In This Issue
Faith Leaders Letter
The Good Samaritan
Update on the Roster of Ministers of Word and Service
Deadlines for Assembly
Assembly Worship Service
Church Constitution Updates
Health Assessment
Briarwood Gala
75th Anniversary Weekend
Rostered Ministers Gathering
ELCA Youth Gathering
Upcoming Events
Reminders
Job Opening in Brenham
Faith Leaders Letter
Bishop Gronberg has signed onto this letter: Faith Leaders Support Refugee Resettlement In Texas.
The Good Samaritan
In her March column for Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton ponders the parable of the good Samaritan, reminding us that our new life in Christ leads us to answer a different question—not “Who is my neighbor?” but “How are we neighbor?” Read her column in English at livinglutheran.org/2017/02/the-good-shepherd or in Spanish at livinglutheran.org/2017/02/el-buen-samaritano.
Update on the Roster of Ministers of Word and Service
In September of 2016, Secretary Chris Boerger sent an email to all rostered ministers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America informing them of the changes that were adopted by the 2016 Churchwide Assembly. Beginning January 1, 2017, there would be two rosters described by their primary function: Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Ministers of Word and Service. The ministers of word and sacrament would continue to be called pastors. The ministers of word and service (formerly known as associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers) could be called deacons.
In December of 2016, Secretary Boerger sent an email informing rostered ministers that the Candidacy Portal and Mobility Database System would be shut down from December 15 through January 17 so that forms and titles could be updated. This has now taken place, as well as changes to some of the documents on the ELCA website. A new Candidacy Manual has also been posted. Since there are many documents on the website, changes will continue to be made over the next few months.
The work of the Word and Service Task Force has been completed. However, the work of the Entrance Rite Discernment Group continues as the group provides resources to be used across the church around the discussion of the entrance rite for the new Roster of Ministers of Word and Service.
Four resources are now available.
- Frequently Asked Questions #1 (FAQ) from the Entrance Rite Discernment Group
- An adapted Consecration Rite to be used until the vote at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly
- A liturgy of welcome
- A Bible study, “Ministry, Mission and Leadership”
The goal of the Entrance Rite Discernment Group is to have a draft decision ready for the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council in September 2018 so that the final decision can be forwarded to the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.
This summer, there are two special opportunities for deacons to become acquainted with deacons from a previous lay roster other than their own and to see diakonia from a world view.
- The 2017 Assembly of DIAKONIA World Federation will be held in Chicago, June 28-July 5. (On June 30, there will be an opportunity for ministers of word and service to gather separately.)
- The first churchwide ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering will be held in Atlanta, August 7-10. (There will be a specific affinity group for ministers of word and service.) Scroll down for more details about this gathering.
Various regions and groups are in the beginning stages of planning gatherings of ministers of word and service. Watch for notices in your area. If a gathering is not yet being considered, ask your synod and region how you can help bring one about.
A method to encourage connections between ministers of word and service is being discussed.
As we continue with the practical implementations of the 2016 churchwide decision to move to two rosters, may the partnership of these two rosters open many opportunities for the creative and enriched evangelical outreach and mission that is so needed in the world today.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for members of the Entrance Rite Discernment Group or for those implementing the practical pieces of this change, please send them to Cherlyne.Beck@elca.org.
Deadlines for Assembly
Join us for our 2017 Synod Assembly as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. If you have not already, register here.
Hotel Reservations can be made with our host hotel, Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center, for $109.00 (plus taxes and fees) per night, as long as the booking is made by April 12. Book online with our group rate for “NT-NL Synod Assembly” or call Marriott Reservations directly at 1-800-228-9290 and mention “NT-NL Synod Assembly” to receive our group rate.
The deadline to submit resolutions is two weeks prior to Assembly. This year, that date is April 14.
Assembly Worship Service
Please invite your congregations and friends to join us for the Assembly worship service at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church, 6801 Coit Rd, Plano TX 75024. The service will begin at 5:30pm on Saturday, April 29, with pre-gathering music starting around 5pm. ALL ARE WELCOME. Bishop Erik Gronberg will be preaching. (No assembly registration required, and no fee to attend.)
Church Constitution Updates
The NT-NL Synod Council and our Synod lawyer will be reaching out to each of our churches this year to make sure constitutions are up-to-date. This is a SIMPLE process now and vital for a number of reasons.
A current local constitution ensures that everyone in the congregation has the latest standards for consideration and discussion, eliminating surprises from working with outdated information.
Following the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the model contains all of the updated required provisions, and no changes are permitted to such provisions. Similarly, all of the optional but recommended provisions are up-to-date. Please take the appropriate steps to have your congregation’s constitution up-to-date.
- Model Constitution for Congregations (2016)
- Constitución Modelo para Congregaciones (2016)
- 2016 Amendments to the Model Constitution
- 2016 Enmiendas a la Constitución Model
- Rationale for the 2016 Amendments
- Bishop Gronberg’s letter regarding Church Constitutions (January 2017)
Please submit your updated church constitution to the Secretary of the NT-NL Synod Council for review and approval: todd@teamcdms.com. All of this information can also be found on our website here: ntnl.org/resources/congregation-resources/.
Health Assessment
If you have ELCA-Primary health coverage, have you taken your health assessment yet? Thanks to two straight years of excellent health assessment participation, the 1% discount on health rates was already included in this year’s costs. Do your part: Sign in to myPortico and take your health assessment today.
Briarwood Gala
Saturday, May 6
Texas Star Golf & Conference Centre
Cocktails & Registration begin at 5:30pm
75th Anniversary Weekend
Trinity Lutheran Church is commemorating 75 years of ministry in Fort Worth with a 2-day celebration, and YOU ARE INVITED!
Saturday, May 6 – Dinner and Program
Cendera Center, 3600 Benbrook Highway, Fort Worth, TX
6:00 p.m. – Cocktails & Hors d’oeurves
6:30 p.m. – Dinner & Program
Sunday, May 7 – Worship and Reception
Trinity Lutheran Church, 3621 Tulsa Way, Fort Worth, TX
8:30 a.m. – Sunday Worship
9:30 a.m. – Education Hour
10:30 a.m. – Sunday Worship
12:00 p.m. – Potluck Lunch and History Display
2:00 p.m. – 75th Anniversary Service
3:30 p.m. – Reception
Please RSVP for the events you will be attending:
Saturday Evening Dinner & Program, Sunday Lunch, Sunday Anniversary Service, and/or Sunday Reception
RSVP to Pennie Saadallah: pennie@pendean.com.
Call 817-732-1439 for more information.
Rostered Ministers Gathering
August 7-10, 2017
Atlanta, GA
Sheraton Downtown
Worship. Grow. Connect. Join leaders from across this church for the first-ever Rostered Ministers Gathering of the ELCA. Learn more. EARLY REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN!
ELCA Youth Gathering
It is time to start talking about the 2018 ELCA YOUTH GATHERING!
The mission of the ELCA Youth Gathering is faith formation in high school age youth! It is being held in Houston, Texas, June 27 – July 1, 2018. The 2018 Gathering theme is “This Changes Everything,” which is based on Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
The NT-NL Synod had 414 participants from 35 congregations in Detroit in 2015, and we expect even more for Houston! We are going to have special activities before and during the gathering for our AWESOME NT-NL YOUTH! Some of these include:
- Pre Gathering Event
- NT-NL Youth Meal in Houston
- A few surprises too
Congregations need to contact Janelle Miller and let her know your Primary Leader if your group is thinking about going to The Gathering so we can start getting details directly to you! Bishop Gronberg will be leading a synod group for those churches with less than 3 youth and no adult chaperone. See flyer for more details.
Congregations that do not have youth to send to The Gathering are asked to identify a Houston Prayer Team Coordinator and get that information to Janelle.
Click here for a flyer with more details, important dates, etc.
Contact Information for NT-NL Youth Gathering Team:
- Gathering Synod Coordinator is Janelle Miller (janellemiller@yahoo.com) 817-726-7031
- Synod Day Coordinator is Christian Marbach (c.marbach@faithce.com) 254-421-8450
Upcoming Events
Here are leadership highlights:
- Apr. 7-9: NT-NL Family Retreat
- Apr. 8: PLMA Spring 2017 Course 2
- Apr. 8: Public Witness Team for Peace and Justice monthly meeting
- Apr. 23: Briarwood Quarterly Brunch
- Apr. 27-28: Mission / Synod Council Meeting
- Apr. 28-30: 2017 Mission / Synod Assembly
- May 4-6: “Go Baptize, Make Disciples” Catechumenate Training Institute
- May 6: Briarwood Annual Gala
- May 13: Public Witness Team for Peace and Justice monthly meeting
- May 13: BRIDGES Book Club (joint event)
- May 20: PLMA Spring 2017 Course 3
- May 20: Mission Endowment Fund board meeting
- May 28 – Jun. 2: Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive I
- Jun. 10: Public Witness Team for Peace and Justice monthly meeting
- Jun. 11-16: Building Congregational Capacity for Hispanic Ministry
For a complete list of upcoming events in, and important to, our Synod, you can access our Calendar of Events online.
Reminders
- The 2017 Prayer Partners list can be found at ntnl.org/2017prayerpartners.
- Please update the contact info for the person (or people) who manage your congregation’s communications!
Job Opening in Brenham
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brenham, Texas, is seeking a Director of Youth and Family Ministry. Application deadline: May 15.
Looking for information in past Leader News emails? Find our Leader News archives here!