Mission & Ministry facilitators

Welcome to the Texas District LC-MS Mission and Ministry Facilitator web site! We hope this site provides you with resources and information that assists you in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to your congregation, community, and the world. On this site you’ll find helpful links to Texas District information along with special resources from your District Mission Team. Our prayer is that the Kingdom of God will grow and expand by His grace as we serve our neighbor together in the name of Jesus.

Please be in touch with your area MMF to:

• Assist your church to plant a mission (multi-site, second language, daughter congregation,etc) or to partner with other entities to plant new missions
• Partner in strengthing areas and fucntions of ministry (Outreach, Mission, Stewardship, Leadership Development, etc.)
• Facilitate planning and training for outreach and mission
• Help your church understand and prepare for the change process
• Administer, score, and report the findngs of various ministry surveys -through "Zoomerang" on-line surveys
• Provide community demographics information and interpretation through use of MissionInsite
• Share the story of Texas District mission
• Provide leadership training, coaching, and mentoring
• Preach and teach Bible Class on mission and outreach themes at Worship Services

For all but one year of twenty-seven in ministry, Steven Misch has served as pastor in the Texas District. Moving from the Navajo Indian Reservation, Steven was called to serve at Grace, Del Rio. After five years he accepted a call to St. Mark, Lake Jackson where he served for eight years. In 1996 Steven moved to Houston to serve as an associate pastor at St. Mark, Houston. From there he accepted a call to serve at Good Shepherd in Borger. Now serving as Mission and Ministry Facilitator of the Texas District, Steven considers it an honor to be a resource and an encourager for pastors and congregations of Area A. He has a wife, Lynn, and two boys, both attending Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Steve's personal mission statement: "To teach, preach and live the Word, knowing that the Spirit will work through the Word, giving life, hope, and joy to all who embrace Jesus by faith. Trusting the Spirit, it is my desire walk with pastors and congregations as they together, develop a missional vision for ministry in Area A and beyond."

Service Area:

• Evangelism
• Stewardship
• Rural and Small Town Ministry

Prior to serving as MMF, Paul served 24 years as a parish DCE and Youth Minister.  He is married to Becky who serves as Director of Youth and Discipleship at Faith Lutheran Church, Georgetown.  Paul and Becky are blessed with two grown children, Jennifer of Leander, Texas and Michael of Arlington, Massachusetts.  Since 1995 he has served as Mission and Ministry Facilitator for Area B of the Texas District, LCMS, working with 105 congregations and 24 financially assisted missionaries.   

Paul’s personal vision: As a missional servant-leader, I assist congregations to live out a Great Commission focused ministry through leadership training, coaching of leaders, facilitation of strategic vision discernment, and consultation. In all of these endeavors, I help congregations keep their eyes focused on God’s love shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus to save a dying and broken world. I seek every opportunity to assist the congregations of Area B to seek out and utilize the strategic opportunities God has placed before them to engage and confront their community with the radical and exclusive claims of the Gospel through expansion of on-site ministry and the planting of new ministries and congregations.

Service Area:

• Youth Miinistry
• Small Group Ministry
• DCE/DCO Call Lists

Mike Newman has served as the MMF for Area C since July of 2008. Before serving the Texas District he served in pastoral ministry since 1987 in congregations in Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota. He has been blessed to be involved in the leadership, development and growth of a mission congregation and has served congregations both large and small. His ministry journey has included participation in multi-ethnic ministry, international mission trips, the planting of new ministries, radio and television ministry, and the writing of books and resources. He and his wife Cindy live in San Antonio and are the parents of two wonderful daughters. His hobbies include squeezing in one or two sprint triathlons each year, reading a few good books, spending time with family, and risking his life doing yard work.

Mike’s personal mission statement: "To vibrantly communicate usable faith in order to ignite the reality of and hunger for Jesus Christ in all people." Mike is excited to assist Area C congregations as they reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ. The new ministries and church plants resulting from this outreach will be part of the “Mission 200” goal of the Texas District to start 200 new churches and ministries by 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Service Area:

• Worship
• Lay Mobilization
• New Mission liaison to BMA

Lou has served as the MMF for Area D since November of 1997.  Prior to this Lou was Director of Adult and Leadership Ministry for the LCMS Board for Congregational Services, Director of Parish Education and Youth Ministry for the Missouri District LCMS, and has served in congregations as DCE, school principal, and teacher.  Lou and his wife Martha (past editor with Concordia Publishing House and developer of early childhood materials and writer) have five married children and eight grandchildren. (They live in Texas and Missouri)

Lou’s personal mission statement:  "To live a life of service utilizing my God given gifts and nurturing others in developing their God given gifts." This mission is powered through the Spirit by:

• growing in my faithwalk
• being a model for others
• maintaining a positive attitude
• keeping a sense of humor
• being orderly in person and in work, and
• always being open to learn 'new' things.

Service Area:

• Adult Ministry
• Family and Children's Ministry
• Human Care, Health Ministry
• Disaster Relief

Rev. Dr. John Hirsch is the Texas District's Congregational and Work Care professionl. His responsibility includes assisting congregations work through conflict. He uses a process called C.A.R.E. and has four C.A.R.E. counselors working with him. In addition to the C.A.R.E. process, Dr. Hirsch assists in the Church Planting process of the Texas District by assessing church planters.

If you are interested in being a mission planter in Texas and would like to know more about the assessment process, contact John by clicking .

Dr. Hirsch is a native Texan and has been working with with the Texas District congregations for more than a decade.

Service Area:

• Congregational Care
• Worker Care
• Mission Planter Assessment