Sabbatical: Q&A

Dear Friends in Christ,                                                                                                              

Back in September 2015, the church council approved a Sabbatical leave for Grant and me, for three months, beginning on June 6, 2016.

What is a Sabbatical?

A Sabbatical calls for an extended time of Sabbath-keeping, of stepping away from usual duties and responsibilities. It calls for rest of the body, though also rest of the spirit. For a work-loving person, this will be a challenge, though perhaps all the more necessary. Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel reminds us, a Sabbatical will be a good grounding in humility that the church will survive (even thrive!) without our help.

How long will we be gone?

We will begin our Sabbatical on June 6, 2016, following the conclusion of the Montana Synod Assembly in Billings. Our last day in the office will be June 3^rd. We will return to the office September 6, 2016.

What will we do?

We look forward to continuing education classes, rest, reading, increased time for devotions, and enjoying creation. As a family, we will travel to Minnesota and Washington, to learn and to spend time with extended family and friends. You can read more details about the classes we’ll take online, at: https://weraise.wheatridge.org/en/projects/30218-Pray--Play--Partner---Sabbatical-2016

All of our activities (and time for rest and renewal) focus around the theme: Pray, Play, Partner.

Where will we worship?

As it would be difficult for us to step out of the role of co-pastors here at Christ the King, our family will worship elsewhere during Sabbatical. Though we will miss being in worship here with you dearly, we hope to share ideas from other congregations upon our return.

Who will cover our responsibilities during our absence?

Pastor Mark Ramseth, member of CtK, is coordinating Sunday morning worship. A schedule of wonderful guest preachers, including some members of CtK, has been put together. Sunday services have already been mostly planned.

The Church Council will have a “council host” each Sunday, to answer questions and make announcements.

Pastors Mark and Carol Ramseth, and LPA John Sheppard will provide pastoral care in emergency situations. The Congregational Care Team has been trained and deployed to offer ongoing pastoral care to members of the congregation. If you are in need of a visit or pastoral care, please call the Church Office, 587-4131.

Kristin Harney is coordinating WoW (Worship on Wednesdays).

Jen Erickson is coordinating WoW dinners.

Josh Keehr is heading up the construction of the prayer labyrinth.

Dawn Byrd and Courtney Yovich will oversee church communications.

The Sabbatical Team is planning special summer events (Spring Clean-Up Day, Madison River Float Trip, Worship at Hyalite, etc.)

Lucy Peterson remains our faithful Family Promise Coordinator.

The Family & Youth Team will coordinate the Middle School Service Plunge and the High School Mission Trip through FLBC.

Amy Yovich and Renee Schon will head up Vacation Bible School.

Know that you all will continue to be in our prayers during this absence.

How is the Sabbatical funded?

The congregation voted at the Annual Meeting to increase the usual “pulpit supply” line item by $1300, to cover the cost of guest preachers for the Sundays of the Sabbatical. Also included in the spending plan is $1500 for continuing education (an annual part of our compensation). Costs above the $1500 will either be funded through our crowdfunding campaign, or paid for by us pastors.

Please see the May 13, 2016 post on the CtK blog (http://ctkbozeman.blogspot.com/2016/05/pray-play-partner-sabbatical-2016.html) for more detailed information on the Sabbatical budget.

Will we be in contact with CtK during Sabbatical?

An important part of a Sabbatical is to make a complete break from things. Dawn Byrd will notify us of any major events in the life of the congregation, and we will continue to receive the weekly email newsletter while on Sabbatical. We will not be checking our CtK email accounts. Please contact the Church Office during the Sabbatical, at 587-4131, or office@ctkbozeman.org.

How will we evaluate the Sabbatical upon our return?

We will submit reports to the Church Council upon our return, and will meet with the Sabbatical Team, the Mutual Ministry Team, the church staff to share experiences of the Sabbatical (both ours and CtK’s). I expect that all of our ministries will continue to flourish while we are away and new ones will arise. A Sabbatical is really a two-way process, with both the staff persons and the congregation reflecting upon prior ministry, being renewed, and seeing new patterns emerge as we discern God’s will for us.

We are excited for this time of renewal and pray it will be a blessing for Christ the King as well.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us, before June 3^rd, with any questions or concerns.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Lindean

Pray, Play, Partner - Sabbatical 2016 - Finances

It's T minus 3 weeks until our last day in the office before our Sabbatical begins. Our last Sunday of worship at CtK will be May 29th, as the first weekend of June we'll be with CtK's Synod Assembly voting members, John and Tina Sheppard, at the Synod Assembly in Billings. Our Sabbatical officially begins on Monday, June 6th.

If you have any questions about the Sabbatical, or what it will entail for us as pastors, or for the congregation, please don't be shy about asking. Any member of the Sabbatical Team (Dawn Byrd, Joby Dynneson, Kristin Harney, Mark Ramseth, Mariann Witthar), Pastor Grant, and I, would be very glad to answer them!

One thing that's come up in recent conversations, is a desire for better understanding of the funding for the Sabbatical, and how it will affect CtK. The financial implications of the 2016 Sabbatical for the congregation are fairly straightforward:
- Pastors Grant and Lindean continue to receive regular salary and benefits, per CtK's  Sabbatical Policy.
- The congregation will offer the standard Montana Synod “pulpit supply” honorarium of  $100/Sunday to guest pastors/preachers. The sabbatical is 13 weeks long (June 6-September 6), so an additional $1300 was added to the 2016 spending plan, and approved at the Annual Meeting of the congregation.
- The congregation included $1500 for continuing education for pastors in the 2016 Spending Plan,  (an annual part of our compensation) which can be used to cover sabbatical expenses.

All the rest of the funds necessary to cover sabbatical activities (tuition, room/board, transportation, books) must either be raised - hence the We Raise campaign - or supplied by the pastors.

Sabbatical Costs

Grant – Center for Loss and Life Transition (Week 1): $775 Tuition,  $700 Room/Board, ?? for Transportation; The Daring Way: $250 Tuition, ?? Room/Board, ?? Transportation; Center for Loss and Life Transition (Week 2): $775 Tuition, $700 Room/Board, ?? for Transportation

Lindean – "Mini MBA for Pastors:" $1600 Tuition/Room, $200 Meals, $550 Transportation; Grunewald Guild: $885 Tuition/Room/Board, ?? Transportation; Monastery of St. Gertrude: $450 Retreat Fee/Room & Board, $150 Spiritual Direction, ?? Transportation

Lindean & Grant: Gottman Institute - The Art & Science of Love: $750 Tuition, $750 Room/Board

Total of Known Costs for Pastors: $8535 (which doesn’t include several variable costs, like driving/transportation - all the ??s, above)

Costs for CtK: The biggest "Sabbatical Project" will be the construction of a prayer labyrinth on CtK's grounds. Costs have not been precisely determined yet, but early estimates are in the $1500-$2500 range. This money may be raised through the We Raise crowdfunding site (if we get to the second "stretch goal") or will be raised by the congregation separately. The rest of CtK's summer ministries and projects will be funded through the general offering received, according to the Spending Plan adopted at the Annual Meeting, with oversight of the Church Council.

Again, if you've got questions, please ask them!

And, if you're inclined to support Pray, Play, Partner, with a financial contribution, thanks very much! Either way, Pastor Grant and I covet your prayers, for us, for our family, for CtK, and for all the opportunities God gives us to grow in faith, as we worship, learn, and serve.

Peace!
Pastor Lindean

Three Things You Need to Know About the 2015 Spending Plan - Guest Post by Ian Anderson

By: Ian Anderson, CtK Council President

I’m really proud of our congregation for the excitement and support put forth during the past month towards our plans for ministry and congregational care in 2015. The most tangible outcome is that we’ve proposed, debated and accepted a spending plan for 2015 that is ambitious, a 28% increase from 2014.

Even if you’ve been following along the whole time, here are three things you need to know about the spending plan.

But before we jump in, I ask you to literally pray about this. Whether it upsets you some to be asked for more money or whether you are so excited that you are ready to cut a check for $5,000 each month (and if you are, please let me know!)… please pray for yourself and your role, pray for the church and what we’re doing.

1) The Idea Behind the Increases
These increases are about two simple ideas that we feel strongly about.

IDEA #1: Christ the King is here by the will and the grace of God and we are called upon to be a bright spot and share the love of Christ we've received, with God, with each other and with the world.

I realize this is a big, sort of ambiguous, sentence. But think about some of the specifics: we come together to worship and we’re blessed with bright, smiling faces and beautiful music… we meet in small groups to develop our understanding of the profound, day-to-day meaning in the teachings of Christ… we try to be good neighbors and help out around town like through the Community Cafe or donations to the Food Bank. These are ALL very well and good!

BUT (perhaps you noticed that’s a big but), we’ve also been praying and listening and as a community, we are being led to continue our growth as Christians and, specifically, to hold each other as well as our neighbors and visitors up in the light of God.

We have specific ideas about this, including: strengthening our fabric of support and spiritual growth at CtK for ALL AGES, literally age 0-99+, through learning, education and activities… learning about ourselves and sharing our stories just in case we find ourselves positioned to do a little - wait for it - evangelizing… reaching out to the neighborhoods immediately around us as well as to an elder-care community, just to be good people!

But all of these things don’t happen on their own and we are well aware of the struggles in recent years to do our best with what we had. Now, we have the opportunity to invest a little more in doing a little more and we have discerned the call and response to do so. The spending plan increase will help further us in this cause.

IDEA #2: Our choices reflect our beliefs and core values.

It’s been a little lost in the discussion but the spending plan proposes an almost DOUBLING in our benevolence, back to the neighborhood of 10%, which accounts for over $16,000. It had been cut back towards 5% for a few years in order to make sure we could pay our staff and meet our obligations. But the intent was never to skimp on giving. Now we are back in a position to share our gifts with others. We believe in honoring God and being thankful for our gifts in this manner.

2) It’s Not About The Money, It’s All About The Money
Do a little jig if you know what I’m talking about!

First, it is important to understand that the idea of continuing and evolving our current ministries and care hinges as much on our intent and actual participation as it does on our funding.

We all believe that our works will not buy our way into heaven. Similarly, our money won’t buy us works!

Our hearts, minds and bodies are as important in this as anything.

With that in mind, the money isn’t important in and of itself. However, as we ask people to go above and beyond in helping us coordinate our activities and develop infrastructure to assist us in reaching towards our dreams, it is right to compensate them! In other words, we need our pastors’ help and we need to pay them!

3) There is a Plan
Compared to business-as-usual in the church setting, things have been moving at a breakneck speed the last few months! Wrapping our minds around all of the implications, trying to reach out to as many invested parties as possible and doing all of the groundwork necessary to present this to the congregation has been quite challenging.

But there is a plan. Right now, that plan is a neat little one page table that shows exactly what we (the congregation, the council, the co-pastors and lay leaders) need to do in each of the seasons of Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost to move our plans and ideas forward.

This plan will be discussed and finalized this Thursday by council. Here is a short version:

Congregation: Pray Now, Participate and Support as called forth!
Council: Pray, Implement, Provide Oversight and Communicate!
Co-Pastors: Pray, Develop Infrastructure, Train and Support!
Lay Leaders: Pray, Train, Facilitate and Develop Ministry!

So as long as we do all of that, we’ll be moving on up George Jefferson style!

One last word. Please understand that nobody wants you to do something that isn’t right for you, but, simultaneously, we want you to pray and want you to do what makes sense to you. What comes forth will be the will of God as guided by the Holy Spirit. This is what we believe and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Annual Meeting of the Congregation THIS Sunday

Sometimes I wonder what percentage of this blog's readers are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bozeman, Montana. It's hard to know.

If YOU are a member of the congregation, or a regular visitor and participant in the worship life of the community, please plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, this Sunday, January 26th. After worship, a light lunch will be served instead of the usual coffee hour fare. At 12:00pm, folks will return to the sanctuary to review the ministry of the congregation over the past year, to pray, to dream, to hear from the elected leaders of the community - and to elect new leaders and representatives/ambassadors, to approve a spending plan to fund our ministry in the year ahead.

Your participation is needed. There is no "Them" in the life of the church. We are all in this together. TOGETHER we are the body of Christ, and your voice, gifts, faith and participation ARE the church. Part of a life of discipleship is joining with brothers and sisters in faith to be and do the work of community.

Please pray for God's Spirit to guide the congregation in conversation and discernment as we move forward in faith together.

PS - There will be a second gathering to discuss the spending plan, prior to the meeting, on Sunday during the Education Hour - anyone interested is encouraged to attend, in the social hall beginning at 9:00am.

This congregation: A Community of Disciples

Christ the King: A Community of Disciples

“We are a Christian community practicing discipleship as we worship, learn, and serve.”

Any effective organization must revisit and recommit to their mission and purpose from time to time. With this in mind, the Pastors and church council have discerned that the true and simple purpose of our church is to be disciples of Christ and to make disciples of Christ. We intentionally and actively move towards fulfilling this purpose by connecting with God, connecting with others, and connecting to the world through opportunities to worship, learn, and serve.

Our simple mission statement of “We are a Christian community practicing discipleship as we worship, learn, and serve” calls us to engage in activities both inside and outside of our church walls. The diagram of three intertwining circles reminds us of the tri-fold mission to worship, learn, and serve, and demonstrates that by engaging in all three we grow as disciples. The cross in the center of the diagram emphasizes that Christ is the center of our very being, the perfect servant, and for whom we strive to be disciples.

With our affirmation of practicing discipleship comes the task of aligning our processes and activities with this mission. The most notable implication of this task will be a commitment to support and encourage citizens in their paths toward, in, and of discipleship.

Moving forward, you may expect to find a more consistent and personal invitation to worship, learn, and serve. It is with this intention towards developing a path toward richer, deeper spiritual life - one of discipleship - that all who walk through the doors of Christ the King will be mindfully and intentionally presented with:

· opportunities for worship, Bible study and theological discussion,

· opportunities to connect with others through small group interaction, and

· opportunities to serve Christ's world both within the church and outside the church.