The Concordia Story: A Fifty-Year History of Concordia Lutheran Church 1951-2001

CHAPTER 2
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TV Sunday School became San
Antonio’s top rated Sunday morning
show during the early 1960’s.
By the early 1960’s church leaders were coming to
Concordia from all over to try to learn the principles
driving the congregation’s amazing effectiveness.
The innovations at Concordia were mostly
invented or refined by Merkens. Some were
based on simple, basic principles of business and
marketing. While Concordia’s objective was to
follow Christ’s command to make disciples, the
techniques used to attain that objective reflected
the most current technology and business strategies
designed to draw and retain customers.
However, Merkens is quick to point out:
“Ultimately it was still the word and sacrament
ministry that built the church by God’s grace.”
In 1959, for example, Concordia began
printing the entire Sunday liturgy in the bulletin,
along with verses of hymns to be sung.
“In this way we made it easier for members
and visitors to follow along,” Merkens
explained. “A visitor didn’t have to feel intimidated
because he couldn’t find the correct page
in the hymnal for the liturgy.”
Now, he said, many a successful church
prints out their service in a worship guide.
Merkens said he loved the old Lutheran
Hymnal, and the hymns it contained, “but if you
have a great hymn with 15 verses, why should
we feel compelled to sing all 15? We’d just pick
out the best four or five, print them in the bulletin
and sing them with gusto.”
The services at Concordia were packed with
music, liturgy and preaching, but almost never
lasted more than sixty minutes.
“You know, the most successful television
show in history was called 60 Minutes,” noted
Merkens. “A lot of that was because sixty minutes
is just about the maximum amount of time
you can keep the attention of the normal adult.
20 ✦ THE CONCORDIA STORY