PMC Fosters Atmosphere of Positive Growth and Change
Salem Lutheran Church has discovered a renewed community focus and capacity for growth.
By Aaron White

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Encounter God. Grow in faith. Serve the world.

Those simple phrases comprise the mission statement of Salem Lutheran Church in Lenexa, Kansas – a mission statement that came into existence as a result of Salem’s journey through the process of Partnership for Missional Church.

Through PMC, the members of Salem Lutheran have discovered a renewed passion to reach out to their community, and they are backing up their new mission statement with action. Congregants are putting aside fear and apprehension and plunging into new relationships with neighbors and community leaders, learning where the needs are and thinking of ways to meet those needs.

One member found that there were many single mothers in the area who were unable to afford diapers. In response, she single-handedly organized a diaper drive, then put the donations into the hands of a local organization that would distribute them to families in need.

Reverend Dave Whetter explains that as part of Salem Lutheran’s new mission, this is the sort of thing that will happen more often. “It’s what we do; we see a need and we make it happen.” No need for special permissions, excessive rules, bureaucracy, or red tape.

In fact, Salem is purposefully streamlining their organizational structure to remove some of these traditional barriers to missional living. “There’s been too much structure, and that makes it hard,” Whetter said.

As part of this simplification effort, each ministry group at Salem has been asked to explain what they do and why they exist. Those groups whose purpose does not fall within one of the three key areas of Salem’s revised mission statement will be asked to free up its members from pointless meetings so that they can focus on service elsewhere.

The impact of these changes is energizing the congregation. In just a few months, Salem Lutheran will conclude the official three-year PMC process, and the church is excited about the future. With the completion of some much-needed improvements to their 125-year-old building and the acquisition of some property across the street, Salem is prepared to grow.

The church had already been suffering from a lack of space, but surrounded by older homes, there was no way to increase the size of their facility. When an office building across the street came up for sale in December, one church member offered to investigate.

Within a few weeks he had contacted realtors, researched the property, and assembled a team of church leaders to discuss the opportunity. The congregation committed to praying about it, and they soon determined that if they were going to be missional they needed to have space to minister and grow.

Within a month, the four hundred members of Salem Lutheran had raised $75,000 to cover both a down payment on the property and some property improvements.

“It was a lot of work for a lot of people, but they stepped up and made it happen,” Whetter said. He goes on to express his excitement over watching the Holy Spirit at work and seeing the Salem congregation so committed to being missional. “We can’t do it on our own, but with God we can…We’re focusing on God’s calling, focusing on what we do well, focusing on changing culture.”

“To me, that’s what being missional is all about, and the PMC process has helped us get here.”