The Lutheran Hour - History of Lutheran Hour Ministries

History of Lutheran Hour Ministries

In 1917, a group of 12 men attending a convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Milwaukee met to settle a $100,000 debt incurred by the Church body. They accomplished that goal, and in the process, formed the Lutheran Laymen's League (LLL). The LLL next raised more than $2.7 million to fund a pension plan for professional church workers.

Radio Programming

In 1930, the LLL made a commitment to fund one year of broadcasting a weekly national radio program to be called The Lutheran Hour. The first program was broadcast October 2, 1930. The Lutheran Hour continues on the air today, making it the world's oldest continually broadcast Christ-centered radio program. From the program's early years to today, speakers Dr. Walter A. Maier, Dr. Armin C. Oldsen, Dr. Lawrence Acker, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, Rev. Wallace Schulz, Dr. Dale A. Meyer, and the Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus have shared God's changeless Word and offered comfort and hope to millions.

The success of The Lutheran Hour led the organization to kick off another radio program in 1991. Woman to Woman, hosted by Phyllis Wallace, took an in-depth look at issues facing women and handled these topics in a caring Christian manner. Guests included Kurt Warner, Wynona Judd, and Barbara Mandrell. At its peak, the program was heard on more than 400 stations throughout North America, and through RealAudio on the Internet.

LHM launced Life...revised in February 2006 to take the place of Woman to Woman. The program engages unchurched listeners with topics of interest to them while presenting them with a Christian worldview. Co-hosts "Dr. Mark" Hannemann and Michelle Bauer provide wise and lively discussions about family, health, financial, and other issues with Christian integrity, street smarts, and compassion. Dr. Mark is a Lutheran church—Missouri Synod pastor, a professional mental health practitioner, and director of a Christian counseling center. Michelle, a talented media professional and mother of three, provides a fresh female perspective to the discussions. The show offers something for everyone. Life...revised reminds Christians and non-Christians that life really is a series of revisions, and there is hope for the future no matter what has happened in their past.

International Ministries

In 1940. the international thrust of the LLL ministry began with The Lutheran Hour being broadcast by Dr. Andrew Melendez in Spanish. That same year the LLL opened its first international ministry center in the Philippines. Five years later, it opened a ministry center in Australia. With the scope of the organization becoming more worldwide in nature, the word "international" was officially added to the LLL's name in 1927. Today, the organization airs programming in more than 50 languages to people in more than 40 countries, staffed almost entirely by nationals of the countries where it operates. These devout Christians use radio and TV programming, the Internet, dramas, music, Bible Correspondence Courses, printed materials, and other media to share Christ in and around their countries, often at great personal risk.

Television Programming

In 1952, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod ventured into television with a dramatic series entitled This Is the Life. The program examined contemporary moral problems and gave Christian solutions. In the early years, This Is the Life was a drama series featuring the Fisher family. In later years, it was an anthology series with a different set of characters each week. Several famous actors made guest appearances on This Is the Life during this period, including Jack Nicholson, Buddy Ebsen, and Leonard Nimoy. The program aired from 1952 until 1988, first in syndication and then on NBC. This Is the Life reruns continue today on a limited basis in the U.S. and other countries, where the voices are often dubbed into native languages.

On Main Street was also a popular TV program. Hosted by Dr. Dale A. Meyer, the former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, the program shared practical spiritual teaching on today's issues from a Christ-centered, biblical perspective. Guests included Jimmy Carter, Kathy Ireland, and Mary Lou Retton. Broadcast on more than 100 over-the-air stations and nearly 125 cable stations, On Main Street at one time had a potential reach of more than 50 million viewing households per week. The program is no longer in production.

Today's television programming includes Christmas and Easter specials dubbed into several languages and broadcast on stations around the world through LHM's international ministry centers. The holiday specials include Little Shepherd, Red Boots for Christmas, Christmas Is, The City That Forgot Christmas, The Stableboy's Christmas, The Puzzle Club Easter Adventure, Easter Is, and Three Days.

A New Identity

In 1992, due to the popularity of The Lutheran Hour radio program, the International LLL chose Lutheran Hour Ministries as the overall identity for its media outreach programs. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Lutheran Hour Ministries continues to explore new media and to expand its use of others.

Today, through Christian radio and TV programming, Internet and print communications, dramas, music, and congregational outreach training, LHM works with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Lutheran Church—Canada, and congregations worldwide in Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church. Last year, LHM reached nearly 1 million people worldwide, and nearly 80,000 referrals were made to local pastors as a result of Lutheran Hour Ministries' media programs and initiatives.