LuVheran Lay Renewal Inc.
Northern California
God Loves You Y Love One Another
LLR Program
The primary purposes of Lutheran Lay Renewal is to provide a means for Lutheran congregations to recognize and define, or redefine their mission, by experiencing a spiritual renewal of the membership. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, each member of the congregation becomes involved in the praying, planning and celebration of the LLR Weekend. Then, as a part of the evaluation of the LLR weekend, each member of the congregation participates in determining how the congregation can be more effective in performing its role in fulfilling the Great Commission. By establishing goals and objectives with methods of accomplishing them the congregation grows and matures spiritually as it accepts specific roles as a part of the Body of Christ.
During the weekend the congregation experiences the joy of becoming more open to the leading of the Spirit by being active participants in the mission of the church. Often new leadership becomes evident within the church and can begin to exert an influence through the leading of the Spirit. Because the direct witness to the story of Jesus Christ as Lord is the integral part of the broad mission of the church, this emphasis can assist and challenge people in a practical way to be freed up to share their faith as an empowering dynamic for mission.
A lay renewal weekend however is more than just a program. It is a ministry in which a team of lay visitors comes to your church to share their faith in Jesus Christ and to help your congregation develop a more personal relationship with Him. These visitors are ordinary men, women and youth who have encountered Christ in their lives. They are not perfect or saintly but are simply people whose lives have been touched by God and have been called by Him to reach out to other Christians and share the joy, love, and the power of our Risen Lord. Like all of us they are still growing, trusting in the Lord and learning how to put their faith to work in their daily lives. And like all of us they are active with their own families, faithfully working within their local congregations and have generally learned to rely heavily on prayer to see them through the troubled waters of every day living.
The lay witnesses come with attitude of love and acceptance. They have learned how to minister to small groups by listening as well as talking; they will not pressure anyone but will seek to communicate through love and understanding. The witnesses make no claims to having all the answers, but merely come to honestly share with you what God has been doing in their lives. Their spirit of witness is both gracious and positive.
The visiting lay witnesses travel to your Church at their own expense and normally will stay as guests in the homes of the local Church members.
