By Courtney Olsen In an age in which rhetoric around the “dying church” is prevalent and laden with emotion, less attention is focused on the ways in which churches are adapting to give new life to their congregations. Against such a backdrop and faced with low membership and subsequently lower financial contributions, First Lutheran Church […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Dennis Sanders The Twin Cities is blessed with a number of faith communities that openly welcome and affirm LGBTQ people, especially in the Minneapolis Area Synod. “Religion Row” at the Twin Cities Pride Festival is filled with booths from various congregations spanning all faiths, an indication of the […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Dennis Sanders Pastor and chef Jose Flores chopped vegetables while talking to the small class gathered at Our Father’s Lutheran Church in Rockford. The crowd watched as he prepared what the audience would soon eat for lunch. He keeps chopping as he utters, “The most amazing conversations happen […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Dennis Sanders A vibrant Minneapolis neighborhood surrounds Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Like the shops at the renowned Midtown Global Market, filled with food and goods from every corner of the globe, the West Powderhorn Park neighborhood is remarkably diverse. “The community that Mount Olive is placed in is […]
Ministry Imagination Grants: Imagine. Innovate. Initiate. By Courtney Olsen The church holds great potential for making positive change in communities. However, intercultural incompetence can have extremely negative effects on community outreach by churches, even when members act with the best intentions. In the last year, Nativity Lutheran Church in Saint Anthony has made a concerted […]
By Courtney Olsen Leadership in congregations is not for the squeamish. Many different skill sets are required. So, it is good news then that many of those skills are easily learned. That’s why the Minneapolis Area Synod offers an annual Tool Kit event, and this year’s Tool Kit will be held on 9 a.m.–noon on […]
By Courtney Olsen Felecia Boone, elected Synod Council vice president at the 2018 Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly, brings a wealth of experience to the synod from her varied portfolio of 26 years of work with Hennepin County. “It’s been a way to serve people and deliver on the core values and the mission of the […]
By Courtney Olsen How does a pastor preach in the digital age? This is the question that the Revs. Matthew Ian Fleming and Derek Tonsgard asked as they sat with the Revs. Meta Herrick Carlson and Miriam Samuelson-Roberts one fall afternoon. “We talked about what [preaching in the digital age] might look like,” remembers Fleming. […]
By Courtney Olsen When schools close their doors for the summer, churches open theirs: the warm weather and break from school provide the perfect space for congregations to focus their energy on youth programming. Financial barriers, however, can prevent churches from putting on a youth event. The synod’s summer youth program grants are working to […]
By Courtney Olsen Last month, 80 young adults from around the country gathered at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for a week of relationship building, learning, and preparation. These developing leaders are participating in Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), an international service program through the ELCA. YAGM invites young adults between the […]