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Where does LCMS giving actually go—and how can it strengthen your local church for generations?

LCMS Foundation President David Fiedler joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to revisit our conversation about the LCMS giving crisis and share another side of the story. David explains why local congregations are central to donors’ estate plans and how the Foundation distributed $70 million to more than 1,000 LCMS ministries last year.

Learn more about the LCMS Foundation: https://www.lcmsfoundation.org

Subscribe to Lead Time for conversations about leadership, mission, and the future of the LCMS.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Join Lead Time+, to discuss topics like these with our growing community of pastors and lay leaders

Pastor Anthony Celia joins Tim Ahlman for an honest conversation about pastoral formation, burnout, and trust in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Now serving St. Paul Church and School in Westport, Connecticut, Anthony shares his journey from an unbelieving teenager to worship leader and pastor through the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program, a master’s degree, and General Pastoral Certification.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)

What opportunities could your church be missing—in the building it already owns, the generosity of its members, and the plans nobody has started?

Patrick Carlove of Legacy Deo joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to explore how LCMS churches can turn overlooked resources into lasting ministry impact. From legacy giving and estate planning to Christian school scholarships and creative uses for church property, this conversation challenges congregations to think beyond the next budget cycle.

Connect with Legacy Deo: https://www.legacydeo.org/

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Join Lead Time+, to discuss topics like these with our growing community of pastors and lay leaders.

What does it take to prepare a pastor for the realities of parish ministry?

Pastor Ryan Roehrig joins Tim Ahlman to share what ten years of ministry in Iowa—and four years supervising vicars—have taught him about pastoral formation. Ryan reflects on the value of residential seminary, the need for deeper spiritual habits, and why knowing Lutheran theology and understanding a Lutheran congregation aren’t always the same thing.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Tim Ahlman sits down with Sam Seefeld to explore the turnaround at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistadt, Wisconsin—and what churches and schools across the LCMS can learn from it.

Sam shares how building a joyful, Jesus-centered culture, empowering leaders, and expanding services for students with special needs helped transform the school. They discuss why reputation matters, how to navigate difficult conversations, and why pursuing growth doesn’t have to mean compromising Lutheran identity.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

The conversation doesn’t end with this video: In our Lead Time+ continuation, Zach Zehnder gets more direct about the LCMS’s future leadership, the divisions reflected in the survey, and how pastors and laypeople can speak up and participate.

Join Lead Time+ to watch the full extended conversation, available now!

In this episode of Lead Time -
Zach Zehnder joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to unpack the findings, from surprising common ground in worship and sacramental life to disagreements over pastoral formation, women reading Scripture, and congregational freedom. They also explore why younger respondents lean more traditional, how presidential candidate preferences align with other answers, and why convention decisions can feel disconnected from local congregations.

Throughout the conversation, one question keeps surfacing: How can Lutherans with different perspectives learn to understand one another and keep walking together?

Explore the survey results: https://lcmsdata.com

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

What does Bitcoin have to do with your local church? For Jacob Klug, the conversation starts with families struggling to make ends meet, church workers facing rising housing costs, and ministries trying to fund their mission.

Tim Ahlman welcomes Jacob, a lifelong LCMS member and former parish administrator, to explore his case for why the church should reconsider its relationship with money. They discuss inflation, stewardship, and Jacob’s vision for church-based Bitcoin federations—communities where members could give, save, and transact through a shared financial framework.

Tim brings beginner’s questions: Would this make the church a bank? What about trust, debt, and everyday purchases? And how much can a different monetary system really change when the human heart remains sinful?

Whether you’re curious or skeptical, this conversation invites you to consider how money shapes our life together—and what it means to love our neighbors through the resources entrusted to us.

Recorded June 15, 2026, before the LCMS convention. References to convention proposals reflect that recording date.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

What happens when a teaching about Jesus raises questions inside a church committed to doctrinal faithfulness?

Pastor Doyle Theimer joins Tim Ahlman to discuss the “eternal subordination of the Son”—and why he believes it conflicts with the church’s confession of the Trinity. Doyle recounts his challenge to statements in the Concordia Publishing House book Women Pastors, the revisions he says followed, and why he believes the story still matters for the LCMS.

The conversation connects theology to everyday questions about marriage, men and women, authority, and life in the church. Tim and Doyle explore Christ’s divine and human natures, interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11, head coverings, and leadership shaped by sacrificial love. They also discuss how churches can build relationships rooted in joy and trust.

Recorded June 11, 2026, before the LCMS convention. References to convention proposals reflect that recording date.

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org