Give to the Max day is November 19th, 2020! Money and Ministry The Southwestern Minnesota Synod is taking bold action to ensure vital sustainable ministry into the future. We believe that healthy ministry needs healthy leadership, this is especially true when it comes to financial health. With Gifts of Grace we are actively working to […]
GiveMN & Gifts of Grace Read More »
+Rev. Dee Pederson, D.Min., Director for Evangelical Mission One of the powerful ways this truth has been lived out in the COVID-19 crisis is: “generosity.” As unemployment soared and demands on food pantries increased, generous donors across the ELCA contributed $1.6 million to the ELCA COVID-19 Response Fund. This generosity has come to our synod
“We are church together – apart!” Read More »
[clear-line] The Pastor in a Secular Age Being a pastor is no easy task in our time. Institutions are weaker, budgets are in decline, people are uninterested, and commitment is wavering. But these are only symptoms of a bigger issue (and this was all before the pandemic). These presentations will seek to peer beneath the
2020 Fall Theological Conference Read More »
The Southwestern Minnesota Synod Endowment Fund will once again make grants to support the mission of Congregations in their local communities in 2020-2022. The Fund Committee is looking for projects proposals in the following areas: Community Outreach Youth Activities Special Mission Projects In addition, the Committee encourages proposals in response to the mission challenges of
Endowment Fund Congregational Mission Grants for 2020-2022 Read More »
Over the last few decades, the cost of educating rostered leaders was increasingly placed upon the person called to serve. Although taking out loans to pursue education is normal, tuition and cost of living increases over the last few decades were primarily shouldered by students. This resulted in some of our rostered ministers starting their
Gifts of Grace Ministerial Excellence Fund Grants Read More »
+Rev. Dr. Pederson, Director for Evangelical Mission Many of us remember asking our parents on the way to Grandma’s house, “When will we get there?!” In the midst of Stay-at-Home 2020, all of us wondered when things would get back to normal for daily life and for church life. And if someone had told you
What Might the “Next” Normal Look Like for Your Church? Read More »
+Bishop Jon Anderson Revised for an e-news article We do not want to waste this crisis. There has been, and will be terrible losses. There will also be amazing opportunities. We need to find ways to lament the damage. We also need to watch and open our imaginations so that we notice and engage the
Bishop’s Report for Synod Council Read More »
Your synod council made a decision to cancel our assembly on June 12-13, 2020, at Gustavus Adolphus College. This came after the recommendation of the Synod Assembly Planning Committee considered the situation and recommended a cancelation and not a postponement of our planned assembly. A second task force of people looked into the constitutional and
Synod Assembly Cancellation Read More »
Our congregational leaders recognize the growing need to provide support and care for your members in this time, and are aware that the needs exceed the span of care they are able to provide right now. One way you can increase the ministry of your congregation and support your pastor is to create ways of
Visitation and Care Strategies for Congregations Read More »
By Rev. Keith Pearson, ELCA Foundation Benjamin Franklin is famously quoted for having written, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” It is a somewhat cynical sentiment many of us share. We begrudgingly acknowledge that both are undesirable, but unavoidable. As Christians we have cause to be a
