Deeply rooted, bearing fruit

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Beloved in Christ in the Rocky Mountain Synod,

As I write this, my wife, Kim, and I are in the process of moving from Chicago to Denver. We counted:  in our 29 years of marriage this is our 16th move as a couple. If you add in our relocations before marriage, mine total around 25, Kim’s closer to 30. What’s remarkable to us is that amid all those moves we had one ten-year period as a family in the same place, the same house! It was our ten years in the Rocky Mountain Synod when I was serving at Atonement Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colorado. That may not seem like a long time for some folks, but it helps explain why a couple of global nomads like us feel so rooted here and why we feel so blessed to be returning to a part of the world we consider home.

Whether yours is a story of mobility or stability – or both – one thing we all share is a desire for community and connectedness amid the comings and goings of life. I believe that this is especially true when it comes to our journeys of faith and spirituality – these are journeys not intended to be undertaken in isolation! It’s the reason that a team called Connected Community will be at the center of the staffing design I have proposed for my tenure in the RMS Office of the Bishop. This team, to be led by Pastor Kent Mueller, will focus on the many ways we can accompany one another across our geographical expansiveness, fostering community in the midst of our busy and ever-moving lives through regular communication, multiple networks, and face-to-face gatherings. An expanded role for our conferences will be central to this vision.

Connectivity will be evident in the work of the other four teams as well. The Healthy Leadership team, which I will lead, will focus on dynamic connections with all our rostered leaders in their ministry contexts, including those in transition as well as those preparing for public ministry. This team will also address leaders and communities experiencing stress.

Deepened Discipleship, led by Pastor Sarah Moening, will be a team invested in our connections at the congregational level. Utilizing gifted and trained leadership within conferences, this team will support congregations seeking new rostered leadership (mobility) as well as encourage the essential work of faith formation across the generations. 

Shared Ministries, a team led by Pastor Ron Roschke, will focus on the many ways we connect to our vital ministry partners – from outdoor ministries and companion synods to our advocacy offices and educational partners such as Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and California Lutheran University. This team will also be responsible for the relationship between the Bishop’s office and the candidacy process that prepares new rostered leaders for service in our church. 

Finally, the Expanding Vision team, for which Pastor Rob Moss will provide the interim leadership until the end of January 2013, will connect us to our common calling as participants in God’s mission.  The work of this team will be built on the belief that the vision for mission of every single RMS congregation and ministry is a critical component of our larger vision as the Rocky Mountain Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. At the same time, this team will facilitate the work throughout our synod to identify and support potential, new, and renewing communities of faith while helping us discover how our shared resources deepen our engagement in God’s mission.

It will take us a while to live into this proposed design for the RMS Office of the Bishop. As we do so, our goal as a staff will be to model “connected community” by the way we work together. While everyone will have identified roles to play, we will seek to carry out our tasks with maximum flexibility and interdependence among the teams. This means meeting regularly to look at the big picture, seeking synergies, and sharing our perspectives. We will also be committed to determining how existing links might be strengthened with synod council members, synod officers, and synod committees and boards so that we can fully benefit from the rich giftedness of all who have offered to serve on behalf of the wider Body of Christ. 

As Kim and I get settled into our new home in this familiar territory, I look forward to hearing your ideas about how we can make connecting to one another throughout this Rocky Mountain Synod not only a priority, but an essential part of our witness to all who are seeking companionship and community on the journey of faith. 

Yours in Faith,
Jim Gonia, Bishop Elect

Comments

Pastor Jeff Beebe said…
Looks good, Jim. Thanks for giving this much thought and proposing a new way to understand our connectedness.
6:37 PM
Intern Pastor Travis Johnson said…
I am so appreciative of such intentional community organization at the levels that our Synod operates. I am eager to participate in this new era of the RMS, and thank you for your already demonstrable leadership. Praise God!
8:56 AM
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