By Pastor Craig Pederson C’mon, it’s summer, ... the season of relaxation and renewal for those who work hard the rest of the year. Time to let go of some of that tension that is ever-present in daily life. So, what am I doing talking about tension as a gift? I lost some tension in [...]
By Rev. Deb Stehlin A weird thing happened to me this month. I had time to think. For years, I’ve read books on leadership that suggest carving out “thinking time” each week. They say Monday mornings are best. And, they promise that setting aside time to think will make a big difference in, well, making a [...]
By Pr. John Hulden There is a 35-year-old Minneapolis Area Synod tradition of Summer Youth Programs. More than a dozen congregations see summertime as a golden opportunity to reach out to children in the city. What a great ministry — touching hundreds of young lives. It’s also extra programming – everyday programming – that takes [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Long before women could become pastoral leaders, my mom was a leader in our congregation. I remember her leading in lots of settings – most notably, chair of the building committee for our new sanctuary. Do I continue to grow in leading in an area where God has given me passion [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen How important is it for a pastor to know how to form and lead a healthy community? In addition to teaching pastors how to preach, teach, and provide pastoral care, should seminaries teach students the skills to build community? This was not a part of the curriculum in the 1980s when [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen I have a new resolution: “Each year, take at least one of group of synodical leaders on a week-long mission trip.” Just last Thursday, 16 of our synod’s rostered leaders returned from a ten-day visit to our companion synod in Leipzig, German. It was the week of Germany’s premiere celebration of [...]
By Emilie Bouvier “Think of a time in which you powerfully experienced public space.” This is what I asked a room of faith leaders this week at the Peer Group Lunch and Learn I led this week. We went around and told stories (in two sentences or less!) about everything from rallies to hospital waiting [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Hymns for $300: “If you cannot preach like Peter, and you cannot pray like Paul.” “What is ‘There is a Balm in Gilead’?” This was not your grandparents’ synod assembly. Instead of multiple resolutions, we had multiple table conversations; instead of perfunctory reports, we heard the ELCA’s Ruben Duran tell how [...]
By Rev. Deb Stehlin If you stop by the synod office this week, you’ll see stacks of boxes, file cabinets, and books shelves all over the place. We’re re-configuring our offices to make room for Jaddie Edwards, our new racial justice organizer. She and Emilie Bouvier, our eco-faith organizer, will take up residence right across [...]
By Bob Hulteen The Metro Transit bus route 2 includes a long section of Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, so I can pick up the bus just a block from my house and get dropped off less than a block from work. Most days the 2 bus is my mode of transportation to work. And I [...]
