Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
‘Tis the season to be jolly’ … and joyous
By Pastor Norma Malfatti The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza These infamous words from A Muppet Christmas Carol have been part of my Christmas morning since not long after the movie came out. Before [...]
Called to leadership in the Lutheran church
By Eric Howard What life experiences have defined your leadership? For me, it has been my work at the synod. Monday, August 6, 2018, was my first day as executive assistant to the bishop. At [...]
Straight paths aren’t always the best paths
By Pastor Craig Pederson In this Advent season of waiting, preparing, and making paths straight, I’ve been thinking about the kind of paths that will be needed for our churches to experience the Christ child [...]
Being right is not enough
By Jack Hurbanis In June of this year, I had the opportunity to attend a weeklong training hosted by leaders on synod staff and from Street Voices for Change entitled “The World Is About to [...]
Listen up!
Oops! The link in the 11/29/22 e-news might have taken you here. If you're looking for Jack's blog, go here. But if you haven't read John's post from last week yet, you should! ---- By [...]
Ears perk when Lutherans use their voices
By Jack Hurbanis Being present in rooms with the people who have power and make decisions in our communities is one of the foundational pieces of community organizing. Whether those are elected officials, business and [...]
A different angle of vision
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen If you ever catch yourself wondering if you should vote in the next election, spend a few days with our Lutheran partners from Leipzig. Last week, several leaders from our synod [...]
Little pieces of yourself
By Maya Bryant Walking into Lord of Life Lutheran in Ramsey on October 6, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. It was our second Communicators Gathering in person since the beginning of the pandemic, [...]
Grandmas’ table talk
By Nicholas Tangen Last week, John Hulden and I spent three days in Indianapolis meeting with other leaders who have received a Thriving Congregations grant from the Lilly Endowment. Each day we gathered for worship, [...]