When Will Half the LCMS Be Gone? The Data Is Alarming | Voices of the LCMS | Episode 21

Описание: What if the biggest challenge facing the LCMS isn’t theology, worship style, or structure—but time?

In this video, I take a hard look at new national demographic data that should give every LCMS leader pause. While many of us sense that something is off, the charts now make it unmistakably clear: we are not facing a slow, manageable decline. We are approaching a demographic tipping point.

This conversation is grounded not only in new research from sociologist Ryan Burge, but also in voices from within the LCMS itself. In the State of the LCMS survey, pastors, church workers, and lay leaders repeatedly named the same urgent concern: we are an aging church body that is struggling to reach and retain younger generations.

At the center of this episode is a sobering but necessary question:
Are we willing to reckon honestly with the timeline we’re facing—and lead accordingly?

Drawing on national data, internal LCMS feedback, and a biblical call to wisdom from Psalm 90:12, this video explores why paying attention to age is not fear-mongering, but faithfulness.

We look at:

What the age distribution of the LCMS reveals compared to other denominations

Why decline often feels gradual… until it suddenly isn’t

How an aging church body creates compounding challenges over time

Why refusing to adapt is still a decision—with consequences

And why wisdom requires us to number our days and act with courage

This is not about blaming older generations.
It’s not about abandoning theology or chasing trends.
And it’s not about panic.

It’s about honesty, wisdom, and leadership—so that the Church can remain faithful and fruitful for the sake of the Gospel and the next generation.

👇 Join the conversation in the comments:
If something’s gotta change in the LCMS, where do you think the most courage is needed right now?

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