3,070 LCMS Voices: The 2026 State of the LCMS Results Are In | Episode 36
Red Letter Living
7,556 views
The results are in. And, WOW, there is a LOT to talk about.
3,070 people participated in the 2026 State of the LCMS Survey, nearly triple last year's response. We heard from nearly 1,000 pastors, every LCMS district, hundreds of people in every age group, and people representing a wide range of perspectives across the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
And some of the results genuinely surprised me.
There are places where the LCMS appears remarkably united. There are other issues where the divisions are impossible to miss. And there are some fascinating tensions, including people expressing significant frustration with the Synod while remaining deeply committed to it.
Starting next week, Voices of the LCMS is back, and we're going to dig into the data.
Coming first:
→ The 3 Biggest Challenges Facing the LCMS
→ The 3 Issues Dividing the LCMS Most
→ 3 Things the LCMS Is Surprisingly United On
From there, we'll explore pastoral formation, worship, young adults, mission, discipleship, leadership, generational differences, differences between men and women, presidential preference, and much more.
My goal isn't to use the survey to prove my opinions. It's to listen carefully, show the data as objectively as I can, understand one another better, identify the challenges facing our Synod, and look for opportunities and potential solutions.
And we're committed to transparency. My hope is to make the survey data publicly available by the end of the month so you can explore it for yourself.
Subscribe so you don't miss the return of Voices of the LCMS.
I'll also be discussing some of these findings and having deeper conversations on the Red Letter Disciple Podcast.
SPONSOR VOICES OF THE LCMS
We're currently looking for organizations, ministries, churches, and businesses interested in sponsoring upcoming Voices of the LCMS videos.
To learn more, email: hello@redletterchallenge.com
3,070 voices. One Synod. And a whole lot for us to learn about one another.
The State of the LCMS Survey is an independent survey led by Zach Zehnder through Red Letter Challenge and is not an official publication of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
#LCMS #Lutheran #StateOfTheLCMS #VoicesOfTheLCMS #MissouriSynod #LutheranChurch #ChurchLeadership #RedLetterDisciple #PastoralFormation #Discipleship
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3,070 LCMS Voices: The 2026 State of the LCMS Results Are In | Episode 36
Red Letter Living
7,556 views
The results are in. And, WOW, there is a LOT to talk about.
3,070 people participated in the 2026 State of the LCMS Survey, nearly triple last year's response. We heard from nearly 1,000 pastors, every LCMS district, hundreds of people in every age group, and people representing a wide range of perspectives across the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
And some of the results genuinely surprised me.
There are places where the LCMS appears remarkably united. There are other issues where the divisions are impossible to miss. And there are some fascinating tensions, including people expressing significant frustration with the Synod while remaining deeply committed to it.
Starting next week, Voices of the LCMS is back, and we're going to dig into the data.
Coming first:
→ The 3 Biggest Challenges Facing the LCMS
→ The 3 Issues Dividing the LCMS Most
→ 3 Things the LCMS Is Surprisingly United On
From there, we'll explore pastoral formation, worship, young adults, mission, discipleship, leadership, generational differences, differences between men and women, presidential preference, and much more.
My goal isn't to use the survey to prove my opinions. It's to listen carefully, show the data as objectively as I can, understand one another better, identify the challenges facing our Synod, and look for opportunities and potential solutions.
And we're committed to transparency. My hope is to make the survey data publicly available by the end of the month so you can explore it for yourself.
Subscribe so you don't miss the return of Voices of the LCMS.
I'll also be discussing some of these findings and having deeper conversations on the Red Letter Disciple Podcast.
SPONSOR VOICES OF THE LCMS
We're currently looking for organizations, ministries, churches, and businesses interested in sponsoring upcoming Voices of the LCMS videos.
To learn more, email: hello@redletterchallenge.com
3,070 voices. One Synod. And a whole lot for us to learn about one another.
The State of the LCMS Survey is an independent survey led by Zach Zehnder through Red Letter Challenge and is not an official publication of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
#LCMS #Lutheran #StateOfTheLCMS #VoicesOfTheLCMS #MissouriSynod #LutheranChurch #ChurchLeadership #RedLetterDisciple #PastoralFormation #Discipleship