By Nick Tangen Kelly Sherman-Conroy, whose Lakota name is Mato Wašté Wiƞyan (Good Bear Woman), stepped into a new hybrid role at Nativity Lutheran Church, St. Anthony, Minnesota, in 2018. In this new position, she has focused on the intersection between children and family ministry and social justice. “I think ministry is always changing and evolving,” said […]
By Bob Hulteen Almost a decade ago, the pastor of a Minneapolis congregation noticed that four predatory lending options had opened within blocks of the church in just a few months. With a gospel ear to the scriptural call to care for the community, he preached a sermon and the members of his congregation were […]
By John Mai A pandemic that began in Lent has now stretched its way to Advent. Holy Week, Easter, and 25 long weeks of Pentecost have gone by without the comfort and familiarity of gathering together for most members of Minneapolis Area Synod congregations. Now, in a season that is particularly characterized by hymns, offertories, […]
By Madeline Troyer After five special sessions of the Minnesota legislature in 2020, legislators finally passed the state’s largest bonding bill on October 15. The bonding bill included significant funding dedicated to making clean and safe water accessible to more Minnesotans. Minneapolis Area Synod and ecumenical leaders in the state, engaged through the Ecumenical Water […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Nick Tangen In 2019 congregants from Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis and Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit the recently-opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a site dedicated to the painful legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. The pilgrimage […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Nick Tangen Pastor Dan Carlson has been ministering to public safety professionals for his entire career. He spent 20 years as a police officer and police chief in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and so knows intimately the struggles and unique pastoral concerns of those who work in public safety: […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Nick Tangen In a backyard in Richfield, a small group of people are using their bodies to illustrate the complexities and challenges of living through a national pandemic. Each person positions themselves in the scene to depict an image of pain, confusion, resilience, and community, all by only […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Nick Tangen One of the more challenging questions for churches in the 21st century, even more so now amid a global pandemic, is how to engage meaningfully with their surrounding communities. Churches are located in neighborhoods and cities with particular needs and experiences, and as the church seeks […]
By John Mai Community building is challenging during a pandemic. Churches thrive when people are gathered together and, for the past four months, religious leaders have had to figure out how to thrive when people are gathered through computer screens, phone calls, or parking lots. In response to these obstacles, the Minneapolis Area Synod has […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Nicholas Tangen In 2017, ten congregations from across the Minneapolis Area Synod came together to collaborate on a new and exciting confirmation program. “Confirmation Reformation” brought young people from across the Twin Cities together to ask big questions and engage in hands-on learning. It was targeted to those […]