, 2005, there were about 300 ELCA grads from these seminaries total, with over 600 congregations looking for first call pastors.  The market was good if you were able to move around the country to accept a call.

First of all, those 8 seminaries were as follows:

LTSP (Philadelphia)            Gettysburg                Chicago                Iowa (Wartburg)

Luther Southern in SC        Luther Sem. in MN    Luther Pacific       Trinity (Columbus, OH)

Over the past decade or so, Philadelphia (my Alma Mater) and Gettysburg joined together into some sort of a mish-mash that today is totally unrecognizable.  Adjunct faculty, closing of buildings on both campuses, online learning, and more.  I can't even describe what this union is today, it's so bizarre. I believe Philadelphia is selling off its buildings, campus, and the houses around the property - houses where faculty lived.

And in my feed this week, I learned that the flagship seminary - Luther Seminary in Minneapolis/St. Paul, is closing its doors, and in fact, already has closed. Sold or selling its buildings, recreating a new "experience", the article says.  Never in my wildest dreams could I ever have imagined this seminary closing. This was by most peoples' opinions, the flagship of the original 8 ELCA seminaries.  But, it's the way of the world these days.  Fewer people choosing to go into ordained ministry for a myriad of reasons.  Because of fewer opportunities for grads finding a suitable congregation.  Compensation.  The stability of the church long term. Congregations closing or merging with another one for survival.  An increasingly secular world in which we live. The list goes on and on.  The article said Luther would close its 9.5 acre campus, and develop a more "nimble" means of raising leaders in the ELCA tradition. and providing a high quality, online learning experience. Yeah, right.

The article went on to say that the real loss is not just buildings, or land, or seminary campuses, or tradition, but of a world that is collapsing around us with astonishing speed. The article went on to say that when the ELCA was formed in 1988 in Columbus, OH, it boasted over 10,000 congregations, and over 5 million members. Those numbers are down to around 9,000 congregations today, and under 4 million members, headed south to 3 million soon. Check it out at www.elca.org.  Citing one study, from the ELCA itself, it said that by the year 2500 (25 years from now), that number could be down to 67,000 members nationwide. That'll get your attention.  67,000 members!!!

The article cited changing US demographics, an increasingly secularized society, failure by the (little c) church to be proactive in seeing this coming, younger people choosing spirituality over organized religion, and more.  It's no secret. We see it all around us, every day, don't we?  We see it all around us. People just don't join things any more. Ask the Boy and Girl Scouts. Ask your local service organizations. Ask any organization that relies on members to sustain themselves. With few exceptions, this is true.

As an aside, a generation ago, my father was a member of the Rotary Club, and he had perfect attendance for nearly 40 years. 40 years!  When he was out of town, he would seek out the local Rotary Club and attend. He had plaque after plaque of perfect attendance for decades, from the Rotary Club. Who does that anymore?  

When Luther died, one of his closest associates, Phillip Melanchthon, wrote once that the Lutherans were an "orphan bereft", lamenting the uncertainty of the future of the movement that he and Luther and others had started.  It seems like we in some ways are there today  

I have to say, the article didn't give me much hope - no optimistic vision of the future of the little c church. It's the reality in which we live. So, ,what does this mean for us? Here's my take:

o Pray without ceasing, for both our congregation, and the wider church. I know it may sound fluffy, but I believe that prayer is the greatest force on earth.  Pray in your daily prayers, for our mission in the world.  Pray for the wider church.  We'll pray weekly on Sundays for our congregation for guidance and strength.

o  Follow the evangelism of the earliest church found in John's gospel: 

     1.  Proclamation (proclaiming the gospel in lots of ways, not just talking to our neighbors, but others.)  Read or keep up to date on what we are doing in our own evangelism and outreach efforts to reach the wider community. I think it's a lot!

     2.  Invitation - Invite others to come and hear the word of God proclaimed in the Sunday assembly.  Invite your neighbors and friends to join us Sundays at 10 am. Let them see the amazing things we are doing in our community to serve God and neighbor. They'll be shocked at what we do in our little church community - it's awesome!

     3. Invite a friend - It's that simple. Some may like what they see and hear, others, maybe not so much.  But that's OK - that's how itr worked in the earliest church. Some came and stayed, and others didn't.  

o Use and manage our resources wisely. And by resources, I don't mean just our money, although that's important.  I mean our talents, and our time.  Maybe you are maxed out on what you can give to your church financially. But join us one Thursday afternoon at 1 pm as we make PB&J's for Our Father's Table Food Pantry.  Or one of a million other things you can do with your time and talents. Don's assume that someone else will take care of that. Dive in!

o Focus outward.  When Jesus called his earliest disciples, what did he charge them with? To "go out".  Go out into the community. There was no master plan. No document to follow.  Just the enthusiasm that Jesus brought to a decaying world.  There's a theological term called "incurvatus in se", which essentially means faith turned inward on itself. Faith that can't see beyond the doors of the church. Faith that holds on to the past, fearing it will fail.  Our focus needs to continue to focus outward. On the world outside our doors.  

o Finally recognize that even all of this may not be enough.  Three years ago, one of the largest congregations in our synod, in Miami, closed its doors. It just couldn't adapt to a changing demographic in the local community, an increasingly secular world, and more.  But, the good news??? They sold the building, realized nearly $9 million from that sale, and now, that money is going to evangelism and outreach projects right here in our synod, bringing aging congregations back to life in some cases, and funding small startup congregations right here in the synod.  

I don't mean to be "Debbie downer" here, but I think a good dose of reality sometimes can be a sobering wake up call. As we come to our 40th year in April of this year, let's stay together and look ahead to another 40 years, with joy, optimism, and enthusiasm, as we worship our Lord Jesus Christ in word and deed.

Amen, thanks be to God!

PG