When something important is about to be said we will naturally lean in to the discussion. Each year the synod wide ministerium offers time for our pastors to lean in and have conversations with each other, our bishop, and the synod staff.
After our 2015 Synod Assembly, this opportunity was formalized as a one day meeting planned with representatives from the Conference of Deans. The day begins with worship and offers conversations around "practical issues relating to life within the congregations and ministries on the territory of the synod." (SA 2015:05.01)
In 2017 our ELCA Churchwide Organization has invited us to be a part of the continued conversation on what God is calling this church to be and do today and into the future. Released in December 2016, Called Forward Together in Christ is a document that "provides a road map toward this church’s participation in God’s mission for the life of the world." Thus, this short document will help to shape the conversation at the ministerium. The Ministerium Planning Team will create questions that will help stir conversation around topics such as who we are as ELCA Lutherans, what unites us, and what kind of church are we becoming.
We will also gladly welcome Rev. Wm. Chris Boerger, current ELCA Secretary, to join us in this conversation. As a representative from our Churchwide Organization, he will help to underscore our interdependence as a church and spark discussion around the various expressions of ministry (churchwide, synod, congregation).
We hope for this day to be a source of encouragement for our pastors and spark new conversations among colleagues. As in any good conversation, we want to hear from each other. We want to leave hopeful and energized for our future together as a church.
Registration is open. Start here.