|
 You
then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and
what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to
faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. ... Do your
best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who
has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. (2 Timothy
2:1-2, 15)
Dear
Saints:
In
the verses above Timothy and, by implication, subsequent leadership
in the church, is charged with the task of faithfully passing on the
apostolic teaching concerning the Gospel. He is further urged to
offer himself to God as one whom God has already approved, and as one
who has no need to be ashamed of the responsibility of spiritual
leadership to which he has been called.
To
this end, the ELCA has over time seen the advantage of local
congregations having a Mutual Ministry Committee, the purpose of
which is to promote the spiritual well-being and accountability of
that congregation—especially its leadership. Thus, when our
Mutual Ministry Chair, Jimmy Johnson, expressed the desire of the
committee to work with me in this capacity I was eager to participate.
Working
closely with Jimmy and the other members of the committee, we have
begun to set ministry goals for myself as Pastor and for the
congregation. In doing this we have referred to St. Matthew's goals
as they were laid out in the Congregational Profile. This was the
document that was compiled as you prepared for your search for a new
pastor. You may recall that the top four priorities, as you
understood them for yourselves as a congregation, and for the new
pastor (whoever that may be) were these:
1.
Worship
Leadership.
You place a high value on well-planned and well-conducted services of worship.
2.
Ministry
to (High School) Youth and Young Adults.
You feel it is important to value these age groups and to relate well
to them.
3.
Evangelism.
You have a desire to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus.
4.
Ministering
in Crisis.
In your view, those who are experiencing crisis in their lives need
to be supported.
As
I interviewed with the Call Committee and Council it became apparent
that my goals for ministry and those of St. Matthew were quite
similar. This along with other things helped us to realize that we
might, in God's plan, be a good match for one another.
But
I have other ministry goals as well, which I would like to list for
you also. They are as follows (though not in any particular order of importance):
5.
Visitation.
I want to get to know you, so over the coming year I intend to make
visitation a priority.
6. Ecumenical
Work.
I understand that St. Matthew once had some good working
relationships with other congregations in the area. My desire is to
see them rekindled or strengthened.
7. Participant
in the Larger Church.
Past experiences with the ELCA at large may not have been as pleasant
as they could have been. Yet, we are all part of the same family. I
hope, therefore, that we can work together to rebuild relationships
with our conference, synod, and national leadership.
8.
Family
Life and Self-Care.
A miserable pastor is an ineffective pastor. I will try to be
intentional about my own self-care and the care of my own family, so
that I will also be better equipped to provide positive leadership at
St. Matthew.
9.
Teaching
Adults.
I enjoy teaching the Bible. But, more than this, I enjoy seeing
others grow in their walk with Jesus through the study of the
Scriptures and related materials. One goal I have, then, will be to
evaluate how this can best happen in the context of our congregation
and to help create venues where it may occur.
In
a nutshell, I would describe my vision for ministry as building
disciples and providing pastoral care. I promise, as your pastor, to
give you my best in doing these things. And in return, I ask only one
thing of you: to also give me and the other members of this
congregation your best.
With
this in mind, all of the nine goals mentioned above most definitely
are not "what we pay the pastor to do." Quite to the
contrary, they are "what we pay the pastor to help us (the
congregation) to accomplish by the grace of God!"
And
so, as I begin my ministry here at St. Matthew as your newly called
pastor I invite you to join with me in carrying out the goals that
are taking shape through the ongoing hard work of the Mutual Ministry Committee.
I look forward to serving with you all!
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
