By Rev. Deb Stehlin On Sunday, I got to preach at St. Philip’s in Fridley. Between worship services, I was also able to take part in an educational forum. People of all ages showed up, which made for rich conversation. At one point, I asked the teens, “How many of your friends are part of [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen All things being equal, I’d rather avoid conflict. If you asked me when pastoral ministry was most challenging, I would immediately think of times when the congregations I served were most conflicted. I suspect that is true for most rostered leaders. I still remember a vivid dream the night before a [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Healthy relationships matter. Human flourishing is irrevocably tied to the health of our relationships – with family, friends, co-workers, teachers, classmates. Healthy church relationships matter, too. Indeed, unhealthy church relationships can be destructive in uniquely painful ways. Tragically, the church has often done a poor job preventing and addressing misconduct in [...]
By Rev. Deb Stehlin My first 1:1 as a church planter was with Reggie. I heard his compelling story – and then I may have let it slip out that I was kind of terrified about starting a brand-new church. Reggie (who is Jewish) pointed to my Bible on the table. “Open it up to [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Charlottesville: Did this really happen in America? In the 21st century? Does our social fabric really provide the context for children to grow into white supremacists? Are there no moral standards preventing such words and acts of hatred, bigotry, and violence? Exactly one week before, in our very own synod, a [...]
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 [...]
