In this episode, Rev. Dr. Robert Scudieri, President of Mission Nation Publishing, joins hosts Rev. Dr. Steve Schave, Director of LCMS Church Planting, and Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Manager of Church Planting in the Mission Field: USA initiative, to explore how the children and grandchildren of those won for Christ by missionaries sent from the US are now returning the favor. Right at the time when the church is being challenged the most, the Lord of the Church has sent us help from Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa!
About Rev. Dr. Robert J. Scudieri:
Pastor Bob Scudieri was born and raised in the New York City area where he attended public schools. Dr. Scudieri began studying for the holy ministry at Concordia College in Bronxville in September of 1962. After graduating from Bronxville with an Associate in Arts degree in 1964, he transferred to Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana. After graduating from Concordia, Fort Wayne in 1966 with a B.A. degree, he entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Upon his graduation from Concordia in 1971 (M.Div.), Pastor Scudieri shepherded the urban parish Redeemer Lutheran Church in Orange, New Jersey for four years before being called to Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in East Brunswick, New Jersey. During his tenure the parish grew from 600 to 1200 members.
From 1984 to 1991, Dr. Scudieri served as the Mission and Stewardship Counselor for the English District LCMS, collaborating with congregations of the district to begin new missions and revitalize existing ones.
In December of 1991 Scudieri was called to implement the Synod’s Blueprint for the ‘90s, an effort to reach all ethnic groups in NA with the gospel, changing the face of the Missouri Synod. For the next eighteen years Scudieri headed new mission development, evangelism and church revitalization in North America for the LCMS, a position from which he retired from full time ministry on July 31, 2009.
In retirement Pr. Scudieri continued to serve on several national boards, and, served Faith Lutheran Church as Mission Equipping Pastor from 2011 – 2014, when he left to pursue a dream of publishing biographies of missionaries.
On January 6, 2016, Bob began his new mission called Mission Nation Publishing. The mission of Mission Nation Publishing is to strengthen the church in America by giving a voice to missionaries to America. Lutherans are the most homogenous ethnic group in America: 95% of Lutherans in America are White English speaking – but soon White English speaking people will be one of many minorities. We see the new missionaries to America as gifts God is giving to the church in America.
Several books on mission have already been published, and thirty video interviews with missionaries are accessible on the Mission Nation Publishing website, MissionNationPublishing.com. The video interviews form the basis for a weekly blog that Bob writes and sends to over 2,000 people. A new initiative has begun to form a national network of churches that see America as a mission field – churches who see the future and are eager to reach an ethnic group different from their own.
Dr. Scudieri and his wife Lynn love spending their time their time with two adult children and four beautiful grandchildren.
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The “Mission Field: USA – Church Planting” podcast series, provided by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Office of National Mission, offers a theological background and best practices for launching new congregations and ministries within a Lutheran framework.
