Other articles by Bishop Stuck

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article I am looking forward to completing my 75th Called2Connect congregational visit this weekend. What a joy it has been for me to visit with rostered and lay leaders of our congregations and hear how God’s mission is being done throughout the Indiana-Kentucky Synod!

I intentionally spend the first half of my time with leaders listening to what God is doing through them in the community. Then I share what God is doing through us as a synod and churchwide organization throughout the world. I always leave those gatherings strengthened and encouraged about the future of the church.

What encourages me most about these gatherings is the energy and excitement I sense around the table as we talk. There is a genuine enthusiasm for the mission and ministry that we share as the people of God for the sake of the world.

Less often do I hear, “How are we going to keep the doors of our church open?” More
often I hear, “What is God calling us to do in this time and this place?”

Less often do I hear now, “What have the synod and ELCA done for us lately?” More often I hear, “How can we be more involved in the wider work of the church?”

This transition can only be attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit nudging us into a more hopeful future.

I want to attribute this change of focus and attitude to the faithful work that you are doing as leaders of the church. Leaders shepherd our people and encourage in us an outward, missional focus in ministry.

Not only are congregational leaders and members hearing that Jesus died for their sins, they are also hearing that God is calling us in Christ to give of ourselves for the sake of the world. I thank you for that leadership.

Let me give you just one example. One congregation that I visited had spent many years focused on building a facility and growing the congregation. The leaders wondered if they were going to make it at all. While I was with them they began to reflect on this new time in their life as a congregation. The congregation was growing up and leaders and members realized that it was no longer time to live off others, but instead to give themselves away for others.

Joyfully, those leaders told me that they had decided to ask the congregation to move from sharing one percent of their income for the work of the wider church to 10 percent per year! This was a huge leap of faith for them because they were still straining to meet their regular operating budgetary needs.

The pastor and other leaders had laid the groundwork for this leap of faith by continually lifting up the mission of the whole church and the need for us to give of ourselves for the sake of the Gospel.

At our last assembly, we also took such a leap of faith as a synod. We voted to increase the amount that we send to the churchwide organization from 50 percent to 51 percent of what we receive from congregations.

The only way we can take such a leap of faith is by joyfully trusting that God will continue to provide all that we need so that we might accomplish the mission we have been called to do.

May the Spirit continue to give us such faith.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Jim Stuck