From the Desk of Pastor Ted…

Month of May, 2009 (the most recent material is on last page)
Sunday Bulletin Articles, Newsletter Information, and Report to the Council

Newsletter – May 2009

ATT Committee: Ask/Thank/Tell

The Stewardship Committee has reshaped itself to carry out stewardship tasks in a different way… forming the “ATT” Committee made of three new “sub-committees” or small groups that do what each group’s name states: to Ask members to consider various giving challenges, to Thank members for their gifts and sharing of selves, and to Tell about the things happening in our congregation and the wider church.  All three sub-groups would benefit by having four or five members who will design how they will carry out their specific task.  Consider being a part of the newly shaped ATT Committee and enjoy the fellowship and activities of one of the three sub-groups.  Let Bob or Karen Beckstrom know of your interest.

St. Andrew’s Ends Their Food Pantry

St. John’s has had an ongoing project of collecting and transporting its members’ food donations to the food pantry managed by St. Andrews Lutheran.  I’ve learned recently that St. Andrews’ decided to conclude that particular part of their ministry program.  At this point St. John’s is not helping to supply a food pantry ministry.  I suggest that food donations to St. John’s should end for now since there is not currently another designated distribution point.

A New “Catch-All” Committee?  LEGS?  GELS?

The above paragraph suggests a need for more structure to help shape and oversee a number of ministry emphases.  (I wrote about this a few months back.)  I see four specific areas that a new committee could/should manage (areas not covered by existing committees): Learning, Evangelizing, Growing, Serving.  The words’ first letters suggest a couple four-letter acronyms words that could describe the general purposes: the committee that “puts LEGS under the congregation’s outreach ministry” or that “GELS the congregation’s outreach ministry”.  I favor the LEGS name because it has more of an action/movement orientation.

This kind of committee would focus on things like education, social ministry, special needs ministries, personal-social-spiritual growth, promotion, advertizing, service projects, and more.  I think LEGS (or GELS?) would become the most active of St. John’s standing committees if formed… and the purposes stated in this paragraph are crucial to the future life and ministry of the congregation.  This kind of group will need a good number of members… perhaps ten or so.

I know that many have stated to me something like: “I’ve done my part at St. John’s.”  (That usually seems to mean that somebody else needs provide leadership and support beyond financial giving and attending worship.)  I challenge that idea… the need for hands-on membership support and leadership in a congregation does not end… and the congregation’s members are the ones that need to provide these things.  A pastor can do much… but members simply must contribute of themselves to the process.

Might YOU be interested in helping to form a new ministry group called LEGS (or GELS)… or perhaps to be a part of the ATT Committee as described above?  Ya never know… it might be a lot of fun!

From the Desk of Pastor Ted…

Mission or Maintenance?

A primary question asked of a congregation, especially one well established, is whether its primary focus for life and ministry is about MISSION or MAINTENANCE.

To be about mission is to place energy toward carrying out primary purposes like that stated by St. John’s mission statement… do you remember it?  (It is weekly placed in the heading of the worship folder: Worship God / Love Each Other / Reach Out to All!

To be about maintenance is to place energy toward the things needed to maintain functioning and operation of the congregation or to be concerned about internal matters of the members and congregational structures (including the buildings).

Both of these dynamics are crucial and important for the present and future.  They are always in a kind of tension-balance with each other.  But, it is important to regularly evaluate how the balance is going… and to not lose sight of either.  One or the other is usually primary… and each has different results when held as primary value.

Mission seems harder to keep as primary for established Lutheran congregations, especially when the focus points are about meeting budget needs, raising funds for repair, wrangling over control issues.  Eventual decline and frustration are often the results of high maintenance focus.  Having a sense of mission can enhance the present and future, particularly when directed toward people of need or ministry to support unmet needs.

So where is St. John’s in this balance of mission and maintenance?  Has one or the other seemed to be of primary concern for the present and future?  Which dynamic seems to occupy the most energy in the congregation’s life?  What does that mean to the present and future life and ministry of St. John’s?

Next Sunday – The Call Committee Will Describe a Possibility

Next Sunday – during worship and after – the Call Committee will begin describing a very specific approach to mission and ministry for St. John’s as might be developed with a particular pastor of our synod.  There are some exciting possibilities that could be developed in terms of mission and outreach… but it REQUIRES significant “but-in” by the membership of St. John’s.  The history of the congregation has some impact to this consideration… a history that includes conflict, resistance, and control issues… none of which are conducive to building a new sense of mission.  Without good clarity of mission and decided support toward such an approach, it is likely that the opportunity being considered will fizzle out before even having a chance to be explored or attempted.

Join us in worship next week.  Be a part of some conversations that will be occurring over the next weeks and months as the call process unfolds in the life of St. John’s.

Structure for the Future? – Outreach Committees and Stewardship Committees

I’ve briefly described this kind of approach to leadership at St. John’s, keeping committees that are functioning well and reshaping those that are struggling or not working particularly effectively.  I’ve also suggested two primary purposes for structural groups in a congregation… outreach (mission orientation) and stewardship (maintenance orientation).  The committee structure for St. John’s could look something like this:

• Outreach Committees: Worship, LEGS (Learning, Evangelizing, Growing, Serving)
• Stewardship Committees: Property, Finance, ATT (Ask, Thank, Tell)

LEGS Committee

Four words describe what this outreach committee would be about… the first letters of the four words making the LEGS acronym.  LEGS includes traditional committee functions like education, social ministry, children/family ministry, evangelism, growth (personal, social, spiritual).  This committee has an overall purpose or reaching out to people beyond the congregation through the activities of the congregation.  This could (and perhaps should) become the most active organization of St. John’s and might have significant impact on the future life and ministry of St. John’s.  This group would consider how to manage or change education programs, such as Sunday School and intergenerational activities.  LEGS would wonder how St. John’s might reshape its life to minister to unmet needs in the community and area.

ATT Committee

The Stewardship Committee has begun reshaping itself into three smaller groups of 4-6 people each (hopefully).  The three smaller groups will focus on one of three specific tasks: Asking, Thanking, Telling.

Asking is to consider specific giving challenges to various ministries of the church or community… not “harping about giving”… especially toward the congregation’s budget.  The Ask group will identify projects that deserve congregational support and place relative giving challenges and opportunities before the congregation and its members.

Thanking is to recognize the many ways people respond to giving challenges and offer support to the life and ministry of the congregation, community, and wider church.

Telling is to let people know of the wide range of ministries and activities that happen in the congregation and wider church, to keep people informed about the actions of God’s people, to provide information about the ministries of the wider church.

All of these aspects of the ATT committee are about stewardship… how people use the resources of their own lives or of the wider community of God’s people.

Now – Which Committee Would YOU Be a Part Of?

Yes, I’m asking people to “step up the plate” by being a part of one of these new committees.  I know that many suggest they might be “too old” for such activities… but really, are people too old to help thank somebody, or to be part of a fellowship meal, or to read about things of the church in order to pass along such insight or activity?  Join

Letter to the Congregation – Special Meeting

To:       Members of St. John’s Lutheran Church

From:   St. John’s Call Committee

Ted Johanson – Intentional Interim Pastor

Re:       Congregational Meeting with Bishop Justman – Thursday, May 27 at 6:00 PM

Dear Members of St. John’s,

After much consultation with Bishop Jim Justman and St. John’s Council, the Call Committee briefly informed the congregation this past Sunday of a possible opportunity for a unique call situation.  What is crucial right now in St. John’s call process is to assure that the members of St. John’s learn about the ministry opportunity placed before the Call Committee and to gain solid support from the congregation about this creative ministry/call idea and approach.

To assist in the process, Bishop Justman has cleared his schedule on the evening of Wednesday, May 27 to visit with as many members of the congregation as we can pull together.  He will provide good information and will facilitate important dialogue about the situation/opportunity.

NOTE – This is likely the MOST IMPORTANT meeting the congregation will have in terms of this part of the call process.  It is very important that everyone make an effort to attend and participate.  The meeting isn’t formal and official decisions will not be considered.  But, some clear decisions will likely be fashioned through the conversation and dialogue.

The basic ideas to be discussed are these:

• A particular pastor of our synod is available for call who has a highly specialized skill set and sense of call to minister to families and individuals who deal with issues of deafness.
• Additional to this particular skill set and ministry interest, this pastor is also well equipped to minister in the context of a regular call to St. John’s, matching skills with existing needs.
• The specialized ministry can be smoothly added to the existing life of St. John’s… that is, the primary context would likely be a second Sunday morning worship service… such as might occur at 10:45 or 11:00 AM. That service would be bi-lingual (Sign and English – not just signed translation), would focus on keeping families with special needs together, and would seek to embrace and minister to a variety of unique needs… including special-needs adults.
• Will the congregation choose to be supportive to this approach to its life and ministry? This isn’t about changing what is working well as much as continuing what is important at St. John’s while also adding a whole new and different form of ministry to its life.

Again, the meeting with Bishop Justman will begin at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 27 (NEXT Wednesday).  Just for fun, those interested are invited to join into a potluck fellowship meal like what has been happening each 1^st Wednesday for a year.  It will begin at 5:15 PM… all are invited.  Brats, burgers, and “dogs” will be provided… people are invited to contribute other food offerings.  Join Us!!  Be a part of this crucially important meeting.

The following was distributed as part of a sermon

Following in Paul’s urban footsteps (From June 2009 issue of The Lutheran) Paul knew how to get around in all the major metropolitian cities Paul was an urban missionary. He knew how to get around in all the major metropolitan cities. He was familiar with the streets, the marketplaces. He knew how to engage political powers. He was involved in cross-cultural ministry. He took the gospel of Jesus – which had its roots in the life and literature of Israel – and made it relevant to people in Asia Minor and Europe. Gathered on the steps of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, Minn., Lou Pou (left), Gary Dreier, pastor, and other worshipers prepare for the Palm Sunday service. Many other days, Dreier says, the church members cross the street and walk up the steps of the Capitol Building to “engage as Christians in our political process.” Here in St. Paul, Minn., a town named in his honor, Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill sits across the street from the state Capitol in an urban neighborhood. The stained-glass windows in its worship area tell a significant story: the words are in Norwegian and in English. From its beginning in 1868, Christ Lutheran was a church for immigrants, a church that knew from its roots what it was like to have cultures meet. Currently this vibrant congregation, which I have served as pastor for one year, continues to cross cultures. Worshipers include people of African, Asian, European, Latino and Native American descent. They are great welcomers. But they are also great “well-goers.” These people of God make an effort to cross the street to the Capitol to engage as Christians in our political process. These missionaries take the time to cross the parking lot into the neighborhood that surrounds us, serving, inviting, welcoming everyone. The church has also opened its building to partners that have vital ministries in our community and state. Daily Work is a Christian service to help people find jobs. The Lutheran Coalition of Public Policy in Minnesota advocates for peace, justice and care for all of God’s creation. Southeast Asian Ministries works steadily on behalf of refugees making a new home in St. Paul. Zion Evangelical Fellowship offers worship to Ethiopian immigrants every Sunday. The St. Paul Area Synod has its offices within the congregation’s building. I’m often asked how this church has been able to hold so many ethnic groups together in meaningful community. I credit the Spirit, a series of pastors who courageously welcomed everyone and a solid congregation that understands themselves to be – like Paul – urban missionaries. Paul kept his focus. Unwilling to hang on to anything that was culturally insensitive, he quickly decided “to know nothing … except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).  Not all Lutherans live in an urban setting like Paul’s, but we are all missionaries. (An on-line comment by Ted Johanson) While a student of Luther-Northwestern Seminary my family lived in an apartment in Christ Lutheran (on Capitol Hill) for two years (1978-80). During that time the congregation was worried about its future and brought in some professional church consultants. What I most remember from the consultant report was the sense that given the congregation’s membership trends (aging, moving to suburbs, no children, etc) Christ Lutheran could expect within ten or so years to have about ten people in worship… TEN!! It was startling… also expected, in a sense… but what to do? An unconsidered reality of that report and time was that many Laotian immigrants were moving into the congregation’s neighborhood… it was a deteriorating urban area (one reason many of the members had moved away in the past) and housing was more affordable.  One day, a few people from this growing ethnic community approached the leaders of Christ Lutheran asking to use the building on Sunday afternoons for their Christian worship.  The request was embraced by the leaders and new relationships (and ministries) began.  When the nursery had one child during the Sunday morning worship, I watched that same space house 20-25 little kids in the afternoon (a cute sight to behold).  Rooms all around the building were used for afternoon classes as well as the sanctuary for worship… it was a HOPPING place in the afternoon… and sort of predictably calm in the morning. The relationship between the Christian Laotian group and Christ Lutheran members continued to grow and develop. This article in The Lutheran is a joy to my heart… a congregation that might have closed its doors a couple decades ago is a PLACE OF MEANINGFUL MINISTRY in the community in which it is located.  I am thankful to God… I appreciate those who struggled during challenging times in the congregation’s life… I enjoy watching what God’s Spirit can do in the midst of responsive community… I wonder about the possibilities of future and life within the congregations I serve. Ted Johanson – Intentional Interim Pastor