Weekly Blog Posts
The following blog posts are written by Bishop Jen Nagel, Synod staff members, and leaders from the Minneapolis Area Synod.
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 [...]
Our legacies are complicated, but God’s is not
By Pastor Craig Pederson A week has passed since the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others who were on their way to [...]
The spiritual practice of letting go
By Pastor Deb Stehlin On Sunday, the people of Grace Lutheran Church in Apple Valley voted to call me as their senior pastor. They did this even though I warned them that choosing me means [...]
‘No other gods’
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen I was privileged to meet Drew Hart, religion professor at Messiah College, when I sat next to him at dinner last Tuesday before his lecture at Luther Seminary. Impressed with his [...]
Home field advantage
By Pastor John Hulden Pictures tell stories. Take a look at this photograph (on the right) from May 1919. These are St. Olaf College students, canoeing down the Cannon River to Red Wing, Minnesota, to [...]