We live in a country of ~350 million people. Is it reasonable to expect the Holy Spirit of the risen Lord Jesus Christ to work where and when he please through the visible church of Christ on Earth (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of which the LC-MS is the world leader for the ILC)--is it reasonable to expect the Spirit of Christ to add 1 person per LC-MS congregation per year (net) by conversion, transfer from another LC-MS congregation, or adult confirmation of a Christian from a non-visible church of Christ on Earth that is deficient in its theology?

At Shepherd, Scottsdale, we joyfully expect our congregation to grow by no less than 20% of our worshiping population each year. Why? Because deficient, conflicted churches are closing all around us and Christians want a place to find Jesus. Because we ask all of our preschool families on their application, "Is your child baptized? Would you like to have him/her baptized or find out more?" Because every time a visitor walks into weekend worship services, we make every effort to grab a phone number and one of us pastors personally and immediately makes it our priority to follow up on Monday morning and invite them to grab breakfast, lunch, or coffee. Because every Monday morning the staff meets and looks at all the people who are in the pipeline of affiliating with the visible church of Christ on Earth located and embodied by Shepherd. Persistence in a relational ministry centered on repentance and transformation through the Gospel provides the seedbed for the Holy Spirit's work. Anyone in any congregation in America today can do that.

If we believe the LC-MS is the visible church of Christ on Earth because of its confession, and if we are not living in the Jerusalem of the Middle Ages being marauded by Moorish conquerors, why are we not seeing industrious pastors and parishioners making every effort to find one person in their locale who might possibly benefit from a caring conversation centered in Christ's reconciliation?

We can do better Missouri. The Holy Spirit expects nothing less.