The Results of A Lutheran Poll

What are the most pressing issues
facing today’s Lutherans?

A cross-Lutheran resource site, lutherancentral.com, is running a poll.

 

The poll asks one question and gives three answer options.

 

Here is the current result. You can go to lutherancentral.com and add your vote if you like.

In your opinion, what is the top issue Lutherans should be addressing

  • Electing more outward & future focused leaders for senior district and/or national level positions
  • Focus on discipleship of members to serve, lead and evangelize (the leading answer)
  • More focus on social media & better communication across generations & communities

 

I voted for number three—more focus on social media. I don’t think it is the most important necessarily, but  it is the only practical way to achieve the first two options and is therefore the best answer.

 

OPTION ONE-22%

 

Electing more outward & future focused leaders for senior district and/or national level positions

 

Lutherans have a very difficult time identifying talent. Present-day hierarchical leanings make the talent pool difficult to replenish. You don’t get elected to high office in the church without meeting the approval of those already in office. Those in power tend to surround themselves with those who support their ideas. In a church craving diversity and innovation, you end up with more of same—even when diverse and innovative ideas are at hand.

 

This creates a powerless church. The only ones with power are self-absorbed.

 

OPTION TWO-55%

 

Focus on discipleship of members to serve, lead and evangelize

 

This is a crying need, for sure. It is almost impossible to meet without the leadership of independent thinkers. So, OPTION TWO depends on OPTION ONE.

 

It would be interesting to know the demographics of Lutheran Central readers. It is likely to be highly read by professional leaders. If so, are the voters really interested in empowering the laity or are they looking for more help? It is interesting that this is the most popular choice—and probably the easiest to achieve. Just do it!

 

There is probably a difference in lay discernment of their talents and potential contributions and what professional leaders expect.

 

Both OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO can be achieved with OPTION THREE.

 

OPTION THREE-23%

 

More focus on social media & better communication across generations & communities

 

The Church is pitifully behind in adopting modern media. It may be that leaders don’t know how to use it and are afraid to hand the reins to laity, who use it in every aspect of their lives every day.

 

Clergy are way behind leaders in other professions. In business, medicine, education, entertainment, and government, leaders are finding new ways to reach and expand their audiences. In the Church, we are still using the pulpit and newsletters posted as PDFs on static church websites.

 

Social Media scares the socks and stockings off church leaders. It empowers laity. It gives new ideas platforms. One person with a new idea must no longer spend years climbing the toady ladder to be heard.

 

Church leaders have nothing to worry about. Almost no churches use Social Media with any kind of mission strategy in mind. Most church leaders are busy figuring out where the next good leaders wiil come from and how to get laity to work harder.