Lutheran Hour Ministries Annual Report (2017-2018)

to Share the Gospel through You

2018 ANNUAL MINISTRY IMPACT REPORT

BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, In 1917, a group of faithful “pioneers” gathered together for the first time as laity in Milwaukee to support the Church in word and deed. It was with this particular act that the ministry of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League / Lutheran Hour Ministries (Int’l LLL/LHM) first formed. Little did those laypeople know then of all the tremendous plans God had for this worldwide ministry, yet we are here today as a testimony to the sovereign plan of God, attesting to what He can do with people following His will.

The world may have changed, but the power of the laity remains strong today as the Int’l LLL/LHM continues to move forward by adapting with the times to remain a leading force for providing the Gospel message to others.

Since our founding, we have repeatedly faced the learning curve of how to best present the Gospel to new generations using new technologies, and throughout that history we have seen examples of God’s providence, power, and protection! God truly is good ALL the time ... even when we may not understand His ways.

Thanks to the sustained, generous support of faithful individuals like you, the Int’l LLL/LHM enters its second century of ministry knowing that bold new strategies are required for sharing the love of Christ with the billions of people who do not know Him. Technology and rapid cultural shifts may have altered the face of evangelism, but Christ’s Great Commission still stands … and God continues to call us as His SENT people on a constant mission for the Savior.

CONTENTS A Year in Review

Ministry by the Numbers

Impact Stories

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We are extremely blessed that you made the decision to partner with us during the past year. Your support allows LHM to share the Good News with more than 125 million people each week in more than 50 nations around the world through a variety of culturally relevant outreach programs and resources. Your gifts, prayers, and volunteer involvement allow hurting people to find answers and relief in the Gospel.

Please explore this year’s ministry impact report to see some of the ways God is working through you. I hope you are humbled to see how God uses our talents and treasures to make His Gospel known.

Thank you so much for your faithful support. May God bless you richly in the coming year!

Your Partner in HIS Mission,

Kurt Buchholz President & CEO Lutheran Hour Ministries

Consolidating Statement of Activities

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Board of Directors & Foundation Members

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A Year in Review:

How Your Gifts Helped LHM Share the Gospel in 2018 Lutheran Hour Ministries launched SENT, a global initiative to proclaim the Gospel, during a special celebration event in Milwaukee in August. As an expansive, holistic, multilayered plan to answer the pressing challenges and realities of the 21st century, this initiative brings greater vision, clarity, and definition to the work LHM is already doing.

To create the greatest impact for our friends, families, churches, communities, and world, the ministry is focusing on four key strategic priorities outlined in our comprehensive fiveyear strategic plan. Following are some of the ways in which LHM was abundantly blessed

by God during the last year thanks to your generous support.

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People Reached with the Gospel Globally Every Week

65,728

546,919

Annual Referrals to Churches

Annual Responses to Outreach Efforts

142,958

Engagements (likes, comments, shares, etc.) through THRED Platforms

75,000

64,614

New Bible Correspondence Course Students Enrolled Annually Around the World

Members Today

1 MILLION

Listeners to The Lutheran Hour Each Week

23,364

1,800

People Connected with Christian Communities Last Year

North American Stations Airing The Lutheran Hour

68,341

People Trained in Evangelism Last Year

50 +

Countries Ministry Reach

MINISTRY BY THE NUMBERS

125 MILLION +

109,000

Video Plays in the Last Year on LHM’s Vimeo Page

4,500 + LCMS/LCC Churches Using LHM Resources

317

Staff Members Worldwide 4

Energize, Equip, and Engage Laity for Outreach 5

The strategic partnership with Barna Group provided LHM with vital insights in 2018 related to Spiritual Conversations in the Digital Age, and a monograph based around this topic was offered to church leaders around the United States.

Based on this research theme, Barna painted a picture of the “Eager Conversationalist,” a person who has conversations about faith more than 10 times a year. These findings allowed LHM to create the profile of an engaged, Gospelsharing layperson that guided the development of resources tailored to help laypeople grow in various areas of sharing their faith. The creation and implementation of a “Spiritual Conversation Curve” not only helps LHM equip Christians as witnesses but provides an overarching framework to align products.

Our LHM Learn website (lhm.org/learn) provides free outreach resources that help individuals reach out with the love of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives. At any given time, around 1,300 active users are participating in the more than two dozen courses available under five categories: Christian Foundations, Cultural Concepts, Everyday Insights, Outreach Essentials, and Spiritual Reflections.

Nearly 600 teachers, parents, and other educators registered for the 2018 Online Mission Trip to Cambodia—which means tens of thousands of students saw firsthand how the Gospel is shared in another part of the world.

The “trip” provided four days of content on an interactive website including videos, photos, online curriculum, and discussion questions to allow participants to explore Cambodia’s culture, discover how LHM is meeting the needs of the local population, and reflect on what it means for their daily life.

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Grow God’s Kingdom Through Expanded Media Outreach 7

LHM welcomed the Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler in October as the new speaker of The Lutheran Hour. In addition to connecting with people through the traditional methods of radio and in-person events, we look forward to partnering with him to utilize the expanding possibilities for sharing the Gospel that are offered by new technologies.

The launch of an online radio station, Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler SENTradio (lhm.org/sentradio), provides around-the-clock archived sermons from various speakers of The Lutheran Hour as well as hymns, contemporary Christian music, Scripture readings, morning prayers, and evening vespers. In addition to airing on 1,800 traditional stations throughout North America, The Lutheran Hour is also now available on new media platforms such as a mobile app, Amazon Alexa, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Sirius XM satellite radio.

A podcast section on the LHM website (lhm.org/podcasts) now includes seven offerings: The Lutheran Hour, a Reflections segment, a special broadcast of The Lutheran Hour airing on American Forces Network, Daily Devotions, Action in Ministry, Sentido Latino, and Ayer, Hoy y Siempre.

Syndication efforts for our Christmas television specials were especially robust, with more than 1,250 clearances being secured for Christmas Is, Little Shepherd, The Puzzle Club Christmas Mystery, Red Boots for Christmas, The City That Forgot About Christmas, and The Stableboy’s Christmas. When combined with Easter syndication, nearly 2,100 airings of LHM programming occurred.

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Bring the Gospel to the Unreached Around the World 6 9

Television programming in coordination with SAT-7 began airing in June. The weekly, 60-minute variety show dramatizes real-life problems and struggles for young people and their families, many who doubt God’s grace and forgiveness and are uncertain of their role in life and God’s intention for them. The broadcast has the potential of reaching tens of millions of viewers in more than 20 countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Drawing on the success of the broadcasts through SAT-7’s Arabic channel, LHM began sponsoring a live program, Golpand, on SAT-7 PARS that focuses on children ages 5-13 and teaches morals and values through games, educational videos, and drama. Providing funding for staff and production as well as the design of a new web page expands proclamation of the Gospel among Farsi/Dari speakers in the region.

Social media is shining the light of Christ into the Middle East and North Africa. In the past year, LHM messages have reached tens of millions of people, and about 380,000 people from more than 15 countries have responded by subscribing to our page.

Loading MP3 players with the Kazakh Bible and Lutheran Bible courses, sermons, teaching content, songs, and hymns allows LHM to reach nomadic Kazakh people in eastern Asia who spend up to six months a year with their flocks and herds in pasture lands and outside the range for radio signals.

New efforts in southeast Asia and Puerto Rico are proclaiming the Gospel to the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic communities in these small but vibrant areas.

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Engage Communities in the Digital Mission Field 8 11

In today’s digital age, people increasingly go online to learn, connect, and even build relationships. The online community of THRED continues to deepen relationships with non-Christians through digital means by offering open and honest conversations with people of different backgrounds about life, faith, and Jesus. More than four million unique impressions have been made through this important program.

The platform provides multiple opportunities for important conversations to happen online — from articles to videos and from forums to social media —and THRED staff is always looking for ways to start better conversations in more places: • THRED Dialogues videos allow individuals to hear a conversation with people of different backgrounds reacting to the words of Jesus found in key moments of His life. Then, they can interact with others and share their own thoughts in the comments.

• The Spoken Word video series by Joe Davis and Chad Armour helped THRED connect with audiences it was previously not reaching, such as a more diverse group of individuals between the ages of 25 and 45.

• Social media LIFE conversations have transitioned from using blogs to vlogs (video logs), increasing engagement with the addition of the video element.

• Monitoring social media allows THRED staff to see what people are talking about online. Engaging in discussions about heated topics such as the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, can be difficult in maintaining middle ground, but that doesn’t stop THRED from allowing open conversations on its page. A long-time follower who identifies himself as agnostic mentioned how much he enjoys coming to THRED for conversations that make him think about his ideas and how he forms them.

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Sharing the Good News through Engaged Volunteers topical resources

Several years ago, Zeya suffered from Stage 4 cancer. Her condition was dire. It was shortly thereafter when she received a copy of LHM’s Coping with Cancer booklet, which provided her with hope and encouragement to face her diagnosis and the accompanying treatments. By God’s grace, she is now cancer-free, but she hasn’t forgotten how much the booklet and LHM–Myanmar staff helped her.

Recently, Zeya was sitting in a taxi cab.

Nanda, her driver, had heard about LHM on the radio and asked if she was familiar with it. Yes, she replied, she knew about LHM because its resources had helped her tremendously. After chatting about Zeya’s experience during the short cab ride, Nanda decided to request an LHM booklet on stress to help with the struggles he was facing in his personal life.

That marked the beginning of a beautiful journey.

Nanda had never been to church. But as he read more LHM material, God worked on his heart. Nanda wanted to know more about God, so he began to visit local Christian churches — and noticed a sense of peace followed.

Nanda’s journey continues today. Please pray for him as the Holy Spirit continues to nudge him toward Jesus. u 13

kids

booklets Members of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, have conducted several outreach activities to reach out to a poverty-stricken neighborhood nearby. For the past two years, they have taken a Vacation Bible School to the children there. This year they had 115 children enrolled, most of whom do not hear the Gospel in any other venue and many of whom are hearing it for the first time.

Unfortunately, for many reasons, the children are unable to attend Zion’s Sunday school classes. In the meantime, church members distributed LHM’s The Christmas Journey booklet and other Christian resources during a bilingual worship event held for the community to keep the children in the Word until they can get back in front of them with VBS next summer. u Pastor Joasy faces challenges witnessing training in the congregation he serves in Madagascar’s Antanetilava region.

Many people in the region still practice traditional ancestor worship; there was more than enough opportunity to spread the Gospel — but the 160 members of his church were not familiar with how to share Jesus with their neighbors. They were content to let Pastor Joasy do any outreach that was to be done.

Pastor Joasy had learned about LHM–Madagascar from some of his ministry colleagues. He contacted the center and asked to host an Equipping the Saints witnessing training workshop at his church.

Eight members were commissioned as volunteers and became very active — especially in reaching out to unchurched people.

“As a result, twenty-five children and adults came for baptism ... and ten unchurched cohabiting couples even decided to join together in Christian marriage,” he says. In two years, the congregation has grown by leaps and bounds, and more than 80 people have enrolled in LHM’s Bible Correspondence Courses.

“I no longer work alone!” says Pastor Joasy. u 14

Changing Lives through the Power of Radio light in the darkness

John was a college freshman when his girlfriend, who he was convinced God intended for him to marry, left him.

The loneliness, combined with the frequent hazing and stress often associated with starting college, led him to fall into a deep struggle with pornography. He felt God had abandoned him in his time of darkness before he came across the sermon archive for The Lutheran Hour while searching the internet.

“I found light in the sermons while listening at all hours of many sleepless nights,” says John. “Eventually God walked me out of my darkness, and I regained the love of my life and was able to move away from my addiction to pornography. God truly used The Lutheran Hour as a tool to change my life, and His plan is bringing me far more riches than I could ever hope to see by my own design.” u hope for the discouraged

Gaew is a 41-year-old seamstress who lives in Bangkok, Thailand. A mother of four and a grandmother of two, she spends much of her life caring for others. Oftentimes, her life leaves her feeling drained and discouraged.

One afternoon, Gaew turned on her radio and heard Home for Love, one of LHM’s radio broadcasts in Thailand. The content variety drew her in, yet the program offered something even more precious: encouragement in her hour of need. Gaew contacted the LHM ministry center to receive the free Bible Correspondence Course she heard about on the air. The studies ignited such happiness in her heart, Gaew believes the Lord used them to provide His leading in her life. (continued) 15

“My life is not chaos like before,” she says. “I know God and trust in Him, so I’m happy now.” Ministry staff introduced her to a local congregation, where she could attend services and receive spiritual nourishment. Today, her faith is growing stronger. She continues her Bible Correspondence Courses and craves to know the Lord better — and desires Him to bring her family members to faith in Jesus, too. u a better way forward

Sergio is a truck driver in his mid-40s who is constantly on the road for his job in Argentina. His job keeps him away from home for long periods of time and causes stress in his marriage, which made him very depressed and increasingly led him to begin thinking about taking his life.

One night he turned on the radio and came across a local station where the announcer was talking about the love and forgiveness of God. He had never heard anyone talk about God before, so the program piqued his interest and he continued to listen. When the announcer gave a phone number to call for more information Sergio immediately picked up his phone and made a call.

Sergio came in contact with a pastor who was the announcer on the radio program hosted in conjunction with LHM. Sergio told the pastor about how he was considering taking his life until he heard the message on the program and learned that there was a better way out. After a long phone conversation, the pastor met with Sergio in person and offered comfort and forgiveness of Christ. He also shared several booklets and information about the Bible Correspondence Courses produced by the LHM—Argentina ministry team. Sergio was very appreciative and said he couldn’t wait to read the materials to learn more about the Gospel. u 16

Sharing the Gospel with People Who Don’t Yet Know Jesus vocational

training Angalia lives in Nairobi, Kenya. Like too many women there, she turned to prostitution to survive. To her dismay, that way of life failed to provide sufficient income.

Sadder yet, her choices left her feeling too guilty to step through the doors of a church, where she might find help to turn her life around.

One day, a friend invited her to a fellowship activity led by LHM ministry staff. Next, Angalia participated in Reaching Rahab, a program which helps women escape prostitution through vocational training. She also completed LHM’s Bible Correspondence Courses.

Angalia turned away from prostitution and toward the Savior. She continues to grow in her faith. “I am happy that God by His grace has saved and transformed my life,” she says. u Like many people living in rural Cambodia, 55-year-old Po lives in a village where Christianity is not prevalent and there is no local church to participate in worship. He was experiencing many personal hardships in his life: his wife had an affair with another man in the village before leaving him and he had fallen very ill and felt hopeless.

hope found

One day he came across a rally hosted by staff and volunteers from Lutheran Hour Ministries. He explained to them what he was going through and told them he felt like nobody cared. The volunteers began speaking about the hope that could be found in Christ and invited him to participate in the ministry’s Bible Correspondence Courses.

His ongoing participation in the courses allowed him to begin feeling encouraged about facing his challenges head on. u 17 17

Emils is a 19-year-old student who lives in a small town in northern Latvia. His best friend Karlis had invited him several times to the local Lutheran worship service, but Emils didn’t feel comfortable in the setting.

A place to belong

“I didn’t know the rituals and songs and I thought that others would judge me for not knowing something,” he says. “I guess there were all these stereotypes in my head—how you should look and what you should do to be suitable for church. Karlis always tried telling me to just sit and enjoy because there is no right or wrong in this situation. It is your relationship with God.” One day Karlis asked Emils if he wanted to learn some hip-hop dance steps. Emils thought it sounded like fun, so Karlis passed along an online poster advertising local dance classes for children and teens that would be hosted by Lutheran Hour Ministries. To his surprise, the dance teacher was a young boy who dressed and talked the same way as Emils.

“The teacher told us that there is a music style called Christian hiphop,” Emils says. “He said you can listen to the contemporary music and praise Jesus through it! I was totally surprised! It didn’t match the stereotypes in my head. So, you really can be modern and stylish and be a Christian? Just as my friend Karlis had tried to tell me: it is your relationship with God, come as you are.”

The next Sunday he asked Karlis if he could attend church with him.

“I am considering becoming part of the congregation,” Emils says. “It is just like being in a big family— there will be good days and there will be some bad days, but the most important thing is now I feel like I do belong there.” u 18 18

Making Connections within the Digital Mission Field building trust

A few months ago, Jeremy was scrolling through the explore section on social media and came across something that stood out to him. After digging into it a little more, he found himself on THRED’s website and ended up starting a conversation in a private message.

He was very honest and opened up about his personal life to the THRED writers. He told the writer he was communicating with that he is an atheist. He said he has not always been an atheist and doesn’t know if he will always be one. He appreciated that he could be open and honest about his beliefs on THRED’s discussion platform and he knows he is not being judged for his beliefs. To this day, Jeremy still keeps in contact with THRED writers and continues to participate in the dialogues offered through THRED’s various platforms.

Jeremy needed someone to talk to who would hear him for who he is and not try to influence him into a different set of beliefs. He found that safe place at THRED and was able to share his thoughts and feelings with someone in a judgement-free zone.

The goal of THRED is to build trusting relationships with individuals on the site. By establishing a relationship with people and letting them know that we care about them as a person, and we care about their spiritual journey, they are a lot more receptive to hearing what we have to offer, and they often want to continue the relationship.

Jeremy’s THRED story shows that people are comfortable talking to others online and after starting a conversation, relationships are formed, and a lasting bond can be created. u

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open and honest discussion

The number of people that a single social media post reaches grows every minute. Every like, comment, and share spread the post to another audience, the friends of the one who initially interacted with it. Also, we are more likely to read into something that our friends share because we trust their opinion and value their friendship. Is the same true for something your professor posts?

One example of THRED’s wide digital presence is when a professor saw her students share a post from THRED’s Facebook page. She had such strong feelings about it that she then shared the post with her Facebook friends, some of which were other students.

The post that started it all was a video THRED posted about positive body image. The professor knew the topic of body image and body positivity was important to talk about with the college demographic, so she wanted to get in on the conversation and share her ideas and experiences.

Digital conversations like this are spirited and sometimes people get heated because they are so passionate about the topic being presented. THRED is a place for open, honest questions and answers.

The viral aspect of THRED helps topics reach people who might not follow THRED now, but they are interested in the concept and might eventually become active conversationalists with THRED writers. u patience and kindness

Nearly 500 people from throughout Latin America who live in one of the countries where LHM has a ministry center are currently interacting with ministry volunteers through Vivenciar.net. One of these individuals is Violeta, who came across the website while searching for information about depression. She has since been communicating frequently with a ministry center volunteer.

“The person who has been talking with me is very patient,” she posted. “Thank you so much for helping me. I know how difficult it is to be counseling someone who is as depressed as I am. The person has been so kind in every message she has sent me. Thank you for being there.”

Violeta is just one example of how Vivenciar is making a difference by providing information about some of the common issues of today as conversation starters. The site garnered nearly 104,000 new visitors, 12,000 responses, 4,400 quiz completions, and 2,500 e-book downloads for Fiscal Year 2018, numbers that were quickly surpassed during just the first half of the new fiscal year. u 20 20

17% - FUND DEVELOPMENT

7% - ADMINISTRATION

7% - OTHER INCOME

76%

I B U TI O N S

Income

N

IN

IS

Expenses

Consolidated Operating

TR

TRY

Consolidated Operating

- ESTATE 28% GI F

TS

- M

65%

O -C

International Lutheran Laymen’s League and Subsidiaries Consolidating Statement of Activities (in thousands) Year ended May 31, 2018, with comparative totals for 2017 OPERATING SUPPORT AND REVENUE

INT’L LUTHERAN LAYMEN’S LEAGUE

Donor support Other income, net Operating income

$30,909 753 31,662

OPERATING EXPENSES Ministries 24,021 Administration and Fundraising 7,267 Operating Expenses 31,288 Operating Income in Excess of Expenses

LHM FOUNDATION

$873 1,604 2,477

2018 CONSOLIDATED TOTALS

$31,782 2,357 34,139

2017 CONSOLIDATED TOTALS

$30,485 3,135 33,620

- 24,021 25,024 178 7,445 7,781 178 31,466 32,805

374

2,299

2,673

815

Non-operating income Non-operating expenses Non-operating Net Income

1,370 1,209 161

- 637 (637)

1,370 1,846 (476)

1,344 1,367 (23)

Endowment and other fund distributions

1,062

(1,062)

Change in Net Assets

1,597

600

2,197

792

Net Assets, Beginning of Year 28,524 Net Assets, End of Year $30,121

17,984 $18,584

46,508 $48,705

45,716 $46,508

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Lutheran Hour Ministries is the registered d/b/a name for the International Lutheran Laymen’s League.

A copy of the full audit report is available online at lhm.org/report.

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LHM Board of Directors (As of December 2018)

CHAIRMAN Phillip Johnson

VICE CHAIRMAN Gene Partlow

SECRETARY Janice Wendorf

TREASURER Paul Pettit

Maplewood, Minnesota

Williamsburg, Virginia

Neenah, Wisconsin

Lincoln, Nebraska

DIRECTORS Londa Borer-Skov Sacramento, California

Jack Ficken Fairview, Tennessee

Richard “Dick” Gast Canyon Lake, California

Jonathan Laabs

Edith Schoepp

Roselle, Illinois

Onoway, Alberta, Canada

Michael “Mick” Onnen Davenport, Nebraska

Leonard Pranschke St. Louis, Missouri

William Snow Watertown, South Dakota

Karen Soeken Ellicott City, Maryland

Gretchen Jameson Muskego, Wisconsin

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation (As of December 2018)

OFFICERS John “Jack” Kidwell

Jeffrey Craig-Meyer

Loren Podoll

Lois Engfehr

Chairman

President

Secretary

Assistant Secretary

Bay City, Michigan

St. Louis, Missouri

Brian Mitchell

Rev. Jay DeBeir

David Lanius

Vice Chairman

Vice President

Treasurer

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

TRUSTEES Kurt Buchholz LHM President & CEO

St. Louis, Missouri

Riverton, Wyoming

Collinsville, Illinois

St. Louis, Missouri

Glenn Gerber

Calvin Neeman

Katy, Texas

Waterloo, Illinois

Phillip Johnson

Lynn Scudieri

Int’l LLL Chairman of the Board

Naples, Florida

St. Charles, Missouri

Phil Daniels Chesterfield, Missouri

Jack Ficken Int’l LLL Board of Directors Representative Fairview, Tennessee

Maplewood, Minnesota

Kelly Keithly

Shawn Sny Saginaw, Michigan

Yuma, Arizona

David Leege Alexandria, Virginia

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