Michigan District, LCMS Podcast

In this conversation, Luke Esselman and Tyler Seehafer discuss the concept of clusters, now known as Ministry Specialist Groups, specifically for Lutheran workers in the Michigan district. They explore the structure, purpose, and benefits of these groups, emphasizing the importance of trust, vulnerability, and community support in ministry. The discussion highlights how clusters can help prevent burnout and encourage professional development among church workers. They also encourage listeners to join or form clusters to enhance their ministry experience.

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

This is a re-broadcast.

In the inaugural episode of The Professional Church Worker podcast, hosts Tyler Seehafer and Luke Esselman introduce themselves and their mission to support church workers, particularly within the LCMS community. They discuss their backgrounds, the importance of addressing the challenges faced by church workers, and the need for community and resources to prevent burnout and isolation. The episode emphasizes the significance of connection, encouragement, and the sharing of ideas to foster a supportive environment for all church workers.

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: https://michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

Is Buddy the Elf a Christ figure? What are the best Christmas Carol adaptations? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? And what do our favorite holiday films actually teach us about hope, belonging, and the meaning of Christmas?

In this episode, we dive into beloved Christmas movies, including Elf, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, and more. Along with some surprising picks for the Christmas season. We explore how these stories shape our understanding of the holidays. Through our theological lens, we ask where these films echo the true Christmas story, where they drift, and how they reveal our deep longing for identity, redemption, and joy.

Rather than rejecting Christmas movies or baptizing them as gospel, we talk about how Christians can watch them with discernment—receiving what is good, naming what is broken, and using them as opportunities to point back to Christ with our neighbors and loved ones.

Watch with joy. Discern with wisdom. And let every story point you to the true gift of Christmas—Christ for you.

Today’s Resources:

• View the full list of movies discussed: letterboxd.com/adelewerner/list/is-buddy-a-christ-figure-and-other-christmas/
• Read more from Rev. Tyler Cronkright: tylercronkright.com/
• Find Dr. Lewis on CSL Scholar: scholar.csl.edu/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

In part two of our series on Mormon theology and culture, continue the conversation with Rev. Jeremy Lamont, Pastor Mark Parsons, and Molly Parsons as they explore how Latter-day Saints navigate doubt, guilt, and the pressure to be “worthy.” Together, they unpack the cultural dynamics of Mormonism today—from community expectations to internet-driven shifts—and why the LDS worthiness system leaves many either exhausted or self-assured.

We contrast this with the Lutheran understanding of law and gospel, the beauty of the sacraments, and the comfort of objective grace. The group discusses what the LDS Church does well, why so many are leaving, what draws people into Mormonism, and how Christians can engage LDS friends with patience, love, and a deep grounding in Christ.

Whether you’re in an LDS-dense community or simply curious about this growing religious movement, this episode reminds us of the most important evangelistic tool. A Christian who knows Jesus deeply and loves their neighbor well.

Today’s Resources:

• Connect to Truth in Love Ministry: https://tilm.org/
• Hear Pastor Lamont at Grace, Sandy UT: https://gracesandy.org/
• Learn more about Mormon Typology: https://mormonmetrics.substack.com/p/the-mormon-typology-mapping-a-changing
• Support the Utah Christian Research Center: https://utahchristianresearchcenter.com/
• Watch “Jesus is Enough”: https://jesusisenough.org/
• Find Resources from Be Ye Perfect: https://beyeperfect.org/
• Please Open the Door from TILM: https://tilm.org/training/potd/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: https://michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

In part one of this two-part series, host Adele Werner sits down with three guests who bring deep personal, pastoral, and on-the-ground experience with Mormon (LDS) culture and theology. Former Mormon–turned–Lutheran pastor Rev. Jeremy Lamont and LDS outreach leaders Rev. Mark Parsons and Molly Parsons explore the key theological differences between Mormonism (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and our Christian confession. Together, they discuss how the LDS view of Jesus as an “elder brother” contrasts with the historic Christian confession of Christ as true God and Savior, why many Latter-day Saints now identify as Christians, and what the LDS “covenant path” means for everyday members.

Listeners will gain a clear understanding of LDS teachings on salvation, eternal families, and the pre-mortal existence—and why these differ from Scripture. The guests also share practical, compassionate strategies for witnessing to Mormon friends, including how to ask meaningful questions, how to talk about grace, and why simply marveling at Jesus often opens more doors than debating doctrine.

Whether you're engaging with LDS missionaries, have Mormon family members, or want to grow in confident Christian witness, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and practical guidance. All of it rests on a firm biblical grounding in Christ alone.

Today’s Resources:

• Connect to Truth in Love Ministry: tilm.org/
• Listen to the Witnessing Christ Podcast: tilm.org/podcast
• Utilize TILM’s Evangelism Training: tilm.org/witnessing-course

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

In this episode, Rev Dr. Randy Duncan shares his personal faith journey and insights on engaging with Gen Z. Both once unaffiliated with any religion, Adele and Randy share how they came to the Lutheran faith—and what their stories reveal about God’s grace meeting people in their masks, their trials, and their mistakes. Together they explore challenges and opportunities in reaching younger generations and why Gen Z is drawn to authenticity. This episode offers advice for how churches can better connect with young people, emphasizes the need for the church to be a place of belonging and support, and encourages listeners to actively participate in their faith communities.

Today’s Resources:

• Connect with Randy: ulcannarbor.org/staff/
• Learn about Campus Ministry Connect:micampusministry.net/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

In part two of our series on Neopaganism and spiritual blending, host Adele Werner continues the conversation with Pastor Gabe Kasper and Pastor Maxx Fisher. Together, they explore how the church can respond to today’s spiritual trends with both compassion and conviction. Instead of fear or judgment, Lutheran theology points us back to the unchanging truth of God’s Word and the comfort of His ordinary gifts—Word and Sacrament—where God promises to meet us with grace. This episode offers encouragement for a shifting world: no matter how many new beliefs arise, the truth of Christ remains steady, certain, and life-giving.

Today’s Resources:

• Learn about Americans with no religious affiliation: thenonesproject.com/
• Research from Evangelism Among Europe’s Neo-Pagans: gospel-culture.org.uk/visser_’t_hooft.htm
• Dig into Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion: a.co/d/b0613al
• Examine Either/Or: The Gospel of Neopaganism: a.co/d/7sdA1qm
• Read A Secular Age: a.co/d/5K8osB6
• Study Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World: a.co/d/aT4zvuW
• Find Gabe’s work through University Lutheran Chapel: ulcannarbor.org/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: https://michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

Crystals. Tarot. Horoscopes. “Spiritual but not religious.” For many today, spirituality is no longer about dogma or tradition but about borrowing rituals that feel meaningful in the moment. But what’s driving this desire and how should the church respond? In part one of a two-part series, we’ll sit down with Pastor Gabe Kasper and Pastor Maxx Fisher to explore the rise of Neopagan practices, why it’s growing, and what its popularity reveals about the spiritual hunger of our age.

This conversation doesn’t approach Neopaganism as a scare tactic. Instead, it seeks to understand our neighbors with compassion, name where counterfeit spiritualities distract from Christ, and equip the church to walk faithfully in a culture full of competing narratives.

Today’s Resources:

• Learn about Americans with no religious affiliation: thenonesproject.com/
• Research from Evangelism Among Europe’s Neo-Pagans: gospel-culture.org.uk/visser_'t_hooft.htm
• Dig into Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion: a.co/d/b0613al
• Examine Either/Or: The Gospel of Neopaganism: a.co/d/7sdA1qm
• Read A Secular Age: a.co/d/5K8osB6
• Study Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World: a.co/d/aT4zvuW
• Find Gabe’s work through University Lutheran Chapel: ulcannarbor.org/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

How do we faithfully talk about sex, purity, and relationships in the church today? In this episode, we sit down with Deaconess Sarah Rusche and Deaconess Rebekah Lukas for an honest, grace-filled conversation about sex education, purity culture, and what it means to teach and live out a biblical sexual ethic. This isn’t just a discussion about rules—it’s a deeper exploration of vocation, love of neighbor, and the freedom we have in Christ. Whether you grew up with purity rings or never had these conversations in church, this episode will encourage you to think faithfully about sexuality, grace, and the gospel that covers us all.

Today’s Resources:

• Read Sarah’s Master’s Thesis: scholar.csl.edu/ma_th/124/
• Listen to Rebekah’s Symposia Presentation: scholar.csl.edu/theo/2023/sectionals/2/
• Support Sarah’s Ministry: rlom.org

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS

What happens when your faith is captured on camera—and broadcast to millions?

In this conversation, Emily Worthmore reflects on her role in the Emmy-winning documentary “Girls State.” She reflects on her faith and identity, particularly in the context of her conservative views in a predominantly liberal environment and the friendships formed across political divides. From debating legislation to navigating social tension, Emily reveals how her Christian identity shaped every moment—and why she wouldn’t change a thing.

Today’s Resources

• Watch Girls State: tv.apple.com/us/movie/girls-state
• Read “Incompatible for Comparison”: missourigirlsstate.org/post/incompatible-for-comparison
• Learn about Michigan’s Girls State: michalaux.org/girls-state/

Follow the Michigan District:

• Website: michigandistrict.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/miLCMS/
• YouTube: youtube.com/@michiganLCMS