The God who rescued Israel from Egypt in the first exodus is about to do a new thing: a new exodus from Babylon that will be like the old exodus, and also not like it. We read from Isaiah 43:

 16 Thus says the Lord,

who makes a way in the sea,

a path in the mighty waters,

 17 who brings forth chariot and horse,

army and warrior;

they lie down, they cannot rise,

they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

 18 “Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

I do not think it’s a stretch to say that God is doing something new right now. Sometimes I wish I could predict what it is. Other times I am simply up for the adventure and hope I can keep up. Whatever is happening, I do find it helpful to remember that we are not the first ones to experience new things.

Isaiah reminds his audience and us that God has done something new before. The other helpful directive from this Isaiah passage is to simultaneously forget those former times. Yes, this will be like that, but not really. For the Israelites, I am quite sure God is saying, “This time it will be even more magnificent!” Is that true for our time? It is hard to say. We put the Isaiah text in conversation with 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

What I take from all of this, pastorally if not scholarly, is that God is very good at doing a new thing and doing it wonderfully. At the same time, we are active participants. We have been given agency to engage.

Your congregation may already be living into a new thing; many of our congregations are. If you are not but you are curious, here are some old and new things that the synod staff would be eager to help you explore.

Shared Ministry with other ELCA Lutheran congregations - Lutherans have been sharing pastors in this country since immigrants have been forming congregations here. But we can also share other staff members, other resources, events, prayer, and worship.

Shared Ministry with ELCA Full Communion Partners - See this LIST of partners. In our synod, we already have experience sharing pastors, buildings, and even entire congregations with PCUSA Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and the United Church of Christ.

Raise Up a Pastor from Within - The Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) certificate program is a non-residential and contextual-educational arm of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Luther Seminary, aimed at preparing people for ordained ministry in the ELCA and the Episcopal Church. Students study at home with local pastors/mentors, while doing the ministry in a congregation.

Note–we are also GRATEFUL to all of our congregations who have raised and continue to raise up candidates for ministry who leave and serve elsewhere.

Keep it up!

Licensed Pastoral Associates - We have several people trained by the Montana Synod-ELCA’s LPA Program. More of the pieces are online since the pandemic. We would be sure to surround LPAs with mentor pastors or deacons.

Death and Resurrection - Consider the STORY of Redeemer Lutheran in Portland, OR, which is now Salt and Light, nested in the midst of Leaven. Though parts of their story are urban, please do not dismiss this model if you live in a rural setting. The heart of the process was listening, discerning, and evaluating–which congregations everywhere can do.

Communal Discernment - Whether you want to explore one of the tools listed above or whether your congregation simply needs to figure out what might be next, the synod office has a communal discernment resource we would love to share with you.

Anchor Church Model - A grassroots model started by large ELCA congregations in urban Colorado and North Carolina. The vision is “To assist struggling congregations with high potential for regaining a vibrant ministry as well as to launch new mission sites with a higher degree of success and impact.” Here’s a Living Lutheran article about the movement. Since this model was first launched, other sites have adopted it to various contexts. 

The good news is that you are not alone, we walk together, and we also are not alone. No matter the season, the Holy Spirit accompanies us and we can trust God’s faithfulness. Finally, not everything will be new. We will still gather as Christian communities. We will still strive to love God and our neighbors.

Bishop Meggan Manlove

Office Administrators - Please inform your churches that all are invited.

RSVP by September 15. You may use this image in your communications, or download a pdf version to add as an insert.

Select Learning:

I was first introduced to Select Learning when I used two series by Dr. Mark Allan Powell: How Lutherans Interpret the Bible (used with a study group) and Biblical Stewardship (used with our church council). I returned to Select during the 500th anniversary of the Reformation for a series on church history. Select has adapted well to new and changing platforms. It now has a user guide for using its resources with Zoom or other video conferencing tools and it has a number of podcasts.

Visit selectlearning.org. 

- Bishop Meggan Manlove

Thank You Mary Morrow

As a way to honor and thank Mary Morrow for her ministry at the Northwest Intermountain Synod we are inviting members of congregations, friends, and colleagues to send farewell and God speed greetings to Mary.

We are especially grateful for Mary’s work with mission starts, synodically authorized ministries, Faithful Innovation, and COVID relief grants.

Mary will conclude her ministry with the NWIM Synod September 15.

Cards can be sent to the synod office addressed to:

Mary Morrow,

245 E. 13th Ave., Suite A

Spokane, WA 99202

And/or

Send a greeting to Mary via Kudoboard.

The Kudoboard will be available to share a post until September 14.

Newly Updated Call Status

for NWIM Synod - link

King of Glory, Boise ID Seeking Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for management of day-to-day operations and business affairs of the church including updating our website and social media, Church calendar and event coordination, facility coordination, member coordination and overall communications.

The Administrative Assistant is a senior staff member who works directly for the Pastor/Head of Staff and with the Council and lay leadership.

Essential Qualities: Professional demeanor, dress, speech, conduct, sensitivity to confidentiality, time management, excellent editing skills and strong communication skills.

You are most heartily invited to join us in-person or online for our Founders' Day Lecture followed by Community Worship on Wednesday, September 20th. 

Keynote Lecture - "Night of Weeping v. Morn of Song"

The grandeur that has become the Church gives us ample fodder for conversations about where we have come from and where we are going. The grandeur that is the Church also begs the question, “Are we willing to go?” As well as “how long?” We must discern if our human foundations are dependable and if their cracks have room for healing and reconstruction or even re-creation. Are these human foundations meant to continue sustaining grandeur, or can they handle the weight of inclusion? We are in a new age that definitely requires us to remember how to be as close to Mother Earth as possible, the original and Indigenous foundation, so that we might begin to conceive the teachings of “The Church’s One Foundation.”

Schedule

• 9:00 am    In-Person Gathering at PLTS
• 10:00 am   Lecture Begins In-Person and Online
• 11:00 am.  Community Worship. Rev. Dr. Moses Penumaka will preside and Rev. Manuel Retamoza will preach.  

Registration

If you are planning to attend in-person, please register at this link.

If you are planning to attend online, please register at this link.

We want to know what it is to be the church God is calling us to be. But we need YOU. Join us as we seek to discern God’s Spirit and work to become the church God is calling us to be. This is Future Church; This is God’s Love Made Real.

Your input and perspective in this work is valuable. Take a survey to share your experience to help us better make God’s love real to others:

SURVEY FOR ROSTERED LEADERS   

SURVEY FOR CONGREGANTS AND PARTICIPANTS

Visit Love Made Real for more information and resources.