Network Blog

The word came down today of the cuts in the churchwide staff in the ELCA offices.  65 individuals, real people with real lives, real families and real mortgages find themselves out of work.  

This is not a unique situation.  Literally, tens of thousands of those in our congregations have faced the same thing.  But when it happens in our churchwide offices, it causes the pain of our friends, while yanking on the rug upon which we all stand.  

This happens in the church?  In our church?  

Yes, it does.  

There will be time for conversations about whether this is the right thing or not for our church to do.  There will be lots of opportunities to do Monday-morning second-guessing.  And there will be ample opportunity for missional imagination to be sparked, and to think about how the church might be church into the future.

Today, we grieve and mourn for our friends.

More details are coming.  And we will continue to post information here as we have it, specifically regarding how these cuts affect children's youth and young adult ministries.  But in the meantime, please pray for those who have lost their jobs.  Pray for our church.  Pray for ministry with the young.  And pray for all those in our congregations who still seek meaningful work.  

I've tripped over a couple of blogs that have done some nice work analyzing the cuts, that you might want to check out.

They are at:  
Koinonia
Cyber Spirit Cafe


Blessings,
Todd