How are LHM's Ablaze! efforts associated with LCMS' Ablaze! movement?

Lutheran Hour Ministries, as an involved partner mission agency of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, has committed to being an active participant in LCMS' Ablaze! movement to reach 100 million unreached and uncommitted people with the Gospel by 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. As an active Ablaze! participant, LHM and its volunteers' goals are to:

1. Engage in 25 million confirmed contacts with unreached or uncommitted people by 2017. This is one quarter of the overall LCMS Ablaze! movement goal.
2. Train and activate 250,000 volunteers to reach out to the lost by 2010.
3. Serve as the media arm of LCMS to provide TV, radio, and print ads and Christian media programming to assist in the start up of 2,000 new churches by 2017.

Back to Top

How does LHM define "unreached" and "uncommitted" people?

In keeping with LCMS World Mission's definitions, LHM defines "unreached" and "uncommitted" people as follows:

Unreached people are those who have never heard a clear message in the name of Jesus. Asia, Africa, and the former Soviet nations are still home to many unreached people who have never had access to the Good News of Jesus.

Uncommitted people are those who have been exposed to the Word, who have had an opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus, but who do not have faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. "Uncommitted" people live mainly in areas such as Europe, Australia, North America, and South America.

Back to Top

What is a confirmed contact?

An LHM Ablaze! confirmed contact is when a person or group gives a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to another person or group on behalf of LHM's Ablaze!, in such a way that there is an opportunity for that person to respond. This contact "counts" toward LHM's Ablaze! goal of reaching 25 million people. A confirmed contact equates to what LCMS calls a critical event and is counted in the same manner toward the overall Ablaze! goal. A person may "respond" to such a contact in a number of ways. For example, they could respond by receiving the message, rejecting it, or asking for more information.

Example 1: LHM airs a radio ad to 5,000 people offering a free Christ-centered booklet. The 5,000 listeners do not count. But, any inquiries that come into an LHM volunteer phone bank in response to the ad (whether they are requesting the booklet, seeking spiritual answers, requesting a referral to a local Lutheran church, etc.) do count toward LHM's 25 million confirmed contact goal.

Example 2: An individual, acting on behalf of LHM Ablaze!, witnesses to a friend about her faith in Jesus Christ. If the witness does not receive a response from the person, her contact does not count toward the LHM Ablaze! goal. If, however, she does receive a response to her witness, even if the response is that the friend is not interested, her witness does count toward the LHM Ablaze! goal. It is essential that you seek a response when you witness!

Back to Top

How are LHM's confirmed contact statistics gathered?

LHM's confirmed contacts data is gathered from two sources:

1. LHM's North American and International Ministries divisions' monthly report of the number of people "seeking" responses to LHM media and outreach programs.
2. Data from LHM's online Ablaze! Web site (this site allows people to report the number of people who have responded to their witnessing efforts on behalf of LHM).

Back to Top

How can LHM verify the accuracy of the number of its confirmed contacts?

LHM has strict processes in place to accurately track the number of confirmed contacts it has attained. Each month, LHM's North American and International Ministries divisions submit monthly reports that detail the number of spiritually-seeking people who have contacted our headquarters or our international ministry centers for more information, spiritual guidance, materials, etc. These reports also track the number of people referred to LCMS, LCC, or partner churches worldwide by our headquarters or international ministry center staffs. In addition, LHM has strict processes in place to accurately track the number of confirmed contacts recorded on its Ablaze! Web site. When the data is tracked online in this manner, the following information is gathered about respondents: name, gender, age range, how they were contacted, the date of the contact, and what the person's response was to the witnessing effort. Such tracking parameters ensure that the number of LHM confirmed contacts are as accurate as possible. (Note that some of the tracking parameters mentioned are optional for instances in which people reach out to strangers and are not able to ascertain certain information; however, all LHM Ablaze! volunteers are encouraged to submit as much of this information as possible each time they report.)

Back to Top

Who is considered an LHM volunteer?

An individual is considered an LHM volunteer for 2005/2006 if they are signed up for and/or have participated in, (or are scheduled to participate) in one of the following LHM efforts:

• Equipping to Share workshops
• Global Care Packages
• Global Work & Witness trips
• Petal Pushers (to decorate Tournament of Roses parade floats)
• LHM Prayer Partner
• Project Connect booklet display ministry orderers/maintainers
• LHM Ablaze! efforts
• LHM Ambassador program
• LHM (LLL) Service and Governance
• LHM (LLL) Group membership
• Living for Tomorrow multimedia outreach
• International Ministries volunteer (serving through LHM's more than 40 international ministry centers

To express interest in becoming an LHM volunteer, visit www.lhm.org/Ablaze and click "Sign Up to Be an LHM Volunteer", and then choose from the list of several volunteer opportunities to find the outreach efforts that are right for you.

Back to Top

How are LHM's volunteer numbers counted?

The program leaders for the following LHM volunteer programs record the number of volunteers in their programs each month so that their numbers can be tracked toward LHM's second Ablaze! goal of training and activating 250,000 volunteers to reach out to the lost by 2010. As each volunteer program gains new participants, the number of new volunteers is added toward LHM's Ablaze! goal each month. Volunteer programs that submit volunteer numbers to be recorded toward the Ablaze! goal:

• Equipping to Share workshops
• Global Care Packages
• Global Work & Witness trips
• Petal Pushers (to decorate Tournament of Roses parade floats)
• LHM Prayer Partner
• Project Connect booklet display ministry
• LHM Ambassador program
• LHM (LLL) Service and Governance
• LHM (LLL) Group membership
• Living for Tomorrow multimedia outreach
• International Ministries volunteer (serving through LHM's more than 40 international ministry centers)

The number of ongoing involvement volunteers for programs is adjusted as people join or retire from service.

In addition, the number of people who sign up to report Ablaze! contacts on www.lhm.org/Ablaze is also tracked and reported each month as part of LHM's goal of training and activating 250,000 volunteers by 2010.

Back to Top

If a person volunteers for more than one volunteer opportunity in a year, will they be counted more than once?

It depends. If a volunteer signs up to participate in an LHM volunteer opportunity such as Equipping to Share and also commits to witness about Christ with an unreached or uncommitted person as an LHM Ablaze! volunteer in a given year, they are counted as one volunteer. That's because every LHM volunteer is encouraged to make reaching out to the lost through LHM's Ablaze! efforts an important part of every volunteer effort. If however, a person is signed up to volunteer in two or more LHM volunteer opportunities other than LHM's Ablaze! efforts, he or she will be counted for as many types of volunteer efforts as they perform. This is allowed because LHM volunteer programs take place at all different times of the year (providing many opportunities for people to get involved) and because many active and involved LHM volunteers are fully able to perform more than one LHM volunteer opportunity each year in the service of our Lord.

Back to Top