Staff Blogs

By Pastor John Hulden

I’ve been blessed to work with dozens of first call pastors. I’ve also visited with many call committees pondering calling a new seminary graduate. To get a congregation in the mindset of bringing someone new on board, I often ask: “Who helped you in your first, major, full-time job?”

My hands down favorite answer to that question came from a soon-to-be-retired science teacher in North Dakota. His first teaching job right out of college was forty years earlier in a small town in far northwestern North Dakota. This was back in the day when male teachers were expected to wear a suit coat and tie.

“The first day I showed up,” this teacher recalled, “the custodian at the school took a look at me, pulled me aside and said, ‘Buddy, let me help you tie that tie.’.” What a gracious gesture to a rookie teacher! I can picture this new teacher walking into school with a badly tied tie and that deer-in-the-headlights look of a first day on the job. The custodian to the rescue.

Every new job has its unique challenges, and starting work at a church is no different.

Years ago, when I was a seminary student, somehow, someway there was talk of an unwritten rule that the out-going pastor and the in-coming pastor shouldn’t talk to each other—ever. I went along with that advice, until … after talking to pastor friends and my two older brothers (both are pastors) … we started asking “Why?”.

Why not encourage a handoff of important things to know at a congregation. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that Minnie is deaf in one ear when you bring her Holy Communion, and that you always knock on the back door when you visit Ralph? I mean, even an outgoing US President writes a letter to the incoming President and puts it in on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

Pastor Chris (left) and Pastor Ashley (right)

I saw a great example of two pastors having a healthy relationship and boundaries when I was at a congregational visit a few weeks back. Not so much about the hand off from one pastor to another, but how we as rostered leaders can show we are really on the same team.

Several years ago, Pastor Chris Bellefeuille served in our synod at Valley of Peace in Golden Valley. She grieved leaving Valley of Peace when she accepted a call to serve a congregation in the Saint Paul Area Synod. Pastor Bellefeuille did what is expected after a pastor leaves, she didn’t say yes when her previous parishioners reached out about baptisms and weddings and funerals. She let the new pastor, Pastor Ashley Osborn, be the pastor at Valley of Peace and form all those important relationships.

Pastor Chris retired a few months ago, so Pastor Ashley invited Pastor Chris to worship at Valley of Peace. At the end of worship, Pastor Chris was invited up front for a blessing and to share a few words so her former congregation could celebrate her ministry at Valley of Peace. Lovely.

Same Team. Church Together.

By Nicholas Tangen

In 2020, Pastor John Hulden and Former Bishop Ann Svennungsen submitted a grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment called “Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices: Renewing Congregational Imagination,” envisioning a learning community in the Minneapolis Area Synod helping churches to engage spiritual practices and deepen their connection with their neighborhood. The Lilly Endowment approved the proposal and, in the fall of 2021, the first Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices learning community was launched.

Over the past five years, Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices has created a context for churches in the Minneapolis Area Synod to explore their call to be faithful neighbors. We reflect on the knowledge that God is already present and active in our neighborhoods and engage spiritual practices that help us to pay attention to what God is up to. We experiment with community engagement practices that center gifts and strengths more than problems, trusting that our communities are contexts for abundance.

We learn about and practice neighborhood walks, one-to-ones, asset-mapping, the Ignatian Examen, lectio divina, and more. And each congregation in our learning community spends three summer months planning and implementing a Neighborhood Listening Project, connecting with neighbors and discovering what God is already up to in the community where their church is located. You can learn more by watching the short video at the top of our webpage.

This project has changed a lot over the years as we continue to adjust and adapt to the questions being raised by churches and realities of life in our neighborhoods. We discover new practices, new experiences, and new questions and follow where they may be guiding us.

This year, we also made some small changes to our logo and project title. We’ve dropped one of the “Practices” from the project name and will now be simply “Faith & Neighboring Practices” – a little less of a mouthful to say. And our new logo creates some distinctiveness from the Minneapolis Area Synod logo, while maintaining a similar shape and color palette, and visually represents the marriage of faith and neighboring as two sides of one whole.

Additionally, we have just submitted a scaling grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment, which would allow us to expand the offerings and impact of Faith & Neighboring Practices for years to come. This would include further learning opportunities for congregations who have previously participated in the learning community, focused on community organizing, asset-based community development, and spiritual care, as well as coaching for churches and individuals as they deepen their connection with their neighborhood. We will be sure to announce when we’ve heard back from the Lilly Endowment about this proposal.

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Faith & Neighboring Practices 2025-2027

To date, we have worked with 30 congregations in the Minneapolis Area Synod, nearly a quarter of our synod’s 137 churches. And, beginning in September 2025, we are launching our third round of the Faith & Neighboring Practices learning community. If your congregation is curious about how God is calling you to be the neighbor in your community, please consider participating in this learning community. Some things to know:

• This is a two-year commitment (September 2025 – May 2027) with monthly cohort meetings and Fall and Spring Retreats.
• Each participating congregation organizes a team of five, including a rostered leader (Deacon or Pastor) and lay leaders representing a good cross-section of your community’s demographics. You can learn more about Participant Roles and Responsibilities here.
• You can fill out this Faith & Neighboring Practices Application to introduce us to your context and your sense of why this learning community is the right step for your church. If you would like to be part of the 2025 – 2027 learning community, please complete the application by August 15.

We hope that Faith & Neighboring Practices can help you and your congregation discern your own unique call as the neighbor in the places you live and worship. We hope that the opportunity to learn with and alongside other congregations can build community and reveal the abundance already at work across the Synod. And we hope that Faith & Neighboring Practices can help us all to engage deeply in our communities in just and healthy ways, trusting that God has gone ahead of us to make all things new.

We are grateful for the ways so many of you have engaged and embraced this call to be the neighbor and pray that we can continue to discern this call together for years to come. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please reach out to Nicholas Tangen, the Assistant to the Bishop for Faith and Neighboring.

By Jeni Huff

One thing that makes my heart so happy is seeing how churches partner together through kids’ programming throughout the summer.

I see Church Together when churches offer their Vacation Bible School (VBS) decorations to other churches in the area who might have their VBS later in the summer. I smile when I see posts in Facebook groups of people sharing ideas, tips, and resources. It’s such a tangible way to be Church Together. My home church has our VBS next week and we were offered free rein of another church’s entire setup and extra craft supplies before they cleaned up, and it will make such a huge impact for our program and volunteers!

I see Church Together when churches partner together for ecumenical day camp for a week every summer. South Minneapolis Day Camp is happening this week, and it is “a progressive ecumenical day camp experience offering faith formation in a fun, safe, Christ-centered and relational setting.” This camp is sponsored by Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Bethel Lutheran, Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran, Calvary Lutheran, First Christian (Disciples of Christ), First Congregational UCC, Diamond Lake Lutheran, Judson Memorial Baptist, University Lutheran Church of Hope, Salem Lutheran Uptown, St. John’s Lutheran, Lyndale UCC, Lake of the Isles Lutheran, Nokomis Heights Lutheran, Living Table UCC, Lynnhurst UCC, Christ Church Lutheran, Spirit of St. Stephen’s Catholic Community, Lake Nokomis Lutheran, and Messiah Lutheran. They have 109 Kindergarten – 8th graders, 20 high school mentors, 39 adult volunteers, and more than 15 church staff/pastors serving each day. Wow! What a cool way of partnering across denominations with a focus on Jesus and creating beloved community.

I see Church Together in the Synod’s Summer Youth Program. Mission Support dollars from Minneapolis Area Synod congregations help fund Summer Youth Program grants for summer programs in under-resourced neighborhoods and churches. Sometimes, the only way these churches can provide these transformational programs is through partnerships and by being Church Together.

I see Church Together when I see volunteers of all ages at these summer programs. At my church’s VBS, we have people serving who are as young as sixth grade all the way to our 82-year-old kitchen extraordinaire. Last year, Mavis* volunteered with snack prep and she told me that she volunteered because she doesn’t have kids or grandkids that are VBS age anymore and she wants to stay connected with what this generation is going through, learning, and needing prayer for. What a beautiful reason to volunteer.

We are officially into summer now, and summer stretch, day camp, and VBS programs are happening (and after that, many will start to think about fall programming). I encourage you and your congregation to think of ways you can be Church Together. Can you share resources with another congregation? Can you do some programs with another church nearby (like RALY in Richfield)? Can you share space with ecumenical partners (like SpringHouse and New Branches)? Or, more internally, can you encourage volunteers across the generations and find ways for everyone to get involved?

We’re better when we’re together.

By Pastor Ryan Fletcher 

Beginning my new role as the Synod’s Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM), I have been surprised by the number of building conversations that I have had. Leaders have asked questions about creative building use, imaginative community partnerships, and more. Stewardship is part of what I do, so I am grateful for the engagement. I am especially grateful that leaders encountering the decline of inherited institutions are choosing curiosity and mission over the temptation to despair.

Standing in the temple beside tables freshly overturned, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). It is easy to imagine Jesus, still flush with anger, chest heaving from the strenuous labor of rebuking the faithless. For church leaders living in this age of crumbling temples and fear of decline, the threat of falling stones is all too real. Jesus’ zeal for mission and ministry is wonderful, but what are leaders to do with the temples they have inherited? What does Jesus say to church councils and committees looking to steward gifts of property and wealth for the sake of his mission in this world?

Pastor Ryan at the mentioned training with the other ELCA DEMs

At a recent ELCA gathering focused on newly revitalized and thriving churches, the presenter was asked to name the essential gift that these vibrant communities shared. Without hesitating, he smiled like a Cheshire cat and said, “They have the gift of desperation. They have all discovered the freedom Christ leads us into when our inherited institutions begin to fall.”

Listening to communities that have reimagined and reinvented themselves, the fullness of Jesus’ words is revealed. He comes not simply to rebuke and tear down. He comes to raise up and rebuild. He comes to people with the gift of desperation and frees them to dream new dreams and pursue new visions. Stewardship is the practice of holy imagination. It is the faith to believe that in Christ, our desperation is a gift.

Leaders often approach the stewardship of property and wealth as a conversation that takes place within their community. This inward focus tends to overburden leaders and limits creativity. My goal in promoting stewardship, as the DEM, is to connect leaders and help communities grow their capacity for holy imagination. There are great resources like Rooted Good’s Futures Accelerator that can help churches approach building use playfully. And I recommend Stewardship for All Seasons, a comprehensive two-year stewardship program for congregations that begins in May.

Beyond decline, Christ calls us to steward our gifts with creativity and imagination. This is work that we do best together. If you are looking for resources or simply have the “gift of desperation,” I would love to talk with you more.

By Juan Gonzalez

When I reflect on the path that brought me to the Minneapolis Area Synod, I see a winding journey across cultures, languages, and communities—each one shaping my understanding of faith, family, and what it means to belong. 

I was born in Mexico and have had the privilege of calling several places home: from different regions of Mexico to the vibrant streets of Venezuela and the rhythms of Brazil. Along the way, I’ve also lived in California on the West Coast, Pennsylvania in the Northeast, and now Minnesota in the Midwest. Though it was often difficult for me, each move brought new lessons, new faces, and a deeper appreciation for the richness of human connection. 

Parents and caretakers are a child’s first role models, teachers, and companions on the journey of faith. I am grateful that I was lucky enough to grow up with a mother that deeply values the culture, language, and traditions of others. My mother encouraged my siblings and I to learn about and become a part of the culture every time we moved, and somehow still managed to keep us connected to the cultures we had experienced before. She made an extraordinary effort to always continue different traditions when we would end up somewhere new. Whether it was creating our own Posadas (a celebration that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging before the birth of Jesus),  celebrating the coming of the Three Wise Men as we do in Mexico, or cooking a Thanksgiving meal, she would make sure that each tradition was carried on wherever we went. 

These diverse experiences have profoundly shaped my faith and ignited a passion for building bridges across differences. 

That’s why I’m excited to introduce a project close to my heart: Family Faith: Deepening Roots, Strengthening Families.

This initiative supports the Minneapolis Area Synod’s new, ethnic-centric, and culturally diverse congregations in nurturing the faith of families — especially in a time when traditional faith formation models are shifting. It’s not just about programs or curriculum; it’s about relationships. It’s about creating spaces where families of all shapes and backgrounds can grow together in faith, with the support of their church community. 

Through this project, we’re inviting leaders and congregations to listen deeply to families, learn together, and experiment with new ways of being in community. We are excited to bring together diverse groups of parents, faith formation leaders, pastors, and people who are passionate about walking alongside families in this learning community. 

I believe that when we come together—bringing our stories, our questions, and our hope—we can create something truly transformative. I hope you’ll follow along as we go on this journey. 

Let’s explore what it means to grow faith at home, in community, and across cultures. 

By Mercy Zou Taithul

Have you ever paused to wonder how many stories exist in the world — stories of individuals, communities, and neighborhoods, each carrying their own depth and meaning? In my work with Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices, one of our focuses is stories, both sharing our own stories and listening deeply to others’.

There’s something profound about stories. They can be rich, powerful, empowering, and comforting. Some bring joy, laughter, or nostalgia; others carry warmth, emotion, or pain.

The more stories I hear, the more I long to listen to them. A big part of that longing comes from how I see Jesus in these stories — both in the ones shared with me and the ones I share with others. For instance, when someone responds to my story with “What you shared helped me with things I’m going through right now” or “Your story reassured me about my faith in God”. Amen! Powerful stories like faith journeys, testimonies, and pain/grief experiences can go a long way. They can help someone heal from their pain/grief, reassure someone in their confusion or waiting moment, redirect and bring them closer to God, and so on.

I also love reflecting on the stories I hear from family, friends, colleagues, cohort meetings, one-on-one conversations, or even strangers. These stories fill me with joy and gratitude, reminding me of God’s presence, mercy, and love in unexpected ways. Last week at our cohort meeting, a woman shared a story about her son who passed away. Her son had two sons of his own. One of his sons is in college and has been roommates with his best friend for two years. One day, he showed his roommate a picture of his dad and a friend from when he was in the military. To his surprise, his roommate said, “That’s my dad in the picture!” As it turns out, their dads were in the military together but neither of them knew it. The roommate told his dad, and their family invited him over and shared more pictures of the two dads together. What’s more powerful is that after she shared the story she said, “This is where I see Jesus.” Such stories fill me with hope and joy and remind me that God works in mysterious ways.

How, you might ask, do we draw stories out of people? That’s a great question. For some, storytelling comes naturally; for others, it’s more difficult. In his book Community, Peter Block talks about three types of meaningful questions that help foster deeper connections: vague, personal, and slightly anxiety-inducing. I often find myself asking vague and personal questions but feel more comfortable diving into deeper questions. Maybe it stems from my upbringing, where emotions weren’t always openly expressed, or maybe from cultural differences that involve privacy, sensitivity, and boundaries.

However, one thing that Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices has taught me is that fear can be overcome through practice, small steps, and taking risks (like stepping out of your comfort zone, stepping out in your neighborhood, or trying something different). As I open myself up to these practices such as inviting folks for one-to-one conversations, asking powerful and intentional questions, and inviting God to be part of my conversations, I end up hearing a powerful story each time. And it brings me such joy! Indeed, God is working through stories.

So, I want you to reflect and ask yourself a few questions.

• What are some stories you often find yourself sharing?
• What are some that you haven’t shared yet? Why not?
• What are some stories you’ve heard that bring you joy?

Maybe these questions will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and you will start seeing Jesus in more stories.

God bless you!

By Peg Ihinger

On the first Thursday of every other month, I clip a little brass Minneapolis Area Synod nametag to my sweater and prepare to welcome two groups of people to the synod office for Candidacy Day.

The first group, armed with coffee and donuts, are the members of our candidacy committee. These quietly dedicated and thoughtful individuals, a mix of pastors, deacons, and laypeople, come here to interview the second group: our candidates for ministry in Word and Sacrament and Word and Service.

The candidacy committee interviews and evaluates our candidates at three different points in their seminary education. At our meeting on February 6, we had two candidates starting seminary (Entrance), one who is midway through, before internship (Endorsement), and one who had completed internship and is about to graduate (Approval). The panel conversations last an hour and a half, covering everything from the candidate’s sense of their own call and points of Lutheran theology, to exploration of how their leadership skills and ministry imagination are developing.

Afterward, the panelists report back to the committee, which then votes on whether to allow each candidate to go on to the next level of candidacy.

Over the seven years I’ve overseen the synod’s candidacy process, I’ve been struck by the diversity of experiences that our candidates bring. I particularly enjoy the conversations we hold with prospective candidates at the beginning of their journey, which always start with, “Tell us your story.”

And what stories they bring to the table! Some candidates, of course, start seminary straight out of college. But others are considering ministry as a second career, and they come to us from all walks of life: musicians, teachers, financial planners, and church youth workers. We’ve talked with a potter, a geneticist, a chemical dependency counselor, an IT specialist, an attorney, a chemist, and more.

Candidates for ministry, Candidacy Committee members, synod staff, and Bishop Nagel gather for an Open House each December.

Yet, they have two things in common: they are all members of a congregation in our synod. And they hear the call, a sometimes-niggling voice deep inside that tells them that they are meant to be a leader in the church.

This voice nudging toward a call can be very quiet, bubbling in the back of the mind, sometimes for years. Churches play a crucial role in helping future leaders hear that sense of call and bring it up to the surface. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from a candidate, “I first felt the call when I went to Camp Wapo,” or “my confirmation teacher told me that she could really see me as a pastor,” or “the church asked me to be a Sunday school teacher when I was in high school—and that got me thinking about things.”

Do you see a young leader-in-the-making in your congregation? Have you told them and encouraged them to explore the possibilities? Some of our congregations have helped our candidates in other ways, too, by paying the initial candidacy fees, lifting up their seminarians in prayer, and offering internship opportunities.

The seed may lie dormant in the dark for years, even decades. But it might never sprout at all without the people in the pews keeping an eye out for potential leaders-to-be.

If someone you know is discerning a call to become a pastor or deacon, The ELCA has a resource called JOURNI, featuring small courses, articles, videos, and podcasts that showcase programs and ministries. And of course, I’m happy to chat and answer any questions!

By Nicholas Tangen

When I start to feel overwhelmed – a seemingly more regular occurrence these days – I will look for a messy drawer or a cluttered shelf to reorganize. I take everything out so I can see the blank canvas, then categorize and organize the things that belong and toss the things that don’t. It feels so dang good – and it often helps me to feel just a little more in control, a little more intentional and on-purpose.

This is why I love New Years – not the late-night parties, champagne, or the Times Square festivities – but that turn from one year to the next. I am someone who appreciates a fresh start, a new day, an opportunity to do things differently. Want to rearrange a room, set up a new daily planner, or outline some intentions for daily practice? I’m your guy.

Martin Luther said that “…a truly Christian life is nothing else than…to be buried in Baptism, and daily to come forth again.” That reminder that each day, each week, each month and year, we are set free from sin and death again and again, pushes back on the dominant stories of perfectionism and self-righteousness. What better time to name and celebrate the absurd abundance of God’s grace renewed and granted each moment than a new year?

While January 1 is somewhat arbitrary in the broader scheme of things, it’s a helpful signifier of something new. It’s an opportunity to start over and embrace the newness of life we remember every time we dip our hands in those baptismal waters.

And as I reflect on 2024, I’m aware that there is a lot to hold mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Transition and disruption are a couple of words that keep coming to mind.  And if I’m honest, I’ve been feeling a bit unmoored, unanchored, and afraid. I’m not sure what to anticipate, what to expect in the coming months.

So, for me it’s time to reorganize that drawer.

In that drawer I’m building new systems, setting new intentions, and making what I feel are some important commitments. Daily prayer, Sabbath, my neighborhood, community, a readiness for joy are the items make the cut and get a prominent place in my 2025 drawer. Comparison, despair, catastrophizing – these items are getting the boot. And I’m leaving some space in the drawer for the things that emerge in the coming year that I haven’t anticipated yet.

Each day we rise to new life, and I’m especially aware of the newness of a new year with all its hopes, questions, joys, fears, and intentions. May this year be filled with presence, practice, and possibilities. May we be church together for the sake of our neighbor, animated by the daily dying and rising of our baptism. And may our drawers be filled with those things that bring peace, resilience, and a sense of aliveness.

By Pastor John Hulden

Have you heard of the new movie that is causing theological and historical debates? It’s a film about religion and the consequential actions that arise out of a strong belief in doing what is right. The reaction to this film is resulting in essays, treatises, and of course, social media chatter. The movie? Conclave. I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to… despite a good portion of Roman Catholics asking me that I stay away from a movie that tells the fictional story of electing a pope.

Speaking of new movies…
Last month, the national spotlight switched from one Lutheran to another. We went from campaign ads and signs for Governor “Tim Walz for VP” to movie ads and signs for the biopic about the late Pastor Deitrich Bonhoeffer. No, I haven’t seen the Bonhoeffer movie, but I plan to… despite the controversy around it. I’ve been reading many essays, treatises, and social media chatter about it. And while I don’t necessarily like supporting these particular moviemakers, with their potentially questionable intentions, I do feel compelled to see it with my own eyes; to form my own opinion.

WE ARE NOW in the season of Advent—a church season that just might be the most out of step with the culture and the ubiquitousness of commercialism leading up to Christmas. Advent is that in-between time of waiting and hoping for a Savior.

Two prophets pop into my head every time Advent comes around. The first is the last of the Old Testament prophets:  John the Baptist. Like many prophets, he quickly gets in trouble with the authorities and lands in jail, on death row. The other prophet? Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Like Jesus’ cousin John, Bonhoeffer is arrested and put in jail, on death row. I remember Bonhoeffer every Advent because of his writings from a Nazi prison. He reminds us that the geography of Advent is like a jail cell. Bonhoeffer wrote to a friend: “By the way, a prison cell like this is a good analogy for Advent; one waits, hopes, does this or that— ultimately negligible things— the door is locked and can only be opened from the outside.”

No matter whether you choose to see the Bonhoeffer movie, maybe you can find some time and space to read some Bonhoeffer while you wait and hope for a Savior this Advent.

“By the way, a prison cell like this is a good analogy for Advent; one waits, hopes, does this or that— ultimately negligible things— the door is locked and can only be opened from the outside.”

As for my next movie? Odds are my musical theater loving family will want to go see Wicked. And yes, I’ve been warned, it’s only part 1. I guess I’ll wait for Part 2 that’s due out just before Advent next year.