Guest Post - Lay Pastoral Associates

Lay Pastoral Associates in the Montana Synod

by Dr. John W. Sheppard

The Montana Synod of the ELCA is unusual. Spanning a large geographical region (over 147,000 square miles, not counting the parts in Wyoming) and serving only 38,000 baptized members, the synod finds challenges in bringing its ministries to rural and remote areas, often where ordained clergy are not available. To meet the varied needs for ministry in Montana, the synod formed the Lay Pastoral Associate (LPA) program to enable lay leaders in the synod to serve in leadership positions.

Becoming an LPA within the synod typically takes two years of training, with cohorts being formed at the start of these two year periods. Training consists of at-home study, guided mentorship by a pastor in the synod, and attendance at four retreats. Candidates also undergo criminal background checks when they enter the program. While not intended to be a substitute for seminary, the two-year program provides those wishing to become LPAs with a basic introduction to theological training, focusing in biblical studies (Old and New Testament), church history, Lutheran confessions, prayer and spirituality, worship, preaching, pastoral care, and Christian education. Upon completing the training, each candidate is recognized as a new LPA at the Synod Assembly and receives a “Certificate of Completion” for the LPA program. The new LPA is then listed by the synod as a resource to provide Word and Sacrament ministry where needed within the synod (with approval and license by the Bishop, and under continued supervision by an ordained pastor). Some LPAs act as “synodically authorized ministers,” where they serve in a congregation in a longer-term capacity.

My experience in the LPA training program has been unique since I entered the program having completed two years at Gettysburg Seminary. As part of this, I completed two guided field education experiences, including serving during my first year of seminary in a local parish, where I led worship, taught confirmation, and performed home and hospital visitation. I also completed a basic unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, where I served as a hospital chaplain in the intensive care unit, the ICU step-down unit, and the cardiac step-down unit. Because of my background, the self-study courses were waived; however, I participated in the four LPA retreats and have received mentoring from both Pastor Lindean and Pastor Grant.

This provides a sense of the mechanics of the LPA program. But what about the experience itself? While much of the actual training served more as a refresher of my seminary education, the most valuable part of the experience was meeting and growing with other members of my cohort. The cohort to be recognized at this coming synod assembly in Billings in June is the largest so far to go through the LPA training program. Over 20 new LPAs will be recognized. During these past two years, we have studied together, practiced together, prayed together, worshiped together, shared our life experiences with one another, and came to recognize the wide and varying talents each of us brings to ministry. We have musicians, teachers, professors, lawyers, and business people who have felt a call to deepen their faith and commitment to serving the church.
One of the most moving experiences I had while going through the LPA program was during the retreat on prayer and spirituality. This retreat was led by Pr. Dan Heskett, and a significant part of it focused on the discipline called Lectio Divina. Here, we chose a biblical passage and were guided through a process of slow, deliberate, and repeated reading and meditation on the passage. The entire process lasted about two hours, and when we finished, we each had a deeper connection to the passage. In fact, I believe any one of us could have stood up and given a sermon on the passage, right there on the spot. Another interesting experience of mine was preaching a sermon for Pr. Steve Loy, who led the preaching retreat. I say interesting because Steve and I studied preaching together under Dr. Richard Thulin while we were both students at Gettysburg Seminary. He was the best preacher in the class back then, and he is still amazing. Even so, it was a bit strange being a student of his after having been students together, 30 years ago.
Ultimately, it is good to be getting back involved in doing ministry within our church. For anyone interested in deeper theological study, a deepening of faith, and an opportunity to serve, I strongly recommend exploring becoming an LPA. I would be happy to discuss the program and my experiences with anyone interested. Let me know, and we can chat.

Middle School Service Plunge 2015

Last week, 10 CtK youth, plus a couple of their friends and some fabulous adults, joined middle school youth from Hope Lutheran Church for a week of worship, learning and SERVICE here in the Gallatin Valley.
The theme verse for the week was Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Monday morning the group weeded at God's Garden, which produces thousands upon thousands of pounds of food for the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and the Community Café.
Tuesday morning was spent on trail maintenance with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, at the Cherry Creek Fishing Access. It was hard work (there were blisters to be had!) but great to see the results of the effort, before and after.
Wednesday morning half the group went to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and packaged macaroni noodles into one-pound bags (finishing off a 1,000 pound box of noodles - that's a lot of pasta!). The other half of the group offered a free car wash, with donations accepted for the food bank.
On Thursday morning, the two groups switched places - half for a carwash, the other half to the Food Bank. This time, the Food Bank crew sorted eggs and repackaged unbroken eggs into cartons.
Friday morning, everyone headed to the Family Promise Day Center to help with cleaning, yard work and other projects.
Every afternoon included Bible study, lots of games, a crafty project, and worship.
It was a great week! Look for more photos in worship on a Sunday in the near future!

Middle School Service Plunge 2015 - the closest thing we got to a photo of the whole group.

NEW book for Friday Morning Small Group - Join the Discussion!

The Friday morning Small Group finished reading and discussing The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by James Cone, this past Friday morning. Just a day and a half after the horrific attack on Bible Study participants at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, we wondered together what to do, as white Christians in America, where clearly racism is alive and well. That will be an ongoing conversation, but includes continuing to learn about American history as experienced by people of color, to listen to perspectives different from our own, to speak up against racial slurs and stereotypes when we hear them, to pray, to examine and repent of our own racist thoughts and behaviors, to work for justice and reconciliation...

One of the quotes at the beginning of the book's Conclusion especially struck me:
"Perhaps nothing about the history of mob violence in the United States is more surprising than how quickly an understanding of the full horror of lynching has receded from the nation's collective historical memory." - W. Fitzhugh Brundage

Yes, the shooter on Wednesday night appears to have acted on his own, though he certainly did not live and form his opinions and beliefs in isolation. Yet, the history of lynching in the US is something most of us in the Friday small group didn't know much about. And it's not ancient history. As hard as reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree was, we're all glad we read it. And I think I can safely say each member of the group would encourage you to read it, too.

The group's next book is Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Imaculee  Ilibagiza. The discussion of the first chapter begins on Friday, July 3rd, at Clark's Fork at 7am. All are welcome!

New Blog from PLTS (Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary)

An invitation from PLTS:

 

PLTS  - Out of the Fog, Into God's World blog

  

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California has launched a blog that engages theological perspectives with pressing, urgent public issues of our day. This blog involve a wide range of contributors from the PLTS faculty, other faculties at California Lutheran University, students and alums, as well as others committed to the purpose of this blog. A link to our blog can be found here: http://outofthefogplts.wordpress.com/ 

In faith communities and the wider society, there increasingly is moral outrage about what is occurring, such as entrenched violence and inequalities. However, critical biblical and theological perspectives are seldom brought to bear on what is at stake. Ordinary people of faith are either left "in the fog" about how their faith engages such, or certain "religious" voices are featured in the media that tend to be judgmental or polarizing. The public voice of, especially Lutherans, tends to remain muted or confined within churches, as it was not for someone like Martin Luther. Our audience is those preparing sermons or discussions that better equip people to think and act on timely issues in the news in light of their faith.  The hope is that this might contribute to reflective deliberation amid differences rather than furthering the polarization that is all too pervasive in our common life.
Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks!

The College Girl's Guide to: Bible Study - Guest Post by MSU student Molly Wright

Gathering with a few other Christians each week, or every other week, has been an important part of my life for years. Reading the Bible with others helps me know them, and helps me hear God's word in ways I might miss on my own. Having a small group of mutual support can make all the difference - joys are multiplied, and burdens are divided. It's my hope that every participant in the community of faith that is Christ the King Lutheran Church would know the fun and challenge of discipleship with a small group.

Back in January I asked Molly, a first-year student at MSU, to write an article for the monthly CtK newsletter about her Bible Study/small group experience.

            The College Girl’s Guide to: Bible Study

            To say that college is overwhelming would be an understatement.

            Before coming to MSU, I thought I had it all figured out. I had no fears about tackling schoolwork, making new friends, or getting involved with every club on campus. But boy, was I wrong. It’s pretty scary to go from a class of 300 kids to a school of 15,000 undergrads. You feel as if you have the word “freshman” stamped on your forehead, and you have no idea how to handle this unfamiliar territory.

            Feeling disconnected and lost, I turned to my mom for help. (It’s true... She really does know best.) She told me to try attending Christ the King, where Lindean, the former pastor of my home congregation at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and her husband led worship. The warmth, energy, and inviting atmosphere of the church was immediately apparent. I felt like I was home.

            Soon after, we arranged to meet Wednesday nights for a small group bible study at International Coffee, a small coffee shop right next to campus. I had reservations about going. What if I don’t know enough about the Bible? What if I say something that sounds dumb, or I disagree with someone else? I don’t even know Annie and Pastor Lindean that well... Will I be comfortable speaking up? Maybe I should just stay home and do homework. But by the end of the first meeting, those thoughts has disappeared. Over a steaming mug of tea, we talked, laughed, prayed, and explored God’s word. I was already looking forward to next week’s meeting, and ventured home feeling a bit better inside knowing that I had found somewhere I could fit in.

            Being part of a small group within the church, especially a Bible study, is so incredibly rewarding. Sharing thoughts, emotions, and ideas with others allows us to open up in ways we don’t normally do in casual conversation. And, exploring the different stories in the Bible and how they relate to our lives reminds us of God’s unfailing love for us, a comforting thought for a lonely 18 year old. I guarantee you’ll learn something new, or at least have some preconceived notion busted. It happens every time for me.

            Sometimes, we get too caught up in ourselves and our own worries, and lose sight of the bigger picture. Luckily, we have wonderful people in our lives who are there for support, love, and growth. We need to lean on them so that we can all grow stronger in our faith and our friendships with each other. In attending this Bible study, my feelings of loneliness have subsided. They’ve given way to feelings of desire to continue learning and growing in faith, and have left room to develop friendships with women who are as excited about Christ’s love as I am.

            Making time on a busy Wednesday evening is a small sacrifice to pay for the benefits we reap by simply coming together over God’s word. While I still struggle with finding my place on campus, I know I have found my place within the church.

It's COLD Outside

It is cold outside. Really cold. And it's only going to get colder when the sun goes down. So:

ALL CTK EVENING ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT.

The adult choir will meet and rehearse on Sunday morning (2/9) at 8:45am.
The youth group will meet again next Wednesday.
The college Bible study will meet again next Wednesday as well, now at City Brew near Kohls/Qdoba.

Any questions? Please contact the church office at 587-4131.

Stay warm!
And pray for those who don't have adequate shelter, or who have to choose between heat/food/medicine. It's days like today I am especially grateful for the work of the Warming Center here in Bozeman, and equally grateful this community of faith supports that work.

WEBS - Women's Ecumenical Book Study

There's a great group in Bozeman called WEBS. WEBS is an acronym for "Women's Ecumenical Book/Bible Study." Coming up in February, WEBS will be offering several book study groups, reading different books and meeting at a variety of times and locations.

From the WEBS site online:

The mission of WEBS (Women's Ecumenical Bible Study) is to build connection; as we explore God's story, we share our stories. WEBS offers Seekers and Christians, who enjoy the perspectives of other women, a safe, engaging environment to nurture their faith through Bible Study (for the month of February, a BOOK Study) and in relationship.  WEBS provides both a spiritual and scholarly environment in which each woman can live her own spiritual journey in community.

For the month of February, women will have a choice to explore three different books in small groups.  Feel free to join more than one book group.  We selected the following three books from which to choose because they cover a range of spiritual topics (theology, outreach, spirituality) from a range of perspectives (evangelical/emergent, main-line Protestant, Roman Catholic/contemplative) and invite thoughtful discussion. Books are listed below with a link to their descriptions and group meeting times.

The books for February are What We Talk About When We Talk About God, by Rob Bell; Get Off Your Donkey!: Help Somebody and Help Yourself, by Reggie McNeal; and Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Richard Rohr.

I (Lindean) get to lead a group on the Rob Bell book, Fridays in February from 10:00 - 11:15am at Bozeman United Methodist Church. There will even be free child care available!

For more information, check out the WEBS website, or contact Jen, the WEBS administrator, at admin@websbozeman.org .

NEW Small Group

A NEW small group of CtK members and friends begins THIS FRIDAY MORNING, May 31st, at 7am, and YOU are invited to participate!
The group will gather at Clark's Fork restaurant, at Oak & 19th. The hope is it's early enough that working folks can grab some breakfast (or just coffee or whatever) and join in on the way to work. The group will meet every other Friday, so in the near future, plan to come 5/31, 6/14 and 6/28.
The first topic/book/series has yet to be decided - it'll be up for discussion this week. Plan to be there and throw in your $0.02.
Questions? Contact Pastor Lindean in the church office, 406-587-4131.

Sunday School is for Grown-Ups, Too!!

All of the adult education classes on Sunday mornings are kicking off October with new topics:

Adult Forum meets in the social hall and will be using a DVD series for learning and to spark conversation: Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty and Delight.


Biblical Stewardship: Our Duty & Delight from Select Learning on Vimeo.

Manna for Moms usually meets in the sanctuary, and will be spending a month learning about and discussing "Children and Materialsim."

The Digging Deeper class meets in the church office, and will be reading a book this month, Giving to God: The Bible's Good News about Living a Generous Life, by Mark Allan Powell. Copies are available in the church office for $13. Participants will be expected to read 25-45 pages at home each week, and then discuss the readings as a group (a reading schedule is also available).

We all know that everything we have is a gift from God. But sometimes it's hard to know just how to give back to God. How much is enough? What does the Bible really say? What should giving look like in our everyday lives? Filled with good news for followers of Jesus, Giving to God shows Christians the way to a better life and a better relationship both with their money and with God.
Popular author and Bible scholar Mark Allan Powell presents stewardship as an act of worship, an expression of faith, and a discipline for spiritual growth. Faithful use of our time, talents, and treasures starts with a deep, satisfying relationship with the God to whom we belong. We can then learn, says Powell, to give gladly and generously out of our heartfelt connection with God. The second part of the book applies these principles to today's complicated world.
After providing answers to practical questions about living and giving, Powell lays out a specific plan for a generous life that Christians can embrace as both a duty and a delight.
Informative, concise, and wise, Giving to God gives us resources to think carefully about how best to use the treasures, material and otherwise, that God has given us. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this book particularly useful for church study groups.

Thoughts on the Genesis reading from the first Sunday in Lent

This past Sunday was the first Sunday in Lent. When you walk into the worship space, you can tell something us up: the pews are rearranged into the shape of a cross - with the baptismal font and processional cross in the center, there are purple paraments hanging around the space, and there are many crosses hanging on the walls around the room. Those crosses are on loan from members of the congregation. I hope they serve as additional visual focus during this season of repentance and renewal.
On Sunday I preached mostly on the assigned passage from Gospel of Matthew, with brief references to Romans and a passing comment on the text from Genesis.

In case the Genesis passage left you wondering, or provided some food for thought, here's some more, from the Working Preacher website of Luther Seminary. (The commentary was written by Dennis Olson, Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.)

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Wrongheaded Assumptions about Genesis 2-3
This Sunday's Old Testament text from Genesis 2-3 highlights what is traditionally known as the "fall," the Bible's first temptation and act of disobedience by the human man and woman in the garden of Eden. The popular conception of the garden of Eden story often includes elements of the following assumptions:
* God created an absolutely perfect and static world
* humans lived in a luxurious paradise with no responsibilities
* the evil serpent is a Satan figure who brings evil into God's perfect creation the woman alone succumbed to temptation and so she alone is responsible for bringing sin into the world (see the questionable exegesis of Genesis 3 in 1 Timothy 2:11-14)
* the central aim of Genesis 3 is to explain how evil came into God's perfect creation.

Offering a More Faithful Reading of Genesis 2-3
A careful reading of Genesis 2-3, however, would undermine or nuance each of these assumptions. Let's examine each assumption in turn.
1) God does indeed create a "good" world but not a "perfect" world in the sense of a closed, static, and totally divinely-controlled universe
In the Genesis 1 creation story, God repeatedly calls creation "good" (Genesis 1:4, 12, 21, 25, 31). But the primeval "deep" or "waters" which were understood as the source of evil and chaos in the world in ancient times did not disappear with God's creation. God's ruach ("wind, breath, spirit") swept over them and pushed the waters of chaos back behind the "dome" that formed the sky and also under the earth (Genesis 1:1-6). Evil and chaos thus continue to lurk at the margins of creation and can come rushing back as in the story of Noah and the flood, if God allows it (Genesis 7:11; 8:2).

Moreover, God invites humans and other elements in the creation to exercise responsibility and stewardship over creation (Genesis 1:26-28). In the creation story in Genesis 2, God's process of creating is open and dynamic. After creating the human and the garden, God discovers a problem: "it is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). So God creates the wide variety of animals and invites the man to name them. The animals may help with the loneliness problem, but something is still missing (Genesis 2:20). Thus, God tries another strategy and creates a woman from man, and that solution does seem to work (Genesis 2:23). But the impression is that God's creating activity is a work in process from the beginning, not a "perfect" world in the sense of a fully-formed, static and pristine universe.

2) In the Genesis 2 creation story, the human has work and responsibility from the very beginning
God places the man in the garden "to till it and to keep it." This is no Caribbean vacation in paradise! From the beginning, humans are made for a regular rhythm of doing work that has meaning and purpose for the good of creation along with regular periods of sabbath rest and enjoyment (Genesis 2:2-3). While there is great freedom for the human ("you may freely eat from any tree"), the garden also contains one boundary that restricts the human. God decrees the first biblical law (eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [or bad/pain) and the consequence of breaking the law (immediate and certain death "in the day...you shall die [the Hebrew is emphatic--you shall surely die!]" (Genesis 2:17).

3) In its original OT context, the serpent in Genesis 3 is not Satan who invades God's creation from the outside
The serpent is a very clever and talkative (!) animal "that the LORD God had made" (Genesis 3:1). The serpent is one of God's own creatures who simply poses some questions and alternative explanations concerning God's motivations in creation for the humans to consider. At any point in the conversation, the humans could have told the serpent that he was full of it and to please go and bother someone else. But there was something already in the human that resonated to the hermeneutics of suspicion that the serpent offered as one option for interpreting the words and actions of God.

4) Often the scene of the temptation in Eden is portrayed as the woman standing alone with the serpent, but a careful reading suggests that the man was likely present all along
The scene is of one piece: the serpent and the woman engage in conversation, she takes and eats the fruit, and she gives the fruit to "her husband, who was with her" all along! God had earlier observed that "it was not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). Likewise, in Genesis 3, it was not good that the woman should be alone in fending off the serpent's temptations and suspicions about God's motivation for restricting the humans' access to the forbidden fruit. The man failed to speak up, to speak out, and to join the woman in an alliance against the serpent's attempt to appeal to the suspicions and yearnings that somehow were already within the humans' heart. This is a story of human disobedience and rebellion against God, not a story of the woman who alone was tempted and who alone was responsible for sin entering into the world (contra 1 Timothy 2 :11-14).

5) The central aim of Genesis 3 is to describe the mystery of sin, not to explain its origin
Sin is a mysterious force that arises from within God's "good" creation. The serpent is simply one of God's creatures. And the yearnings and suspicions of the humans about God's motivations are somehow already embedded within the human heart from the beginning and simply needed the encouragement of the serpent to bring them out and convert them into action. Thus, Genesis 3 is less about "explaining" the origin of sin and more about describing the reality of what it is to be human and our mysterious human tendencies continually to rebel against God, to resist the gracious boundaries and limitations that God places around us for our own good, and to desire to be like God rather than thankful creatures of God.

The Faith 5

This post, from the picture on down, comes from http://www.faithink.com/inkubators/faith5.asp
As I prepare for the Family & Youth Ministry Team meeting tonight, I'm hoping we can spend some time moving beyond the usual agenda of events and fundraising, as good and important as they are, and have a conversation about encouraging faith conversations at home. FAITH - Faith Acts In The Home. Not bad, huh?



The FAITH 5 (Faith Acts In The Home)

Care to have some fun, keep your family communicating every night, and grow in your understanding of yourself and God? Try this simple five-step process for the next six weeks and see if it doesn’t help!
Here’s how you do it: Whoever is going to bed first in your home calls “FAITH 5” or “Huddle Up!” Everyone must drop what they’re doing, turn off the television, put down the newspaper or their homework, set the cell phone on silence and gather in a room of the convener’s choice.

Then take turns going through these five simple steps:
1. SHARE highs & lows of the day
2. READ and highlight a verse of Scripture in your Bible
3. TALK about how the verse relates to your highs & lows
4. PRAY for your highs & lows, for your family, and for the world
5. BLESS one another

You want a great relationship with your kids? You want openness, honesty, caring and sharing in your family? You want to raise a child to be a strong, thoughtful, empathetic, positive, healthy adult out in the world some day? You can’t buy that. You have to invest in it. And the investment is the most expensive currency you own – your TIME – aimed at that most precious young person in your life.
Kids spell love TIME. Be intentional. Be consistent. Be caring. Be the parent. Every night. Every home.
No one else can do that for you.

Four Questions

1. For Parents of Young Children: What would it be worth to you to have a teenager some day who won’t go to sleep without talking to you about their day? Praying with you? Blessing you? Would it be worth five minutes? Tonight? Every night?

2. For Parents of Pre-Teens: What would happen to your family over time if you were able to keep this open, caring communication going every night throughout adolescence?

3. For Parents of Teenagers: Once the teen years begin and drivers’ licences come into play, communication between parents and teens can become a challenge. How might this type of five-minute conversation change a family if they were intentional and consistent about it? Would the benefits outweigh the hassle of trying to invest this time of care, listening, and prayer each night in your home? Why or why not?

4. For Church Leaders: What would happen to a family over time if they made an intentional point of doing the Faith 5 most every night? What would happen to your church five years from today if the majority of your households were doing active listening, scripture, faith talk, prayer, and blessings every night?

Wellness Walk & Bible Study Tonight

What are your plans for this evening? It's a beautiful day - don't stay inside all evening!

Come join the fun of a short Bible study focusing on wholeness and wellness and a relaxing walk through one of the neighborhoods next to Christ the King LC.

We'll meet at 7:30pm and be on our way home no later than 9pm. Wear your walking shoes and bring a (re-usable) bottle of water!

New Women's Bible Study

A Bible study/fellowship group for women will begin meeting on Saturday mornings at 7:30am, at Wheat Montana (located at N. 19th Ave & Oak, on Stoneridge), beginning TOMORROW!!
All women are invited to come and participate, no experience necessary! Bring a Bible if you have one and come for conversation, prayer, support, and time in God's word.
Questions? Contact Pastor Lindean in the church office at 587-4131 or by email.