In This Edition
Message from Bishop Gronberg
Synod Assembly Registration Is Now Open
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church Survey
ELCA Educational Debt Task Force Survey
Men’s Ministry Survey
Update from Laura Slezak
Upcoming Events
Prayer Requests
Roster Changes
Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear NT-NL Leaders:
This is one of those rare years when the liturgical calendar lines up so that Ash Wednesday is on Feb 14th, St. Valentine’s Day. It may seem less rare to us because it just happened in 2018 and will happen again in 2029. However, that will be the last time it will occur this century and prior to that it had not occurred since 1945. So we get this event three times in the span of 12 years, making it relatively commonplace for us. When the multitude of clergy in the past century and those coming after us this century never did or will.
This clustering got me thinking about how easy it is in leadership to assume our experiences are normative. Because it has happened to us with some frequency we assume it is going to happen that way in the future or must have been so in the past. In so doing we can try to apply formulaic approaches to our current challenges and then wonder why they are not flourishing. Context matters and we have learned that lesson over and over again in the past four years.
Four years ago in early February my spouse and I were leading an NT-NL group on a journey through Turkey and Greece. Talking about early church leadership and leading adaptively in crisis. We could not have imagined, as we heard initial reports of cases of this virus Covid-19 growing, how our lives our that of our communities would be forever changed, and how many lives we would lose, in the coming years. How we would be forced to lead adaptively in a crisis and think differently about community and all the things we took for granted.
By and large we, the communities and leaders that make up NT-NL, have done that work. It hasn’t been easy and often it has been costly. Our relationships changed, some didn’t survive, but other new ones have been made. New ideas and practices based in what works in a particular context have taken root and many are growing new branches. Indeed, as I visit congregations I am hearing more stories of hope and possibility, along with of course challenge and grief, than I have heard the last four years.
However, as we this cluster of Valentine’s and Ash Wednesday we cannot assume we have it figured out. That it will be this way for the forceable future. No we must continue to adapt and learn if we are to be effective in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in our ever changing reality. And what doesn’t change, what never changes, is that gospel of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:8). That even on Ash Wednesday when we are reminded of our mortality, the gospel is proclaimed.
So this Valentine’s Day enjoy this unique confluence of our popular culture’s obsession with romantic love with the ashes of our mortality. And remember God’s adaptive solution to our sin and death, God’s love poured out in Christ for you and for the life of the world. Remember so you may go forth and tell the world.
In Mission Together,
Bishop Gronberg
Synod Assembly Registration Is Now Open
Our annual NT-NL Synod Assembly will be April 19-20, 2024, at Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria, Irving.
Registration opened January 10th. The Synod will not be coordinating a room block at a specific hotel.
Additional details will be shared on the event page as we confirm them: https://www.ntnl.org/event/2024-nt-nl-synod-assembly/
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church Survey
The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church is interested in hearing from you! The survey is designed to assist the work of the ELCA’s CRLC.
Click here to be directed to the survey.
Your participation in the survey will be kept confidential and no personal identifying information is collected. More information about the CRLC’s work can be found here. Questions can be directed to crlc@elca.org.
ELCA Educational Debt Task Force Survey
The burden of educational debt has had a profound impact on many rostered ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. At its spring 2022 meeting, the Executive Committee of the ELCA Church Council approved the formation of a task force to study the issue and shape recommendations for providing relief to as many pastors and deacons as possible. One of the first steps in this work is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how educational debt is impacting our leaders, their families, their call processes, and their ministry. They’d like to hear from you. All rostered ministers, active and retired, are invited to participate in this survey. Even if you no longer carry or have never carried educational debt, they want to hear your experiences and perspective.
Click here to take the survey.
Your individual responses are confidential and will be shared only in aggregate. Please complete the survey by Friday, Feb 9.
Men’s Ministry Survey
Our synod, in cooperation with Lutheran Men in Mission, is exploring the status of men’s ministry within and among our congregations. Your response would be very helpful to us as well as to the men in your community. Take the survey here.
Update from Laura Slezak
Laura Slezak is the current ELCA missionary to Japan, in partnership with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church. Here is her update from January.
Upcoming Events
With the ever-changing guidelines and recommendations in our world right now, as we maintain physical distance in social solidarity, please keep in mind these events may be moved online, postponed, or cancelled:
- Feb 10: Public Witness Team, Zoom
- Feb 16-18: Junior High & Senior High Youth Gathering, King of Glory, Dallas
- Feb 27: First Call Pastors Check-In, Zoom
- Mar 7: Transitional Pastors Meeting, Zoom
- Mar 9: Parish Lay Ministry Academy, Spring 2024, Course 1, Zoom
- Mar 9: Public Witness Team, Zoom
For a complete list of upcoming events, you can access our Calendar of Events online.