ABOUT LCM

LCM East

2617 S 114 St
Omaha, NE 68144

LCM West

1200 N 181 Ct
Elkhorn, NE 68022
402.333.4444 | info@lcm.church | @lcmomaha

One Church – Multiple Campuses

LCM is one church with multiple locations, or campuses. Our campuses are chosen and designed to connect people to Jesus and one another by loving where we are. We believe bringing the church to more communities is a great way for everyone in our faith community to reach more people with Jesus’ love. Our campuses serve the specific needs of the areas in which they are located, while receiving centralized leadership.
 
HOW IS/DOES HAVING MULTIPLE SITES HELP THE OVERALL COMMUNITY?

Having multiple sites has several benefits to the overall faith community:

  1. Encourages untapped talent to emerge with additional service opportunities
  2. Creates a platform for intentional leadership development.
  3. Improves stewardship by directly affecting the local community around the site.
  4. Enjoys the benefit of both large and small churches.
  5. Fosters an effective evangelistic strategy by focusing on going out and not up.
 
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE ON SUNDAY AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEK?
Expect to see the same Campus Pastor and Worship Coordinator every Sunday with the entire pastoral team taking turns proclaiming a sermon message. The Campus Pastor will be dedicated to their assigned campus for visitations, teaching and service opportunities. They will also be involved in several whole church activities. 
 
The Senior and Executive Pastor will rotate between the campuses providing connection to the whole faith community.
 
AS THE CHURCH GROWS, WILL THERE BE MORE SITES ADDED?
When planning ministry, we focus on community needs. We first answer, “Why does THIS church NEED to be HERE?” The answer will vary greatly from town to town and from neighborhood to neighborhood. We focus on what is essential to faith and salvation and adapt everything else to where the people are. As a result, we strive to meet people where they are and look to reach out and not build up in one location.

LCM History

It was on June 29, 1959, that Pastor Robert DeYoung, newly ordained, arrived in Omaha to organize a church in the southwest part of the city. First services were held in a dance studio, and later in a former tavern. The infant congregation struggled with the problems of purchasing a site and building its own house of worship. Ground was broken at the present location at 114th and Center streets on May 29, 1960, and the first service was held in it less than seven months later. In January of 1961, the congregation became self-supporting.
 
When the congregation was formally organized on December 6, 1959, it was 78 baptized members strong. Ten years later baptized membership totaled 1,325. Entering upon its silver anniversary year in 1984, LCM had 2,176 baptized members. Currently membership is at 2,623. To keep up with steady growth, LCM built a second wing, dedicated on May 24, 1964. Three years later a fund drive for a main sanctuary was launched, and the new structure was dedicated on June 7, 1970.
 
By the end of the 1970’s, it was obvious that even these facilities were inadequate, and a new building project was undertaken resulting in expanding the seating area in the sanctuary, opening new basement space and remodeling other available space. The expanded facilities were dedicated on April 10, 1983.
 
In about 1999, LCM became concerned with some of the things the ELCA was doing or failing to do. LCM responded by becoming a founding member of the Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ in 2001 while trying unsuccessfully to get the ELCA to change. LCM voted to leave the ELCA effective September 1, 2002. The decision had the unanimous support of the Council and the pastors, and over 81 percent of the voting members at a special congregational meeting.
 
In the late 1990’s, LCM concluded that the size of the church building and the inability to expand parking was having a negative impact on their ministry. It was determined that there were a significant number of members who did not want to leave the present building. The final decision was to become a dual site church—one church at two locations. It was decided to remodel and slightly enlarge the present building (this was completed in 2005), buy 28 acres of land at 180th and Dodge streets (this was done in 2003) and construct phase one of a new church facility on the 28 acres that was completed in 2006.
 
Phase one included a family life center (combination gym and worship area), office space, and a number of rooms for Sunday school, youth activities and meetings. The first worship service was held on July 16, 2006.
 
LCM became a designated teaching center for the Institute of Lutheran Theology in 2008 and started a Nuer Language ministry for members of the South Sudanese community in Omaha in 2014. The Sudanese community would become its own recognized LCMC congregation in 2017 while continuing to hold services at LCM East (114th & Center). To expand our mission to the Sudanese community, LCM became a teaching center for the South Sudan Seminary in 2017.