Resources for Pastors
Join us for our 2024 Stewardship Emphasis: Consecrated Stewards
This grace-based, biblical stewardship program is designed to energize members in their service to Jesus and His church.
Learn more HERE.
All Resources
Visit our resource hub to find all of the resources we offer church workers, schools, and congregations. (Resources are still being added.)
Mission Grant Application
Explore mission grants to assist in clarifying your mission plan.
Church Worker Debt Retirement
Student Loan repayment grants will be available for rostered church workers each year.
Call Process and Documents
Information on PIF and SET forms, and what to do when you receive a call. Includes information on requesting and compensating supply / guest pastors.
District News
Sign up for the Weekly Update newsletter, the longer Reporter newsletter, and obituaries for church workers rostered in the Nebraska District. Pastors are also invited to join the district pastors’ Facebook group.
Church Worker Wellness
A variety of resources for church workers, including information on benefits, health care, counseling, financial wellness, and retirment planning.
The Partnership Project
Thinking about, planning, or implementing a congregational partnership? The Partnership Project offers a variety of resources, including Bible studies, checklists, models, assessment tools, and sample documents, designed to help you work through the process.
Below you will find documents and links from a number of our pastors’ conferences.
Spring 2024 Pastors' Conference Videos & Materials
Conference presenter: Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
The Stone Is Still Rolled Away: Easter Good News and Exegesis
Gibbs: Regaining Biblical Hope
Full video
Full video
Full video
Full video
Spring 2023 Pastors' Conference Materials
Monday presentation slides (Session 1 and Session 2) and handouts (Discussion 1 and Discussion 2) by Rev. Dr. John Genter
Tuesday presentation slides by Rev. Dr. Chuck Blanco are available by request. Email him at [email protected] to receive the file.
Fall 2023 Pastors' Conference
Fall 2022 Pastors' Conference Videos and Materials
Session 1: Rationale and Intro—Nebraska District President Rev. Richard Snow
DOWNLOAD SLIDES
Session 1: Rationale and Intro VIDEO HERE
Sessions 2, 3, 4: With All Your Mind, With All Your Heart, With All Your Strength—Rev. Dr. Justin Hannemann, Nebraska District Church Worker Care
DOWNLOAD SLIDES
Session 2: With All Your Mind VIDEO HERE
Session 3: With All Your Heart VIDEO HERE
Session 4: With All Your Strength VIDEO HERE
Book recommendations: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl Trueman; Strange New World, Carl Trueman; You Are What You Love, James K.A. Smith; Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body, John W. Kleinig; The Body Keeps the Score, Bessell van der Kolk
Session 5: With All Your Soul—Nebraska District President Rev. Richard Snow
DOWNLOAD SLIDES
Session 5 VIDEO HERE
Session 6: And Your Neighbor As Yourself—Rev. Lonnie Jacobsen, Nebraska District Mission and Ministry Executive
DOWNLOAD SLIDES
Session 6 VIDEO HERE
Book recommendation: When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself, Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
Handout packet with discussion questions available HERE
Sign up the students in your congregation for campus ministry AT THIS LINK
Spring 2021 Pastors’ Conference Videos and Materials
- Click here to download the conference packet
- Monday morning intro and keynote (vita vocationis)
- Monday morning Q&A
- Monday afternoon intro and keynote (vita contemplativa)
- Monday afternoon Q&A
- District President’s report
- Tuesday morning intro and keynote (vita passiva)
- Tuesday morning Q&A
- Tuesday afternoon keynote (vita sabbati)
- Tuesday afternoon Q&A
- Tuesday afternoon intro to the “What Does This Mean? Moving Towards Action” working session and conference closing
- Resources and quotes from the presentations
Dr. Biermann suggests reading, Pieper, Josef. Leisure: The Basis of Culture. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1963. Available for $15 on Amazon.
Spring 2022 Pastors’ Conference Videos and Materials
- Pre-conference reading material from Dr. Middendorf
- Discussion questions handout
- Dr. Middendorf’s PowerPoint decks: session 1 / session 2 / session 3 / session 4
- Video: Mike “the Meteorologist” Middendorf Explains the Bible Bow-Tie
- Conference videos (available the week after the conference)
Fall 2020 Pastors' Conference Videos and Materials
- Keynote 1, The Christlike Life
- Keynote 2, Life in the Desert
- Keynote 3, The Way of Devotion
- Keynote 4, The Way of Hospitality
- PowerPoint slides: Keynote 1 • Keynote 2 • Keynote 3 • Keynote 4
- Handouts packet with discussion questions and Bible studies
- Purchase Rev. Dr. Sanchez’s book Sculptor Spirit: Discerning the Holy Spirit’s Work in Jesus and His Followers at this link
Fall 2019 Pastors' Conference Videos and Materials
- Session 1, The Need for Pastoral Self Care: https://vimeo.com/365633362
- Session 2: Session 2 is unavailable due to equipment failure
- Session 3, Receptive Prayer for Spiritual Empowerment: https://vimeo.com/365804037
- Session 4, Attention to the Conscience for Spiritual Self Evaluation: https://vimeo.com/365846391
- Session 5, Attention to Vigilance for Spiritual Protection: https://vimeo.com/365846905
Dr. Kleinig’s paper “Attention to Pastoral Self Care” (handed out at the conference) can be downloaded by clicking here. Learn more about Doxology at their website: https://www.doxology.us/
Below you will find documents and links to assist you in your work. If you would like to submit a document or link for consideration in this archive, please contact President Snow at [email protected] with the material or link.
Chief Doctrines in the Lectionary
Click here to view or download Chief Doctrines in the Lectionary document. This document is a plan for preaching on the chief doctrines of the Church according to the texts of the One Year lectionary. Using this plan as a guide, a preacher could, in service of his task to preach the “whole counsel of God,” treat on all major doctrinal topics over the course of a year of preaching. It is unknown who originally put it together (we do not know what E.L.A. stands for), but it was translated by Rev. David Juhl for the good of the church.
Preach the Word Initiative
Synod’s Preach the Word initiative: Preach the Word (PTW) will help pastors work together to improve their preaching through video modules with accompanying resources and by interacting with seminary professors and fellow preachers.
Pastors can gather with brother pastors to watch and discuss the modules. The power of the Lutheran Reformation was the Word of God. Pastors may commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by honing their vocation of proclaiming the Gospel.
Click on the link above for access to resources including discussion guides and videos, and to see how the program is meant to be carried out.
Resources on our Liturgical Heritage
- Kinnaman, S. A., & Kirchhoff, A. (2006). Worshiping with angels and archangels: an introduction to the Divine Service. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House.
- LCMS Kids in the Divine Service: General information bulletin inserts. (2017, May 16). Retrieved October 09, 2017, from https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/kids-in-the-divine-service-general-information
- Just, A. Liturgy [Video series]. http://www.lutheranvisuals.com/Store/liturgy.html
- Mize, G. M., & Porter, R. W. (2017). My little ABC liturgy book. Bangor: Grail Quest Books.
- Nagel, N. (1993). Whose Liturgy Is It? Logia, II(2), 4-8.
- Pless, J. T. (2013). Didache. Fort Wayne, IN: Emmanuel Press. pages 50-54
- Vieker, J. D. (2017, September). Distinctly Lutheran Worship. For the Life of the World, 21(3), 4-6.
Active Shooter Response Plans
We encourage congregations interested in security plans to make use of the following online resources provided by the LCMS Security Officer at Synod headquarters:
The Synod recommends that congregations work with their local law enforcement to put a plan into place that works for the congregation and for the local agency.
Contemporary Arrangement of Liturgy
From President Snow: “If your congregation is perhaps interested in a new setting for the Lord’s Supper using keyboard and guitar, here is one written by James Jurchen, former music teacher at Lutheran High Northeast, that we used regularly at St. John, Battle Creek, NE. The recording and liturgist aren’t top notch, but good enough for you to get the idea.”