Purpose Driven Lutherans!

We at St. Matthew Lutheran are a Purpose Driven Church, driven by God's purposes of worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry.  These pages are being updated during the early part of February, so check back.  Before our new web design I couldn't update these pages at all, so I'm getting to it...please be patient...by Ash Wednesday it should be all up to date.

We are a Purpose Driven Church, driven by God's purposes of:

• Worship
• Evangelism
• Fellowship
• Discipleship
• Ministry

These five purposes are found in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.  They drive the way in which our ministry is organized, and has led our congregation to new heights of faithfulness and healthiness.

We have used Rick Warren's book
"The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission" as the basis for the way in which we have organized the ministry of our congregation.   We have sought to interpret it in such a way as to make it compatible with an evangelical Lutheran understanding of the Gospel.

Some of what we've done isn't available online because of Saddleback's copyright restrictions.  But we make these resources available to you because we want to share things that have worked well for us.

If you want to see my recently released book entitled Leading On Purpose:  Intentionality and Teaming in Congregational Life go to www.leadingonpurpose.org and find much more information, including the link on the first page to find out where to buy the book.  This book and website makes even more material available to people than the information on this website!  In addition, look at www.purposedrivenlutherans.com for another site with additional information. 

Worship Resources

• Sermon Series Outlines for 2002-2003
• Sermon Series Outlines for 2003-2004
• Sermon Series Plans on the ALPHA Questions
• Summer Sermon Series, 2003 Dare To Dream!:
          A follow up to the 40 Days Campaign
• A Newsletter article by Pastor Eric Burtness, explaining the reasons for topical sermon series, rather than using the Revised Common Lectionary.
• Song Concordance
• Worship and Music Selected Bibliography

PowerPoint Title Slides from Various Sermon Series

• Advent 2000
• All Saints
• Ash Wednesday
• Building Spiritual Habits
• Christ the King
• Christian Living
• Christmas Eve
• Easter 2001
• Lent 2001
• Maundy Thursday
• On A Mission With God
• Palm Sunday
• Pentecost
• Purpose Driven Lutherans
• Your Leadership and Jesus' Lordship
• Your Leadership ...
• We Believe
• Winter 2001
• Good Friday (to be used with Walter Wangerin's "Cry of the Whole Congregation

Evangelism Resources

• The Eeyore Project
• Hospitality Ministry Training Handbook

Discipleship Resources

• Perspectives on Islam Class Notes
• Servant Leadership at St. Matthew—PowerPoint presentation

Ministry Resources

• 2002 Holy Sprit Prayer Project
• 2003 Forty Days of Daily Prayer
• Summer Sermon Series, 2003 Dare To Dream!:
          A follow up to the 40 Days Campaign
• 12 Steps for Starting a Ministry Team

Administrative Resources

• A Ministry Analysis Report for St. Matthew Lutheran Church
  By Ministry Focus, based on a Ministry Analysis Survey. Published with permission and with a recommendation.
• Assets and Facilities Strategic Management Plan
• Child and Youth Safety and Supervision Procedures
• Guidelines for Conferring Pastor Emeritus Status
• Pastoral Letter of Conviction and Concern
• Personnel Manual
• Proposed Bylaws

Papers (D. Min. and others) related to being Purpose Driven

A Doctor of Ministry Project Paper by Dale Woods entitled, "Breaking Free From the Status Quo as the First Step in Congregational Change."  This paper was submitted after a Purpose Driven Lutherans course at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul in February, 2000.

D.Min. paper by Pastor Steve Olson from the Purpose Driven Lutherans course at Luther Seminary in February, 2001, "Ten Key Questions for the Ministry of Messiah Lutheran Church in the 21st Century."

A Senior Paper by Gale M. Highness for the Purpose Drive Lutherans Kairos course at Luther Seminary in January 2003, entitled "Planting Purposeful Seeds in a New Parish Call".

"Applying Myers-Briggs to Spirituality", a paper prepared for the Purpose Driven Lutheran Kairos course at Luther Seminary in January, 2003 as a resource guide for pastors and participants. Written by Kenneth M. Ewing, St. Matthew Lutheran Church.