Data analyst and LCMS lay leader Tim Wood joins Zach to break down why the Synod is declining so rapidly, what the numbers actually reveal, and why the real crisis is spiritual—not structural. He calls pastors and laity to urgent honesty, repentance, and reform. Visit www.redletterpodcast.com for show notes.

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Resources mentioned in the episode

• State of the LCMS Survey (Red Letter Living)

• Tim Wood’s article responding to Zach’s survey
  
  
• LCMS Congregational Statistics Database
  
  
• Ad Crucem / Ad Crucem News
  
  
• Lutheran Bible Translators – God Speaks 30-Day Challenge
  
  
• Voices of the LCMS Videos by Zach Zehnder

Key insights from the episode

“If we don’t have honest data, we can’t diagnose anything accurately.” – Tim Wood

“The LCMS hasn’t just declined numerically. We have declined spiritually.” – Tim Wood

“We talk about justification better than we actually believe it.” – Tim Wood

“The laity see the inconsistencies. They’re losing trust because we don’t deal with sin the same way across the board.” – Tim Wood

“We don’t have a pastor shortage. We have a parishioner shortage.” – Tim Wood

“If our people don’t believe the Bible, no amount of institutional reform will matter.” – Tim Wood

“The real divide in the LCMS isn’t missional vs. confessional—it’s pastors vs. laity.” – Tim Wood

“Urgency is missing. We act like we have 300 years to fix this. We don’t.” – Tim Wood

“If every circuit meeting isn’t focused on why we’ve collapsed by 50%, we’re just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” – Tim Wood

“Our kids aren’t leaving because of birth rates. They’re leaving because they don’t believe the Bible.” – Tim Wood

Tim Wood’s Challenge of the Week

For the next year, make every circuit meeting, every district gathering, and every leadership conversation about one thing: Why have we collapsed—and what spiritual issues must we confront to repent and rebuild? If your circuit isn’t having that conversation, start it. If your leaders avoid it, push them. We cannot fix structural decline until we confront spiritual decline.

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