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The History of Lutheran Hour Ministries: 1917-Present

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 Oct. 2, 1930. The Lutheran Hour continues on the air today, making it the world's oldest continually broadcast Christ-centered radio program. From the show's early years to today, speakers Dr. Walter A. Maier, Dr. Armin C. Oldsen, Dr. Lawrence Acker, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, Dr. 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 show in 1991. Woman to Woman, hosted by Phyllis Wallace, takes an in-depth look at issues facing women and handles these topics in a caring Christian manner. Guests have included Kurt Warner, Wynona Judd, and Barbara Mandrell.

International Ministries
In 1940, the international thrust of the LLL ministry began with The Lutheran Hour being broadcast by Dr. Andrew Melendez in Spanish. In 1940, 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 1972. Today, the has ministry centers located throughout the world, 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 the 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.
Click here to view the first episode

On Main Street was also a popular TV program. Hosted by Dr. Dale Meyer, the former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, the program shared practical spiritual teaching on the day'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, OMS at one time had a potential reach of more than 50 million viewing households per week.

Today's television programming also includes five holiday specials dubbed into several languages and broadcast on stations around the world through LHM's international ministry centers.

A New Identity
In 1992, due to the popularity of The Lutheran Hour radio program, the International Lutheran Laymen's League 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 The Lutheran Hour, Woman to Woman, International Ministries, and the Men's NetWork, Lutheran Hour Ministries 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.

The Lutheran Hour continues to reach people on more than 800 stations, XM Satellite Radio, online, through podcasts, and also through Pastor Klaus' online daily devotions. Woman to Woman airs on more than 280 stations, on XM Satellite Radio channel 170, and online. Our International Ministry Centers continue to reach out to people in ways relevant to their culture. Radio and TV programming, Internet and print communications, dramas, dance, and music are all ways that LHM's International Ministry Centers share the Gospel with those who need to hear it.

The latest addition to how LHM reaches out to those who need Christ is the Men's NetWork. Loaded with helpful stuff men's groups can use to maximize their time together, the Men's NetWork also has features to boost their outreach mission to men who are on the fringe of the church or just uninvolved. As a Web-based resource, the Men's NetWork provides tools and strategies that help guys get past the difficult hurdle of forming their own men's group.

Lutheran Hour Ministries looks forward to a bright future as remarkable media breakthroughs open more doors to communicate with more people around the world who long for answers, love, and meaning in their lives. LHM will be ready to respond in Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church.