Lutheran Hour Ministries

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is a Christian outreach organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Lutheran Church–Canada, and Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML). Its mission is “Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church.” Its flagship program, The Lutheran Hour, is one of the longest-running Christian radio broadcasts and helped LHM grow into a major mission organization. Today LHM produces radio and TV programs, online and print materials, dramas, music, and outreach programs, with ministry centers in many countries.

LHM began in 1917 as the Lutheran Laymen’s League (LLL). Twelve laymen formed the group to help pay off the LCMS’s debt and to support church workers. They devised a plan to recruit salesmen in districts to contact congregations, report contributions, and encourage giving. The drive quickly raised funds to clear the debt, and the LLL was formed. In 1920, the Ahlbrand Plan urged congregations to report their contributions and to budget based on their membership, supporting ministry at home and abroad.

In 1930, Walter A. Maier secured funding from the LLL for The Lutheran Hour. Despite the Great Depression, the program grew, and by the late 1940s the LLL’s income rose sharply, with The Lutheran Hour airing on thousands of stations. The LLL also helped produce Christian films and TV programs from the 1940s to the 1980s. In 1992, the organization changed its name to Lutheran Hour Ministries to reflect its broader work beyond the radio program.

Today LHM continues The Lutheran Hour and also runs Woman to Woman, ministry centers in more than 30 countries, witnessing training, and a kids’ online program called JCPlayZone. In 2008, it started Para el Camino, a Spanish-language version of The Lutheran Hour; in 2009 it launched Men’s NetWork; and in 2010 it added hundreds of new stations to its network. The Lutheran Hour now airs on more than 1,350 stations across North America.