In July of 2000, after 15 years of pastoral ministry at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota, I took a new position in the CLB denominational office. For many months thereafter, even though I was working full-time, I felt like I was on an extended vacation. By Thursday or Friday of each week, our family would look at each other and say, “What are we going to do this weekend?” It was a question we had never asked in 15 years. We always knew what would occupy our time on weekends!
What was different? Stress? We loved the people of Bethel and enjoyed the church work and the city. But moving out of the ministry seemed to make a huge difference in the stress level. What is so different about the pastorate?
It is common for people in our congregations today to have high-stress jobs, maybe even high-stress lifestyles. So what is unique about pastors and their families? The hours are unpredictable. They are always on-call. Job expectations can be high, varied and sometimes unrealistic. In one sense, the pastor has as many employers as there are parishioners in the congregation. Different people can have different perceptions of what the pastor should be doing. Even those on the same church elder board may have differing opinions on their pastor’s priorities and responsibilities.
In this issue, Dr. David Veum and Mr. Nate Larsen deal with the question of why pastors, who are called to be shepherds – caregivers to the congregation, also need special care from the congregation for themselves and their families. Their two responses explore the question from different angles, one more spiritual, the other more psychological. Also in this issue, Pastor Aage Larsen has consented to have part of his sabbatical proposal printed, as an illustration of how a pastor might benefit from a sabbatical.
Paul told Timothy, “The elders… are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says…‘The worker deserves his wages’” (1 Timothy 5:17-18). I suggest that this is not only an encouragement for us to provide for our pastors financially, but it also implies a responsibility to give more direct personal support.
Brent Juliot
Editor
What is it like to be a soldier? What is it like to come home to loved ones who will never understand what the soldier experienced? Some soldiers experience more than others, and some don't see any combat at all, but they all experience a different culture, a different worldview and a different emotional connection than those of us who stay home. What is the Church's role in ministering to those returning soldiers? How can we be there for the families that are left behind? What can we do individually, as a family and as a church?
Tim Mathiesen
Publisher/Director of Communications & Prayer
What does it mean to state and recognize a vision and mission? It is a way to look ahead and understand where the organization is going, but it is more than just stating a goal. A vision is a desire, a hope and a purpose. It helps shape everything that goes on in an organization. A vision can bring purpose and joy to the mediocre tasks that no one wants to do.
Let's imagine that you are going on a family vacation to Florida. You enjoy packing for the trip not because you like organizing your socks, but because you are looking forward to an enjoyable time with your family. You gladly hand over hundreds of dollars for the plane tickets not because you want to help the airline meet its budget, but because you know that plane will get you to your warm destination. There's a thrill and a joy that comes with those tasks because you see the bigger picture. In a way, you see the vision and mission: a fun family vacation.
How do we as individuals, congregations and family of churches fit into God's Mission that began in the Old Testament? That is what we hope this issue and the upcoming Biennial Convention will help us see. We hope in the coming year we will come to understand how we as individuals and as the Church of the Lutheran Brethren fit into God's overall plan.
Tim Mathiesen
Publisher/Director of Communications & Prayer
Reflecting on the past is something that I enjoy doing as a Christian. Especially after uncertain or difficult times in my life. Looking back to see how God has been working in my life is incredibly encouraging. It often serves as a reminder that God is always in control and knows me better than I know myself. I would hardly ever desire to go through the difficult times again, but I usually see how God used those times to teach me something or prepare me for something bigger. This issue revisits some of the cover stories from 2009 and asks the authors to share how God has been working in their lives.
Tim Mathiesen
Publisher/Director of Communications and Prayer
The culture of Christmas is extremely diverse and deeply rooted in each of our lives. Whether our heritage is European, African, Asian or Latin American, each of our families and communities have different traditions. Christ unites all of us, though, as the reason for Christmas. We come together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We sing songs and read about the coming of the Savior as we prepare for the big day. We make travel arrangements, practice our part in the Christmas pageant, open those little windows in the Advent calendar, shop for the perfect gift for a loved one and look forward to that cozy moment in the Christmas Eve service when lights go down and we sing "Silent Night" while candles light up the faces of everyone in the sanctuary.
Traditions can sometimes lessen our sense of awe regarding the amazing events of that first Christmas. Do we really think about what went on in that glorious moment of Christ's birth? What does it really mean that God sent his only son to be born and die for our sins? What was it like for Jesus to be fully God, yet fully human, living among us sinners? How do the biblical truths that we celebrate during the Christmas season relate to God's purpose for his Church? I hope that this issue will help us all celebrate Christmas in a fresh new way, amongst the warm and cozy traditions that we have all come to love and look forward to every year.
How wonderful it is that we serve a God who knows what we need! We deserve none of God’s love and forgiveness, yet he continues to love us and forgive us. I appreciate the last paragraph in our Church of the Lutheran Brethren pamphlet series, The Grace of Giving, by Dr. David Veum. “Grace. That awesome, free mercy and love of God which reaches out to poor sinners like us. This grace teaches us to say ‘No’ to selfish passions in using our wealth and to say ‘Yes’ to the free and right use of our resources.”
Art is the product of creative expression. It's something that plays with each of our five senses, communicating an idea, question, or statement, and sometimes something that can't be explained. God works through art in so many ways, such as outreach, praise and worship, personal devotions and even a Sunday morning sermon! We wanted to give artists a chance to talk about how they see God working through their art and how He has blessed them through their talent.
The annual gathering of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren brought congregational representatives from across the United States and Canada together in Fergus Falls, Minnesota for three days of discussion and decision. In this issue we are presenting highlights from the most important part of our gathering: the worship services. Under the theme "I Am With You Always," delegates and visitors gathered for praise, prayer and presentation of the Word of God.
Every student who walks across the threshold of the doors to our seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, on that first day of class, or their first year of study, represents a sotry. A journey. How did they come to be here? What is the motivation? How did all the details fall into place so that this giant step was made and this course taken? Most who move in this direction will be asked along the way, "Why seminary?"
The answer will be as different and distinctive as each individual who responds. But there is one common thread, on motivator that the students and faculty of the Lutheran Brethren Seminary share: a thirst for the Word of God and a desire to study it with the intent of sharing it, effectively, with others.
Why are we here? What plan does God have for you, for your family, for your congregation and for His Church? It's a question we ask casually, but have we seriously thought about it as a congregation, as a family of God? Maybe some of us have, and it is important we constantly filter every event, program and action that we take as a congregation through that answer. The answer to "Why Are We Here?" must be from God and be the foundation on which everything is built. This is God's Church. How do you fit into his plan? Why are you here?
Day One: Arriving at the Welcome Center in Chad
Last night we loaded 21 Americans, and a handful of locals, into a travel bus. Our luggage was loaded on top of the bus, possibly 5 feet high, and it stretched as far as the bus would allow. We were driving through the city to the Welcome Center and it was extremely dark...A group of men shifted their attention from one another to the passing bus of foreigners. I could feel their stares, as our bus passed by, and Pastor Randy Paulson asked "What does God think when He looks down on this city?" I knew the answer, but I couldn't respond; I was too choked up. After a few moments of silence Pastor Randy answered, "He sees a city with people that He loves." Yes, Lord! When you see this city you see a harvest, you see a mission. The very mission that cost you your life!
What happens when you sense God calling you to do something you have never done and do not fully understand? What do you do if you're young, a newer Christian and inexperienced? I think the answer is the same whether you are young or old, experienced or inexperienced.
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