April 2006

Hebrews 11:8 says, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. In thinking about what to say about the Planning Team for this Communicator, the above passage came to mind. Initially, a ‘Transition Team’ was assembled with the goal of looking at the needs and future direction of Mindekirken to guide the Call Committee regarding particular leadership skills sought in your next pastor. (This is generally the role for such a team during a congregation’s extended interim time between pastors.) The ‘Transition Team’ became a ‘Planning Team’. The Planning Team’s work may end up having little influence on guiding the Call Committee’s selection of a pastoral candidate. It appears their primary role will be to serve as a catalyst for the leaders and members of Mindekirken to look to your future, consider your mission, and do some planning during this interim time.

How’s it going? Slowly! I wrote in the March Communicator that questionnaires would be sent to the congregation in early March. That was the intent of the Planning Team back in February. (I was not intentionally misleading Norwegian Lutherans here or abroad!) That plan has changed – at least the timeline and perhaps even the decision to send questionnaires at this point. The normal challenge of finding meeting times that work combined with the emerging challenge of the task at hand are making the Planning Team’s work anything but speedy. Perhaps a process is beginning now that will continue on in some form – even after the interim time is over and your next pastor has arrived. In many ways it feels like ‘we’ve set out, not knowing where we are going’. But in the journey of faith – for Abraham, for me, for you, for Mindekirken – that’s O.K.! This is important work for Mindekirken to do. It will take time. When we set out on any genuine faith journey, we never know exactly where we’ll end up. But when we step forward in faith and trust that God will lead us, I believe we arrive at that next ‘place’ we need to be – where the call of God beckons.

(Lutheran Book of Worship, p.137)

Pastor Bruce Arnevik, Interim Pastor

arnevik@mindekirken.org

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716