Investing in Students, Pastors, and Congregations
After pastoral service in Portland, TX, Moriarty, NM, El Paso, TX, Roxana, IL, and Roswell, NM, I was elected as the superintendent of the New Mexico District in June 2019. This new responsibility gives me the privilege of providing support and over site to the Nazarene churches in the entire state of New Mexico and far West Texas (the part that is south of New Mexico). As you can imagine, I drive a lot.
I am Larry to most people. My last name is pronounced as though it was spelled with an ‘s’ lasher. I had my introduction to the Church of the Nazarene through bus ministry (7 years). I grew up in Albuquerque, N.M. I am the youngest of 5 children and the only Nazarene in my family. I have been married to my beautiful wife, Lisa, for over thirty-seven years. Together we have three children and nine grandchildren. Lisa has worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist for forty years and is a wonderful partner in ministry for me.
Following graduating from High School, I attended Trevecca Nazarene University and Nazarene Seminary (twice, M. Div. and D. Min.) and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (Ph.D.). I have been teaching online for NBC since 2006, but have been involved in training ministers throughout my career as a pastor. Besides being a pastor and professor, I have served on my districts on the Board of Ministries and as the chairman of the Board of Ministerial Studies and denominational-level collaborations.
My project for my Doctor of Ministry degree was to create a catechism for adults to teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith from a Wesleyan/Arminian perspective. My Ph.D. dissertation explores Wesley’s use and understanding of liturgy and its capacity to form the Christian life. I believe that his insights can be useful to revitalize worship in post-Christian America.
I am glad to be back near the mountains of New Mexico. The high desert is truly beautiful. We love the wide-open spaces and the multiple climates available in New Mexico. Most people do not know the beauty of the Southwest, but there are amazing things to see and to do here.
As I have worked with the courses and students of NBC for over thirteen years now, I have been truly impressed. I think the quality of the education a student receives at NBC is excellent, and it provides the foundation needed for effective ministry in the Church of the Nazarene. What has impressed me most is the quality of the students. Most of the students at NBC are highly committed to the Call of God on their lives. They make tremendous sacrifices in order to do what God has asked them to do. Most students are working, serving their churches, raising a family, and taking classes. What they don’t do is sleep much.
Our changing culture and changing church mean that the church needs them to be excellent at what God has called them to do. I believe that God is raising up people with varied experience in order to strengthen the church for the future. I thank each student for partnering with Him in serving His people.
Dr. Larry A. Lacher, NBC Adjunct Professor, District Superintendent, and Pastor
Published: 04/13/2020
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