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Lawson Short
Marcia Hornung
MANGT 497
11/20/2014

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM)

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is a Christian outreach ministry that is an auxiliary of
the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). They are classified as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt
organization (LHM, Web). The LHM mission is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all
nations, to Bring Christ to the Nations- and the Nations to the Church (LHM, Web). They
accomplish this mission through media, educational programs, international ministries, and by
working with supporting partners. The primary supporting partners are church congregations
of the LCMS. Today, they have around 2100 active volunteers working around the globe in
outreach each month, operate in over 30 different countries, and reach over 1,000,000 people
with the gospel each week (FACT SHEET, Web). The most famous of these outreach programs is
The Lutheran Hour, which is a radio broadcast program that the organization has been named
after.

Background
In 1917, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was in financial trouble, and close to
bankruptcy. At a conference that year, twelve men got together to start tackling some of the
churches debt, specifically a $100,000 dollar debt incurred by the church body. They reached
this goal, and in doing so founded the Lutheran Laymens League (LLL). With this success

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under their belt, the LLL began a pension fund to support professional Church workers in which
they raised over 2.7 million dollars. (LHM, Web).
Over the years the LLL continued to raise money for church workers and to support
church programs. But it wasnt until 13 year later that the LLL created one of its first and most
successful programs to this day. In 1930, the LLL decided to start a radio broadcast program,
which they called The Lutheran Hour. The program was successful, and has been broadcasting
the good news of Jesus Christ to thousands of people for over the past 84 years. Ten years
later, the Lutheran Hour went international as Dr. Andrew Melendez began a broadcast of the
Lutheran Hour in Spanish. At the same time, the LLL opened a ministry center in the
Philippines, and 5 years later they opened one in Australia. Today, the International branch of
the LLL operates in 31 different countries around the globe.
In 1952, the LLL decided to expand its media outreach by starting a TV series called This
is the Life. The show was a drama that dealt with Christian moral problems, and their
solutions. The TV show aired from 1952 to 1988, and had many famous guest actors appear
such as Buddy Edson, Jack Nicholson, and Lenard Nimoy (LHM, Web). The International Branch
of the LLL also started a TV show, called On Main Street. The show tackled spiritual
cotemporary problems and gave solutions from a Godly perspective. The show was broadcast
on 100 cable channels, 125 over-the-air broadcast channels, and included many guests such as
Kathy Ireland, Mary Lou Retton, and former President Jimmy Carter (LHM, Web).
In 1992, the LLL decided to create an identity for its media programs, and it was then
that the Lutheran Hour Ministries was born. Lutheran Hour Ministries and the Lutheran

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Laymens League are essentially two different parts of the same organization. As stated in the
Bylaws of the organization, What we are is the International Lutheran Laymens League (the
League); what we do are Lutheran Hour Ministries.(Bylaws, Web).

Lutheran Laymans League

The Lutheran Laymans league today consists of just fewer than 100,000 members from
around the country. All the members must also be members of the Missouri Synod Lutheran
Church, and must pay membership fees. The difference between the Lutheran Laymans
League and Lutheran Hour ministries is that the Lutheran Laymans League primarily provides
volunteers and funding for programs, while Lutheran Hour Ministries provides the management
and oversight for those programs.

Organizational Structure
Lutheran Hour Ministries is governed by a board of directors consisting of 14 members,
the chair, the vice chair, the treasurer, the secretary, and 10 directors. It is the boards
responsibility to develop, discuss, and approve the organizations policy, vision, function, and
strategy. All of the board members must be members of the league, and are voted in by league
members. There is also an executive director that is appointed by the board of directors. The
executive directors job is to carry on the general affairs of the organization, approving
expenditure of money as directed by the board, and to perform any other duties directed by
the board. At the local level, the LLL, or LHM, is divided up geographically into divisions, each
having its own governing board.

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Funding Overview
Lutheran Hour Ministries is primarily funded by private donations and gifts. According
to the latest financial report for LHM, 91% of all income was donations and estate gifts, while
the remaining 9% of income was from other sources (FACT SHEET, Web). Of that income, 76%
was used toward ministries, 14% was used for fundraising, 7% was used for administration
costs, and 3% was used for the publication of printed materials (FACT SHEET, Web). The
organization does seem to do a good job of keeping its administration costs down, and seems
to be doing a good job of managing its money. According to the LHMs latest annual report, the
organization had a total income of $37,972,000 by the end of the period and a total operating
expense of $29,183,000 (FACT SHEET, Web). Therefore it can be seen that the organization was
in the positive for the period having gained $8,780,000 for the most current year 2013.

SWAT Analysis
Many of the Lutheran Hour Ministries strengths have already been previously
addressed. Among these is the fact that the organization seems to manage its money well, as
the organization came out ahead in overall income during its last period. On top of this, the
administration costs for Lutheran Hour Ministries seemed relatively low, at only 7 percent.
According to the American Institute of Philanthropy website named CharityWatch, PERCENT
SPENT ON CHARITABLE PURPOSE-This is the portion of total expenses that is spent on
charitable programs. In CharityWatchs view, 60% or greater is reasonable for most charities.

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The remaining percentage is spent on fundraising and general administration. Note: A 60%
program percentage typically indicates a satisfactory or C range rating. Most highly efficient
charities are able to spend 75% or more on programs.(American Institute on Philanthropy,
Web) According to the website, Lutheran Hour Ministries would be rated as a highly efficient
charity organization. Also, the organization has some well-known and successful programs,
such as The Lutheran Hour. But, in my opinion, the organizations greatest strength lies in its
mission. The mission of Lutheran Hour Ministries is derived from what is known as The Great
Commission, which is the mission of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. The Great
Commission is an excerpt from the bible, specifically from Mathew 28:16-20, which is 16 Now
the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And
when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to
them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
you always, to the end of the age (Bible, Web). So it could be concluded that Lutheran Hour
Ministries is doing the will of God, and that God is watching over and giving success to the
organization. The spiritual implications of this idea is a topic of great debate, and many
documents have been written on this topic, so it would not seem prudent to explore this topic
further but, rather, it would be best to leave the importance of this statement to the reader.
Setting that aside, the idea does have some more tangible benefits, namely, being a huge
motivator for all those who are a part of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

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Lutheran Hour Ministries, like all organizations, does have its internal weaknesses. One
of the main internal weaknesses of Lutheran Hour Ministries is deciding how to use funding.
There are 2 types of programs that receive funding, and they are international ministries, and
media and educational ministries. Both receive funding almost entirely from donors, and
donors can choose what programs they want to fund. This creates an internal fight for funding,
which weakens the organization as a whole.
Being an organization whose mission is very focused on outreach, Lutheran Hour
Ministries is always looking for new opportunities to spread the good news of the gospel. The
organization has outreach centers at 31 countries around the globe, and is always looking to
expand into new countries. Lutheran Hour Ministries has also been looking for new
opportunities with its media programs, especially when it comes to television. In 2011,
Lutheran Hour Ministries had a TV special aired on over 600 stations called Bible on Trial:
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.(LHM, Web). In 2012, Lutheran Hour Ministries aired a television
documentary called The Intersection of Church and State on a Fox Business channel. Today,
Lutheran Hour Ministries air television specials for holidays, but the organization is looking for
avenues to expand its television presence (Proctor, interview).
Lutheran Hour Ministries faces outward threats every day, due to hostility against those
who would spread the good news about Jesus Christ. Throughout history, those who would tell
others about Jesus Christ have been persecuted, even to the point of martyrdom, and the same
thing holds true today. The reason Lutheran Hour Ministries is only in 31 different countries
around the globe is due to the fact that many other countries will not allow Lutheran Hour

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Ministries to operate in their country. For those countries Lutheran Hour Ministries is allowed
in, the organization and its workers and volunteers face yet another threat, other religions and
religious organizations. Most all of the people that Lutheran Hour Ministries witness to already
have different religious beliefs and this is one of the biggest barriers the organization must
work to overcome.

Advocacy and Lobbying

Lutheran Hour Ministries, as an official affiliate of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church,
holds the same philosophy and views on political issues as the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church.
When it comes to the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, the LCMS has always been careful to
maintain a separation between Church and State. This is not to say the Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church never wants to have any influence on political issues, but that rather it must
be very careful how it deals with such matters. For years the LCMS has held a specific
philosophy on how it should influence politics. Throughout history, politics has had a
corrupting influence on the church, often causing major problems. Also, due to our bipartisan
political system, if the LCMS seems to favor a certain party, this can alienate people who the
LCMS wishes to reach, and also can cause schisms within church congregations. Yet the LCMS
cannot always stay silent on political issues, as the LCMS wishes to uphold the truth. Many
times if the LCMS were to remain silent, its silence could be seen as acceptance and give people
the wrong message about how the LCMS feels on certain issues. Therefore the LCMS has 4
different methods to influence politics, each balancing the risk of polarizing controversy while

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with the ease of gaining consensus (Whitmer, 162). The 4 methods are explained below, along
with a pyramid of the 4 methods illustrating the relationship between the risk of polarizing
controversy and the ease of gaining consensus. Notice the use of the pyramid in the illustration
which is used to show that those methods closer to top should be used less often, while the
methods near the bottom should be used more often.

(Whitmer, 163)
1) Indirect and Unintentional Influence (Whitmer, 162) - This form of influence has the
lowest risk of polarizing controversy, but also has the lowest ease of consensus. In
this form, the LCMS teaches on spiritual issues and Church doctrine, which then

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influences peoples morals and their personal views on politics. A good example of
this would be if a preacher did a sermon on the sanctity of life, which then led the
members of his congregation to against abortion and euthanasia.
2) Indirect and Intentional Influence (Whitmer, 163) - This form of influence is similar
to the first form. In this form, the LCMS lets people know how doctrine and spiritual
issues relate to political issues. Using the previous example, if the preacher had
directly mentioned euthanasia or abortion as wrong in his sermon, then it would be
using indirect and intentional influence.
3) Direct and Intentional Influence (Whitmer, 164) - With this type of influence, the
LCMS itself takes a public stance on political issues. Decisions to do this are usually
made and ratified at LCMS national conventions. The LCMS has only decided to do
this on a limited number of occasions. A good example of the LCMS doing this is
when the LCMS in 1986 denounced a specific political system in South Africa due its
racial discrimination. This would have hindered the international ministry efforts in
the country, and the LCMS thought it necessary to take a public stance and speak for
its members on the issue of racism.
4) Direct and Intentional Action (Whitmer, 165) - This form of influence is the most
risky and dangerous form for the Church, so it is rarely used. One area the LCMS has
decided to use this form of action on though, is abortion and euthanasia. When it
comes to LCMS doctrine, the beliefs on this issue are very clear and blatant. For the
LCMS to remain silent and inactive on issues of such importance would itself violate
the doctrine of the LCMS itself.

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Conclusion
97 years ago, the LCMS was in debt, and near bankruptcy. It was then that 12 men
came together to start what would later become Lutheran Hour Ministries. Little did they know
that they had set the foundation for an international organization that would work to
successfully bring the good news of Christ to millions of people. Today, the organization faces
its fair share of challenges, but overall the future of Lutheran Hour Ministries has never looked
brighter.

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Citations
1) "Lutheran Hour Ministries." Lutheran Hour Ministries. Web. Nov. 2014.
<http://www.lhm.org/default.asp>.
2)"Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation." Lutheran Layman's League, July 2012.
Web. Nov. 2014. <http://www.lhm.org/about/articlesofincorporation_2012.pdf>.
3) "Amended and Restated Bylaws." Lutheran Layman's League, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. Nov. 2014.
<http://www.lhm.org/about/bylaws_2013.pdf>.
4) "Lutheran Hour Ministries FACT SHEET." Lutheran Hour Ministries. Web. Nov. 2014.
<http://www.lhm.org/resources/print/handout_lhm.pdf>.
5) "We Are Sent 2013 Ministry Report." Lutheran Hour Ministries, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.lhm.org/report/annualreport_2012-2013.pdf>.
6) "Bible Gateway Passage: Matthew 28:16-20 English Standard Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 29
Nov. 2014. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 28:16-20>.
7) Jim Whitmer. Practicing What We Preach. The Lutheran Witness July 1996: 161-165. Print.
8) The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Web. <http://www.lcms.org/>.
9) "American Institute of Philanthropy." CharityWatch Rating Criteria. 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.charitywatch.org/criteria.html>.
10) Proctor, Bill. Personal Interview. 22 November 2014

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