On a warm and muggy Friday and Saturday in April over 30 friends, family, strangers, pastors, church workers, and laity gathered at Messiah Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City, OK. Hosted by the Oklahoma District on April 24–25, the event brought to the region a conference previously held only at the LCMS seminaries in St. Louis and Fort Wayne—marking the first time it was offered to an audience beyond future pastors.
The conference featured the Rev. Dr. Quintin Cundiff and the Rev. Dr. Heath Trampe from the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM). Together, they led participants through a robust exploration of mission engagement, community outreach, congregational vitality, and church planting with a distinctively Lutheran flair.
The event featured Rev. Dr. Cundiff’s extensive experience in domestic and international church planting, and Rev. Dr. Trampe’s years of parish ministry and national leadership in discipleship, outreach, evangelism, and re:Vitality. This experience helped equip pastors, church workers, and laypeople to plant, revitalize, and disciple congregations more effectively.
The Oklahoma District was excited to partner with the Office of National Mission for this
conference. “We were so thrilled for this conference! When I heard similar conferences
had been held at the seminaries, I reached out to ONM to see what it would take to
have one down here in Oklahoma. The response was overwhelming enthusiasm and
excitement on ONM’s part. People are thirsty for the word of God, and these
conferences are great for giving our people and churches tools and ideas on how reach
out to those in their communities, and to assess and increase congregational vitality”
said evangelism executive Rev. Daniel Ross.
Mission Begins Where God Has Placed His Church
Throughout the conference, attendees were encouraged to think through how they
share their faith, the differences between individual witnessing and congregational
outreach, and that building awareness is not the same thing as outreach. Practical ideas
for outreach were shared as well, with Rev. Dr. Heath Trampe offering additional
resources that he had developed.
A central theme was the role of the priesthood of all believers as participants explored
how individuals and congregations could faithfully witness without giving up their
Lutheran identity or becoming a “consumerist church”. Laity have a critical role in
evangelism for many reasons; they are the people of God. “History shows us that the
most effective mission engagements were those championed by laity,” said Rev. Dr.
Quintin Cundiff. But laity and pastors work alongside each other as a church, not carrying the entire burden on themselves (or as individuals) but as the community of God in a place and time.
Attendees were also challenged to rethink missions as not being far off, but something that is close to home. “The church does not have a mission. God has a mission, and the church is part of it,” presented Rev. Dr. Cundiff, “mission is not something the church does on its own.” Jesus leads His church; He and the Father send forth the Holy Spirit. Jesus sends the church out into the world as His witnesses, proclaiming God’s law and gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church remains God’s witness wherever she is found. Mission is something God works through the church; it is His mission. This is an important reminder.
The conference also highlighted the close relationship between mission and discipleship. These are not competing priorities, but things that go hand-in-hand with each other. The ONM’s re:Vitality initiative offers congregations a suite of tools—including the CADDS selfsurvey—to help them assess and strengthen their existing vitality with more resources on the way. “re:Vitality is a portmanteau ‘regarding
the vitality your church already has.’ These tools are meant to help churches do much of what they are already doing, collaboratively and deliberately” said Rev. Dr. Trampe. Current and future resources are beginning to be translated into Spanish with additional languages planned.
Opportunities for Church Planting in Oklahoma
Participants also received an overview of the LCMS Church Planting Process. There is a need and there are opportunities to plant LCMS churches in the Oklahoma District. ONM provides a robust step-by-step guide for churches and groups to use in planting a church. Following this process also opens the door for church-planting grant opportunities.
Gratitude for a Welcoming Host
The Oklahoma District is grateful to Messiah Lutheran Church for hosting the event on
their campus and making everyone feel welcome and at home. The Oklahoma District is
also thankful to Brandy Ellison for her catering services for dinner for the conference.
