The Missionaries are Coming—to the US!

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Robert Scudieri, President of Mission
Nation Publishing, joins hosts Rev. Dr. Steve Schave, Director of
LCMS Church Planting, and Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Manager of Church
Planting in the Mission Field: USA initiative, to explore how the
children and grandchildren of those won for Christ by missionaries
sent from the US are now returning the favor. Right at the time
when the church is being challenged the most, the Lord of the
Church has sent us help from Asia, Latin America, Middle East and
Africa! About Rev. Dr. Robert J. Scudieri: Pastor Bob Scudieri was
born and raised in the New York City area where he attended public
schools. Dr. Scudieri began studying for the holy ministry at
Concordia College in Bronxville in September of 1962. After
graduating from Bronxville with an Associate in Arts degree in
1964, he transferred to Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne,
Indiana. After graduating from Concordia, Fort Wayne in 1966 with a
B.A. degree, he entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Upon his
graduation from Concordia in 1971 (M.Div.), Pastor Scudieri
shepherded the urban parish Redeemer Lutheran Church in Orange, New
Jersey for four years before being called to Christ Memorial
Lutheran Church in East Brunswick, New Jersey. During his tenure
the parish grew from 600 to 1200 members. From 1984 to 1991, Dr.
Scudieri served as the Mission and Stewardship Counselor for the
English District LCMS, collaborating with congregations of the
district to begin new missions and revitalize existing ones. In
December of 1991 Scudieri was called to implement the Synod’s
Blueprint for the ‘90s, an effort to reach all ethnic groups in NA
with the gospel, changing the face of the Missouri Synod. For the
next eighteen years Scudieri headed new mission development,
evangelism and church revitalization in North America for the LCMS,
a position from which he retired from full time ministry on July
31, 2009. In retirement Pr. Scudieri continued to serve on several
national boards, and, served Faith Lutheran Church as Mission
Equipping Pastor from 2011 – 2014, when he left to pursue a dream
of publishing biographies of missionaries. On January 6, 2016, Bob
began his new mission called Mission Nation Publishing. The mission
of Mission Nation Publishing is to strengthen the church in America
by giving a voice to missionaries to America. Lutherans are the
most homogenous ethnic group in America: 95% of Lutherans in
America are White English speaking – but soon White English
speaking people will be one of many minorities. We see the new
missionaries to America as gifts God is giving to the church in
America. Several books on mission have already been published, and
thirty video interviews with missionaries are accessible on the
Mission Nation Publishing website, MissionNationPublishing.com. The
video interviews form the basis for a weekly blog that Bob writes
and sends to over 2,000 people. A new initiative has begun to form
a national network of churches that see America as a mission field
– churches who see the future and are eager to reach an ethnic
group different from their own. Dr. Scudieri and his wife Lynn love
spending their time their time with two adult children and four
beautiful grandchildren.