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LCMS World Relief and Human Care
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LCMS World Relief and Human Care is the mercy arm of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The international ministry provides care for the needy,
meeting both physical and spiritual needs. LCMS World Relief and Human Care coordinates
human care and disaster relief projects, including major LCMS responses after the
tsunami in Asia and the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s unique mission is
building Lutheran capacity domestically and internationally. The ministry strives
to assist faithful Lutheran churches and partners in providing care for the needy—including
the homeless, the persecuted and the sick—in conjunction with proclamation of the
Gospel.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care is based at the LCMS
International Center in St. Louis, Mo. The LCMS was founded in 1847 and has 2.5
million baptized members in 6,150 congregations. The church ranks as one of the
10 largest Christian denominations in the United States.
For more information about LCMS World Relief and Human
Care, call (800) 248-1930, Ext. 1380, or visit http://worldrelief.lcms.org.
Rev. Matthew C. Harrison
Rev. Matthew C. Harrison has served as the executive director
of LCMS World Relief and Human Care for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS)
since 2001. LCMS World Relief and Human Care is the mercy ministry
of the LCMS, one of the United States’ 10 largest denominations.
Rev. Harrison provides a witness to Jesus Christ by overseeing
and supporting ways in which members of the Synod express their Christian concern,
love and compassion through acts of mercy by helping the homeless, the persecuted,
the sick and the needy. He has witnessed first-hand the impact of disasters and
post-disaster care throughout the world, as LCMS World Relief and Human Care carries
out all manner of relief and human care projects. Those efforts include major LCMS
responses after the tsunami in Asia and the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast.
Prior to his call to LCMS World Relief and Human Care,
Rev. Harrison served for more than a decade as a parish pastor in rural (Westgate,
Iowa) and inner-city (Fort Wayne, Ind.) parishes. During his pastorate at Zion in
Fort Wayne, Rev. Harrison’s parish embarked on a now nationally recognized neighborhood
revitalization effort. Rev. Harrison also served on the LCMS Board for Mission Services
(1998-2001). Presently, he serves on the board of Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore,
and Lutheran Services in America.
Rev. Harrison graduated with a Master of Divinity in
1989 from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. He earned his Master
of Sacred Theology degree from the same institution in 1991 and is pursuing a Doctor
of Philosophy degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. His academic pursuits
have continued in the authoring, editing and translating of several articles and
books, including two volumes titled "The Lonely Way: Selected Essays and Letters
by Hermann Sasse" (Concordia Publishing House).
Rev. Harrison resides in Ballwin, Mo., with his wife,
Kathy, and two sons.
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