My oldest son, Noah, spent the first six years of his life as missionary kid in Madagascar. His best friend, Tafita, was our next door neighbor. Communication, as you can imagine, for these two preschoolers was an odd mixture of French, English and Malagasy. Sometimes language barriers led to tantrums and sometimes to laughable moments. But there was one game … Continue reading Take Time to Hide

I have been in ministry for almost 20 years. My call has taken me to 3 different continents, where I have learned, worked and preached in 4 different languages. From camp counselor to children, youth and family ministry, from missionary to pastoral intern, my work has been centered on sharing God’s love with God’s people. … Continue reading 25,000 Hits on Church Change

Church #25. Meet Gena Maria Koeberl. She is an intentional interim pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Springfield, Missouri. “My role in intentional interim ministry,” says Koeberl, “is to accompany a congregation to do their homework so that they can harbor a healthy call process.” It’s about helping a church come to terms with the … Continue reading Start With What You Have!

(Note: Read the side effects at the end of what happens when we come together.) "It matters, together. It matters what you do with your life, with your time and with your money. It matters to God and God's community. Together, it matters." It's that time of year when churches begin to think about the … Continue reading Together, It Matters – Stewardship 2017

Church #24. Meet Jeff Mikyska. He is the solo pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illinois. With average worship attendance of 130 people on a given Sunday, Holy Trinity seeks to “Proclaim Christ’s love through witness and service.” It’s those words “through witness and service” that has gotten Holy Trinity outside the walls of … Continue reading Meeting Your Neighbors

Week #23. Meet Linda McElroy Thomas. She is the solo pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Trinity has an average worship attendance of 100-120 people on a given Sunday. Trinity has been called to work with the migrant worker population in their area. Literally. They received a phone call from the Department … Continue reading Be Compassionate.

Church #22. Meet Pam Illick. She is the solo pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania. With an average worship attendance of 38 people on a given Sunday, Trinity is a church in redevelopment. Trinity is nestled in a small village of 900 near Gettysburg, PA. Nestled is a good word to describe … Continue reading Becoming Visible

Church #21. Meet Terri Landers. She is the solo pastor of Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia. With an average worship attendance of 70, Spirit of Peace is a mission start congregation. Churches sometimes make the wrong assumptions with visitors. Even when things seem clearly marked or highly visible, it can be … Continue reading Hospitality Rhythms

It's the three most dreaded words in my household: Back to School. My Facebook page has been bombarded since the first of August with first day photos of my friend's kids (Super cute!). From now through Labor Day, schools across the country will open their doors. Churches love this time of year when families are … Continue reading Packing Blessings into the Backpacks.

10 days. 3 Storytelling Workshops: Church Retreat, Narrative Lectionary Work Days at Luther Seminary and Cross+Gen Ministry Tour with Faith Ink.  And 1 Rethinking Church Conference. I met people from Maryland, South Carolina, Vermont, and California. I presented in front of 100 people over three different events, and met at least another 50 more. I talked … Continue reading The Church is Not Dying