In the Field

"Joys and Blessings of the Holy Ministry"

Featuring the Rev. Scott L. Murray, 
Pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church, 
Houston, Texas

by Monica Robins

Polls of educated young people are finding that they are attracted to the mysteries of the faith as offered in the Divine Liturgy of the church,” says the Rev. Scott R. Murray. “Here at Memorial Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas, I am experiencing that generational shift firsthand. People of the parish who are 40 years old and younger are the most enthusiastic supporters of the historic liturgy and hymnody of the Christian church. They are not impressed by the shallow entertainments that are substituted for the church’s liturgy. In fact, they consider it a mockery of the truth. The so-called ‘Millennials’ are looking for substance and truth, not fluff and foolishness. They recognize the fact that what is called ‘church growth’ is really church death, because it ignores issues of truth. Nineteen years ago when I first began my service to the church, young people wanted to argue about the mysteries of the faith. Now young people are hungry to know what they are. As a result, teaching adult confirmation is really exciting and satisfying.”

Pastor Murray had wanted to be a pastor for as long as he can remember. In order to achieve this lofty goal, he earned a B.A. in Classics and Philosophy at Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Mich. (1980); and then attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., where he received a Master of Divinity degree (1983). Pastor Murray was ordained at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Waterloo, Ontario, on August 21, 1983. His first Call was to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Cobourg, Ontario, where he served until 1985. While in Cobourg, he also attended the School of Graduate Studies, Department of History, at the University of Toronto. His second Call was Salem Lutheran Church and School, Gretna, La. He earned an M.A. from Loyola University, Department of Religion, New Orleans, La. (1993), and then a Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, La. (1998). Pastor Murray received and accepted a Call to Memorial Lutheran Church and School in Houston, Texas, in 1996.

Memorial is a liturgical congregation that has a weekly average attendance of more than 400 and that has experienced a 10% or better increase in weekly church attendance each of the last three years. Memorial uses The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and The Hymnal Supplement 98. The congregation strives to have a liturgical practice that is unified with the school program—their liturgy includes a Catechism lesson and the corresponding Luther Catechism hymn that is being taught in the school that week, and they offer individual confession and absolution once monthly and by appointment. The school offers education for Preschool through 8th Grade, where they are making a transition to a classical curriculum, including Latin, elementary logic, music (both choral and instrumental), etc. “The school is our most fertile evangelism field,” says Pastor Murray.

This congregation, shepherded by Pastor Murray, is a congregation that loves to learn. On Sunday mornings, there are two to four Bible studies for adults, with total average attendance between 150 and 200. The Sunday school has an average attendance of 80 children, and there is a Bible study for youth.

In addition to the Sunday morning studies, members have numerous opportunities for Bible study throughout the week: a Tuesday morning Bible study for seniors and stay-at-home moms; quarterly studies of seven weeks on Wednesday evenings, some doctrinal topics, some Biblical studies, some historical topics; Thursday morning pre-work Bible study for business people; Bible studies for auxiliary organizations in the congregation (young adults, ladies group, seniors, etc.); annual elders retreat and faculty retreat, and two annual adult retreats taught by seminary faculty.

For those members preparing for confirmation, Pastor Murray teaches catechism class for Memorial Lutheran School children in 7th and 8th grade three days a week and a Sunday evening class for public school children. They also embark on a confirmation retreat once a year with the young people. Pastor Murray offers adult confirmation twice yearly on Sundays.

Pastor Murray says of his ministry, “The joys and blessings of the Holy Ministry are so many that they are beyond listing, although a few could be mentioned. The Lord has blessed me with wonderful congregations. Memorial Lutheran Church, which I have served for nearly six years, has been a joy to serve. This congregation is a consciously Lutheran community. They are highly educated and delight in learning. The congregation expects its pastors to be scholars, permitting them and encouraging them to carry out their proper offices. The people do very little second-guessing of their pastors’ judgment here. They show deep respect and provide loving support for their pastors.

“I have had faithful colleagues with whom to work. God has blessed this congregation with a great staff: Associate Pastor J. Barton Day, Cantor Janet J. Muth, a vicar, and wonderful support staff. We were assigned a Fort Wayne vicar for a second year in a row. This year, Vicar Steven Cholak is assigned here. “My predecessors here left the congregation in good theological condition,” comments Pastor Murray. “There were no theological problems to sort out when I arrived. Good predecessors are gifts from God.”

Pastor Murray continues, “As most pastors do, I struggle to juggle family, parish, and professional responsibilities. A loving and supportive family helps me deal with those challenges. I am working much longer hours now than I did in the first few years of my ministry—there are no longer any lull times in parish life. There used to be the slow period right after Easter, but not anymore.”

In addition to his service at Memorial, Pastor Murray has had the privilege of teaching in Siberia and in Sudan in years past. “Memorial has a wonderful mission attitude,” says Pastor Murray. “The congregation directly supports mission work in Mexico City, Haiti, and Cambridge, England. We have sent several congregational work teams to Mexico City and Cambridge over the last two years. We directly support Lutheran Bible Translators, Lutheran Heritage Foundation, and both seminaries. Memorial has adopted three or four seminary students through the adopt-a-student program every year. The congregation and school are both multi-ethnic, with more than 20 nations represented in Memorial’s school.”

He has also written a book entitled, Law, Life, and the Living God: The Third Use of the Law in Modern American Lutheranism (St. Louis: CPH, 2001), based on his doctoral dissertation. He chose the topic of the third use of the Law because of the very real ethical implosion that is occurring in main line denominations in America. For more on the book see http://www.cph.org/ newsletter/feb02/life.htm. It retails for $32.99 and is available from CPH at www.cph.org.

When asked what suggestions he has for men who are preparing to attend seminary, Pastor Murray says, “If possible, learn Greek before you come to the seminary. Get a well-rounded liberal arts education, including philosophy, history, English, composition, etc. As a seminary student work hard. What you learn in seminary will always put you in good stead in parish ministry. Complete your seminary assignments on time no matter what is happening around you. Your parish will expect that. Be faithful in your worship habits. Your professors will tell you how much you will miss seminary chapel when you are in the parish. They are right. And finally, there is no substitute for experiencing the theology of the cross in serving a congregation. Luther’s dictum is correct: “Oratio, meditatio, tentatio faciunt theologum.”

The Rev. Scott R. Murray is Pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas. He is married to Maryann (née Sovis) and they have two children: Anastasia Elizabeth (13), and Hilary Katherine (10).