BALM: Buffalo Area Lutheran Ministerium Confessions Study Group
A new school year is upon us, and we are excited for another year of BALM: the Buffalo Area Lutheran Ministry, also known as the Confessions Study Group. We are inviting you to monthly Worship and Confessional Studies on the second Thursday morning of each month at 10:00 AM. Many pastors in our greater Buffalo region have benefited from setting this time aside to worship, study together, and reflect on pastoral practice.
Consider carving out a couple of hours each month throughout this coming school year to give and receive encouragement with brother pastors. This is a simple and worthwhile opportunity to gather around the Lord’s Word, the Lutheran Confessions, and the shared work of pastoral care. You will not regret it.
First Fall Meeting
The first meeting for the fall will be held on September 10th from 10:00 AM to noon at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 7720 Goodrich Road, Clarence Center, NY. Snacks and coffee will be provided by 9:30 AM. We will begin with a brief worship service and then discuss the Augsburg Confession, Article XV, Of Ecclesiastical Usages, together.
Our discussion will consider the Augsburg Confession with an eye toward pastoral care and practice. These gatherings are intended to be practical, fraternal, theological, and encouraging. Often, we also gather over lunch as we conclude.
Our Goals in Meeting Together
Encouraging Pastoral Relationships
We hope to build encouraging relationships among our Western New York and Ontario Lutheran pastors. These gatherings give brother pastors an opportunity to know one another more deeply across traditional synod, district, and circuit lines. In a vocation that can often be isolating, time together in worship, study, and conversation is a needed gift.
Shared Ministry and Mutual Encouragement
We desire to grow in appreciation for, enhancement of, and strategy for our shared ministry together. The work of pastoral care is strengthened when pastors listen to one another, learn from one another, and encourage one another in the faithful exercise of the Office. BALM provides a regular opportunity to reflect together on the practical and theological questions that arise in parish life.
Faithful Practice Shaped by Scripture and the Confessions
We also meet to strengthen our own faithful pastoral practice, shaped by Holy Scripture and read through the lens of the Lutheran Confessions. The Confessions are not merely historical documents, but living theological resources that continue to guide preaching, teaching, worship, pastoral care, and congregational life. By studying them together, we seek to serve Christ’s Church with greater clarity, humility, and faithfulness.
We Hope to See You
We hope to see you at our first fall gathering on September 10th at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clarence Center. Please feel free to let us know if you are planning to attend next month. You are also welcome to contact the church with any questions.
