Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
Easter Monday Thank You Notes
By Pastor John Hulden A friend of mine asked for laments on her Facebook page last week. All day Good Friday, while in quarantine, she fasted and prayed those laments aloud. This was her way [...]
Catacombs 2020
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Thirty years ago last month, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I was scared to death, a mom with three kids, ages 8, 5, and 2. I had no idea [...]
Pandemic Grief
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen In all my readings about being a “non-anxious leader” (ala Peter Steinke and Ed Friedman), I don’t recall any reference to anxiety as “unanticipated grief.” But that’s one description used by [...]
After the rain stops
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen How long, O God, how long? When can I leave my house? When will there be enough COVID tests; enough n95 masks? When will this pandemic be over? How long, Oh [...]
This week …
By Bob Hulteen I remember sitting at a retreat center the first time I went through a training on crisis communications. I remember worrying that just using the word “crisis” would stir a whole bunch [...]
When Spring Break ‘Broke’ – and Other Unexpected Gifts
By Pr. Craig Pederson It’s Monday afternoon, and the last thing I thought I’d be doing right now is writing a blog entry. I expected to be packing and preparing for my family’s Spring Break [...]
Organizing 101
By Emilie Bouvier Looking back, I can point to the moment I first demonstrated that I’m a community organizer at heart – and a church organizer at that. I was in first grade. I was [...]
Don’t let crowd size fool you
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Church nerds often find many things to disagree about. But, I think most church health experts would agree on some basic truisms about “vital congregations.” Most would probably name the following: [...]
Reciprocity in all things
By Brenda Blackhawk I just returned from Bogotá, Colombia, where I attended the first Inter-American Lutheran Encounter: AYNI. The word “Ayni” comes from the Indigenous communities of Bolivia and its meaning is multi-layered; I’m not [...]
Public values
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Throughout my life I’ve worked hard to avoid claiming that any particular political party is the closest reflection of God’s will. I believe that Christian people can live out their values [...]