Bishop Hanson tackles questions from the congregations

Bishop Mark Hanson took time Saturday morning to tackle questions from the audience. They ranged from immigration issues and declining memberships to “Do you have an iPod?”

Participants on Friday were given the opportunity to fill out question cards for the Bishop, and taking a sampling of the more than three dozen submitted, he answered the following. Questions and paraphrased answers follow.

Q: I have been Lutheran all my life because of a family history, is that okay? A: It is encouraging to see faith passed on through generations. It can be difficult to learn a faith if it is not taught at home. I see it as a good thing to pass it along.

Q: What is your perception about the decline in membership? A: We have lived with an old mentality of what it is to be a church. This is a time of awakening. We have often been lazy, but this is a new time for us to awaken to the changes.

Q: How do we address the challenges of recruiting and finding candidates for clergy and lay leaders? A: There is no doubt that we need pastors and lay leaders to be disciples. But it is a challenge for many reasons; the cost of education is great. How can we help them afford their theological education? We can identify those young people we see with the gifts for leadership and support them.

Q: Why do we have to, and should we embrace other cultures? A: We are in a very diverse culture. This poses us with a number of questions not easily answered. How do we expect unity in the midst of diversity? What holds humanity together in a fractured world? How can we find the common ground and not become fractured ourselves? Tolerance doesn’t mean that we have to tolerate everything. We have to come together with others and find where we disagree, but also where we agree. God is involved in the faith of others in ways we can’t imagine, and it doesn’t have to take away from our faith.

Q: What is the position on immigration? A: The ELCA has a message, but not a social statement. Many of us are concerned that churches were at risk of being criminalized for relief given to the immigrants among us. Those immigrants among us need to be treated humanitarianly, and so do their families. But there is a need amongst congregations to discuss this issue and get the dialogue started about situations in individual congregations.

Q: How can the church continue to support programs for the youth? A: More congregations are starting preschools and parochial schools. This is a wonderful ministry to the communities. Also, families are realizing more and more how fractured we are living, and many are making efforts to come back together. As congregations, we can provide space for families to learn together. We need to be imaginative.

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