Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
I pray you all had a very blessed and joyful Christmas celebration. As we embark on a New Year, this is a good time for reflection on the past and planning for the future. That’s good for our physical realm and even more important for our spiritual welfare. So, let’s begin the year by tackling the “900-pound gorillas in the room” that most people don’t want to talk about: Adult Bible Class. We currently have only a tiny fraction of those who attend worship and then stay after to study God’s Word together with me. Why is that? I’ve heard some of the reasons which we’ll address here in this article. And let me add, that these reasons are gleaned from my 28 years in the ministry, and not just from my time here at Zion.
Anyway, here we go. One that I’ve heard many times over is: “I’m not very knowledgeable about the Bible and I don’t want to feel dumb sitting in a class where everyone knows more than me.” Well, let’s examine that. If a child feels “dumb” sitting in math class at school, what do we do? Let him/her skip? No. We encourage them to ask questions of the teacher and seek help understanding the things they’re uncertain of. In other words, rather than avoiding our weak areas we tackle them and grow with the help of teachers and others. Bible class is no different. I have never embarrassed anyone for not knowing an answer or concept in Bible class. We are all learning and sometimes the simplest questions are the most helpful for everyone to ask. If you’re not comfortable asking the question publicly, you can ask me privately and I’ll answer it next time without disclosing who asked it. Also, some people are afraid they’ll be made to read out loud and they’re not comfortable with that. Once again, I can tell you I have never forced anyone to read if they didn’t want to.
Another reason for not attending Adult Bible Class is: “Sunday after worship is our family time.” Family is certainly important. But so is your spiritual health. They don’t have to be in conflict with one another. Think of it this way. If you have diabetes your doctor will most likely prescribe medication, regular blood-sugar testing, and exercise. Those are all part of meeting the needs of your body to stay healthy and alive. Would it make sense, though, to tell your doctor that you don’t have time for one or all of these things because you need to spend time with your family instead? I’m sure you wouldn’t. Rather, you’d make time for both. Especially since you know that taking care of your bodily health is essential to your ability to spend time with your family. The same is true spiritually. I’m confident most family members would encourage you to take the time for your spiritual health. After all, the benefits are eternal. Better yet, why not invite your family to join you in Bible class (and the kids in Sunday School)?
How about this one? “I already attend other Bible studies and also do one on my own.” That’s good… depending on the source materials and guidance of those studies. Granted, I’m biased, but I know that my wife leads a wonderful, solidly Lutheran women’s class. Two things can be drawn from that. First, being immersed in Lutheran doctrine in your classes is vitally important. Can you attend a class with non-Lutherans and still grow in your faith? Absolutely! And hopefully you’ll be positively influencing them as you do. But first you yourself need to be firmly grounded in our Lutheran teachings. Once you are, then you can boldly confess the truth of the Bible to those who are not Lutheran in the group. My “job” as your Pastor is to help you be firmly grounded in this way. I recently heard a Lutheran Pastor on a podcast say that a minister’s greatest joy is to preach and teach his people. He also admitted that a Pastor can get kind of depressed when the flock he’s been entrusted with, ignores the teaching side of his ministry. On the other hand, a Pastor feels appreciated when his members are actively seeking to grow in their faith together. This is not about my ego or self-esteem. Rather, it’s a way that a Pastor can judge his effectiveness in a congregation.
And here’s one more. I had a member complain to me once that he didn’t need to have the Bible read to him like a child in the worship service. In fact, he said he hated it. Instead, he wanted that time used in an “instructional” sermon so that he could understand the Bible better. The interesting thing is that, if memory serves me correct, this person never once bothered to attend Bible class which is precisely where he would have gotten what he was seeking. Along with that, over the years I’ve a handful of members who complained that I mentioned in the sermon our doctrinal differences with other denominations. I was supposed to address those in Bible Class, not in the sermon. Here again, guess who didn’t come to Sunday Bible class for that discussion? What choice does a Pastor have than to add specific instruction into his sermon? And by the way, I am always open to studying different issues and Books of the Bible. So, please, make a suggestion on what you’re interested in and we’ll tackle it.
Let’s cut to the chase. The reason why many don’t attend Adult Bible Classes, especially on Sundays, is because they’re not in the habit of it. Perhaps that’s not the what your parents did and that habit was never modeled for you. Well, why not break that pattern? Give it a try. I think you’ll find it’s much more enjoyable and spiritually uplifting than you ever imagined. Your faith can be fed there, if you’ll let it. And can any of us say that we don’t need to grow in our faith and have it fed regularly? As we enter the New Year, my hope is you’ll pledge to begin some really good, healthy habits. Not just for your physical wellbeing but more importantly, your spiritual health and welfare. May God bless us all as we move forward in faith in 2026!
In Christ, Pastor Don Meyer
