Network Blog

What is the future of the ELCA?  Of denominations in general?  What does it mean to be a part of our denominational tribe today?  What will it mean in 5, 10 or 20 years?

We are approaching the 1 year anniversary of the decisions made at the Churchwide Assembly last August in Minneapolis.  It has been a challenging year for our church.  For many of us in congregations, the ripple effects from the assembly hit more like tidal waves.  And the state of the economy led to staff cuts in our denominational offices that significantly diminished the capacity for mission...and cost many of our friends their positions.

There was a period of time when I (and I'm just speaking for myself here) really felt like the wheels were coming off of the wagon.  And I kept waiting for things to get better.  Still waiting. 

Since then, I keep hearing of congregations that are leaving...of friends whose jobs are at risk...of congregational conflict...

I started to wonder about the future.  Is there a place for denominations in the future?  Our denomination in particular?  Certainly there is a need...certainly there is a role...

I had some of my hope restored a month or two ago when I heard of the LiftELCA initiative.  A team has been assembled to look at the future of our denomination.  This is the LIFT (Living Into the Future Together) team.  "Their purpose is to develop and recommend options for the future of the ELCA in light of its identity, changes in its environment and its call to God's mission. "

2 things I am grateful for:
1.  I am grateful that someone in our denominational leadership has thought to ask these questions.  Frequently it is those in leadership that are the least aware of, or the least willing to ask the difficult questions. 
2.  I am grateful that the LIFT team has taken an attitude of transparency in their work.  Look at their web site.  It's all there.  Check out their Twitter feed...visit their Facebook page.  Accessibility has been their hallmark, and I am grateful for this.

There is currently a LIFT questionnaire that they are asking members of the ELCA to fill out. 

I care about our denomination.  I care about the work of the church as manifest within our community.  Like everyone else, I have thoughts...I have opinions. 

I am grateful that our church has a group who wants to listen to my (and everyone else's) thoughts about God's misison within our church. 

Please participate.  Please invest.  Please allow the Spirit of God to blow through you and into the rest of our church.  Speak.  And listen.

Pax,
Todd.

This is about as unscientific as it gets.  I can't stress that enough.  But I've noticed something in the last 2-3 months:

More churches seem to be hiring youth ministry leaders again.

The Network's placement page has become the de facto national clearinghouse for positions in ELCA congregations (and other settings).  Congregations list their position openings there and we keep the positions posted for 90 days, unless the fill us and ask us to remove it, or they ask us to extend it.  

Typically on our web site, there are anywhere from 35-45 positions all over the country that are posted there.  The positions are almost all lay staff positions, because pastors have a call process that they work through (though sometimes there are pastoral positions listed there as well.)  Other rostered leaders have a call process, though the effectiveness of those systems seem to vary from synod to synod or can make use of our placement page.

Occasionally I'll glance at the list and see what's there, just out of curiosity.

I remember being startled last fall, typically a time of high activity in the church-placement world, and found only 9 open positions.  9.  For the whole country.  9.  Interestingly, the highest concentration of those 9 was in region 5.  The other 6 were spread out over the other 8 regions of the country.  

I shouldn't have been surprised.  I knew things were bad.  And I knew of churches cutting positions all over the place.  But 9 still startled me.

I haven't really looked at it with intentionality since then.  But yesterday I received not one but two emails from congregations in different parts of the country asking me to take their listings down early because they had filled the positions.  I looked.  

Yesterday, there were 27 open positions listed.

Now let me say again, this is not scientific.  It may mean nothing.  But it also may.

Are we in recovery?  I don't know.  But we hear words from the rest of the world that the economy is in rebound mode.  And we know that rebound tends to come to the world of the church last.  We are usually at the tail end of the economic train.  

But maybe this means that things in congregations are starting to turn around.  Just maybe it means that congregations are saying "ok, we're able to bring staff back...or to add.  And tending the faith journey of the young is important."  

I'm going to keep watching the number of congregations searching.  And I am going to continue to hope.

Networked in Christ,
Todd.