Lutheran broadcasters face staff cutbacks

ST. LOUIS — Lutheran Hour Ministries is facing cutbacks due to tighter budgets affected by the nation’s economic downturn. The organization is a broadcasting ministry service of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League, which is an auxiliary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The ministry is eliminating 25 of 166 staff positions at its St. Louis headquarters, the denomination announced. It also will close 18 offices, affecting about 60 additional staff members overseas. Prior to these changes, the organization had 296 full- and part-time international staff. The changes will reduce the number of countries in which Lutheran Hour Ministries operates from 54 to 39.