LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 86

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86

SYNOD REPORTS

¢ The transition is enhanced when the congregation has a program
to instruct them in caring for a new pastor.

Dr. John P. O’ Hara, senior research analyst-research services
for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, continues to analyze
other research data collected, provide insight into design and di-
rection of additional research regarding the efficacy of the PALS

initiative.

PALS Facilitators Who Served During Current Triennium—

No Longer Serving

Robert Beinke Richard Boche Thomas Braun
Christopher Cahill Warren Davis Alfred Ebel
Charles Gierke Jack Gillam David Haara
Thees Hoft Charles Houska Bruce Jeske
David Jung Philip Kaufmann Carl Lilienkamp
Randy Maland Dennis Mann David Miller
Melvin Newman Ronald Rall Steven Rempfer

Ronald Richeson

Mark Rosenau

Alan Rosnau

Carl Schneider David Simonson Charles Spomer
James Troyke James Van Dellen William Weedon
Ronald Weidler Donald Williams Lee Wisroth
PALS Facilitators Now Serving

Michael Awe Randall Bard Mark Barz
Gordon Besel Keith Besel Philip Bruening
Mark Buchhop Lewis Busch Stephen Constien
Arnold Frank Harvey Gerdes David Groth
Bradley Heinecke Barry Hildebrandt Peter Holm
Daniel Johnson Dale Johnston Glen Keylon
Alvin Lange Steven Lange Raymond Larson
Jeffrey Lee William Marler Daniel Meckes
Mark Nebel William Plath Daniel Quiram
Robert Riggs Timothy Rynearson Brian Saunders

Harlan Schoenrock = Chris Schwanz
Russell Senstad Mark Schockey Robert Spillman
Allen Steinbeck Mark Whitsett Ronald Young

PALS development for the future includes an ongoing respon-
siveness to regular evaluations and various forms of feedback from
the participants. The Action Team is particularly sensitive to the
need for providing opportunities for first-call pastors to strengthen
“people-skills” and to continually refine their skills in other practi-
cal aspects of parish ministry.

—Welcome, Lutheran School Teacher—This is the name of the
compact disc received by nearly 1,800 new-to-teaching Lutheran
school teachers throughout the current triennium. This CD is prepared
by experienced Lutheran school teachers and offers advice to new
teachers as they prepare for teaching in a Lutheran school. The CD, a
gift from the CMGS to these new church professionals, is intended
to help them in the transition from student in the classroom to profes-
sional teacher and worker in the church. Nearly 2,500 copies of this
manual, in hard copy or in CD form, have been distributed to new
teachers over the past six years. The manual is also available on the
CMGS Web site cmgs.Icms.org.

—The Next Steps Action Team—Chaired by Rev. Richard
Koehneke, Fort Wayne, Indiana, is developing a creative, consis-
tent process for effectively and strategically connecting the gifted
passions of retired ministers with the ongoing ministry and mission
of the church.

At some point in the course of an individual’s ministry, the
prospect of retirement begins to appear over the horizon. The com-
mission defines “retirement” as “‘a season of new freedom and flex-
ibility” for the workers and for the church as a whole. We do not
view retirement as something negative or threatening, but as a time
to think creatively about ministry and mission, both by the worker
and by the church.

The commission is in the process of encouraging freedom, flex-
ibility, and focus for Kingdom growth. That involves helping con-
gregations and professional ministers (ordained and commissioned)

Daniel Schneider

2007 Convention Workbook

prepare well for the retirement of the minister, addressing honestly
and constructively the many issues and decisions surrounding im-
pending retirement. “Breaking the Tape” is the name we have ten-
tatively applied to this process of preretirement preparation,
beginning two to five years before the actual retirement date, de-
pending on the local situation.

Then comes retirement and the question, “What’s next?” The
commission is discovering how to answer that question with “Next
Steps,” our newly developing process for connecting passion with
mission—that is, matching the talents and gifts of retired ministers
with the mission opportunities and ministry needs of the church. The
creative possibilities are endless, and they are truly exhilarating.

A generous grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans pro-
vides financial resources for the discovery and development of the
“Next Steps” initiative. Early efforts included exploratory sessions
to gain insight into the various dynamics of the project. Nearly 100
pastors and their wives participated in sessions conducted in five
separate districts. (Note: The effort begins with discovery and de-
velopment among ordained ministers, with the intention to make
application of the principles also to commissioned ministers in the
ensuing stages of the initiative.) The sessions provided opportunity
for pastors and their wives to share common anxieties and experi-
ences as they approach retirement, as well as gather responses to
such questions as:
¢ What are your passions?

* How can we connect the passions with mission?
¢ What obstacles do you perceive to an ideal retirement?
* Do you have suggestions for addressing the obstacles?

The commission is pursuing a pilot project in the Indiana Dis-
trict (with a possibility in additional districts) to identify the dy-
namics and formalize the processes necessary for effectively and
strategically connecting the gifted passion of retired ministers with
the ongoing ministry and mission of the church. A related collabo-
rative effort is emerging as the CMGS will begin to partner in the
Concordia Plan Services’ preretirement workshops, specifically to
assist retiring ministers in the identification of their gifted passions.
Our prayer is that the “Next Steps” process will be ready for im-
plementation throughout the Synod by the year 2010, when the first
wave of Baby Boomer minister retirees is projected to make a sig-
nificant impact.

Results the Next Steps Action Team will be working to accom-
plish in the future include: ,
¢ An empowered alliance with Concordia Plan Services.
¢ Proven and accepted set of standards and procedures for effec-

tively and strategically connecting the gifted passions of retired
ministers with the ongoing ministry and mission of the church.
¢ Implementation of a synodwide “Next Steps” by 2010.

— Future efforts of the commission in the area “Vocational
Transitions” will include discovery and development of appropriate
support for professional ministers reaching “mid-ministry.” It may
include a “Mid-Ministry Review” to help the worker assess where
she or he has been, what has been learned, where the worker is
going, and what is needed to get there successfully. The commis-
sion is in the beginning stages of developing a process for such a
review.

— The Wellness Action Team—Chaired by Mrs. Martha Van
Buskirk, Baymont, Texas, is dedicated to improving and maintain-
ing the level of wellness among professional ministers (ordained
and commissioned) so that they may flourish in the pursuit of their
calling.

The CMGS seeks to help every church worker and family mem-
ber live life to the fullest spiritually, physically, socially, culturally,
intellectually, vocationally, environmentally and financially. We’re
convinced that when the church’s workers experience “wellness,”
the outflow will necessarily involve “serving,” that is, ministry.