A Campaign for thriving Lutheran mission and ministry

Transcription

1 A Campaign for thriving Lutheran mission and ministry The Arkansas Oklahoma Synod

2 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The Church of Jesus Christ is called to proclaim Good News. A thriving church is deeply rooted in the Good News of Jesus Christ and is always seeking new ways to adapt to the changing world around it. This was true when Paul first took the Gospel to the Gentiles and when Luther s translation brought the scriptures to life for the people of his day. Today, we are, once again, called upon to tell the old, old story of God s Grace in Jesus Christ in new ways for a changing world. The world around us has changed. The church and congregational life no longer command a central place in culture and society as they once did. Growing numbers of people no longer make the church a part of their life. The way we communicate and share information with one another has undergone a transformation unlike any the world has seen since the introduction of the printing press. The communities around us are more diverse and the entire global community lies a mouse click away. The Good News of Jesus Christ remains the same. Even though the world has changed, people still yearn for hope and meaning in their lives. People still search for healing, compassion and justice in the midst of brokenness and despair. The world around us still needs to hear the Good News of Jesus life, death and resurrection and experience Christ s way of forgiveness, life and salvation. God provides an abundance of resources for God s mission. We invite you to join with your brothers and sisters in Christ across the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod in this exciting Gospel work. As we share what we have and combine our resources with others gifts we can both care for one another in our life of faith and reach a hurting world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for your partnership in this journey and am confident that God will bless us richly as we Live God s Abundance together. Peace, Rev. Michael K. Girlinghouse, Bishop

3 The Living God s Abundance Campaign Since 2010, the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod has been engaged in developing, planning and implementing a Synod Mission Plan. Living God s Abundance grew out of the Mission Plan adopted by the 2012 Synod Assembly. The goals of the Plan are: Growth in discipleship Cultivation of Lutheran identity Promotion of communication and connections Cultivation of congregational leadership and lay leadership Nurturing and supporting partner ministries and ecumenical and interfaith relationships. In adopting the Mission Plan in 2012, the Assembly asked the Synod Council to explore the feasibility of conducting a capital campaign to support the mission and ministry of the Synod. Working with Kairos and Associates, an independent consulting group, a Council task group explored the possibility of conducting a capital campaign through Bishop s Summits, questionnaires and conversations and determined that it was feasible to pursue a campaign. This was reported to the 2014 Synod Assembly. Living God s Abundance is the fruit of their work. The 2015 Synod Assembly will be asked to approve Living God s Abundance. If approved, congregations, ministries and individuals will be asked to prayerfully consider making a pledge to support the mission and ministry goals of Living God s Abundance. Working together we can support and encourage thriving Lutheran mission and ministry across the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod and around the world. Living God s Abundance will provide the congregations and ministries of the Arkansas- Oklahoma Synod resources to achieve the goals of the Synod Mission Plan. It will also allow us to support the ministries of Oaks Indian Mission and Eben Ezer Lutheran Church in Oaks, OK and tithe beyond the Synod to the Campaign for the ELCA. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 1 Corinthians 3:10

4 Thriving Congregations 35% Energize mission and ministry. Plant new ministries. Encourage new ways to be church. Living God s Abundance Campaign Goals Details of each goal of Living God s Abundance are on the following pages.

5 Growing Ministries 35% or $525,000 Growing ministries are deeply grounded in the study of the Bible and in prayer. Growing ministries adapt to the changing needs of their unique contexts. They are communities of faith which nurture disciples and discipleship and engage the broader community in service and witness in Jesus name. Through Living God s Abundance, congregations and ministries will be supported as they imagine who and what God is calling them to be. The campaign will encourage creative and innovative missions and plant new ministries across the AR-OK Synod. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20

6 Inspired Leadership 25% or $375,000 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God raises up leaders for Christ s Church. Through baptism, all God s children are called to use their gifts for ministry both within the community of faith and in the broader communities where we live. Pastors and other rostered leaders are called by the community of faith to equip the saints for this ministry. Through Living God s Abundance, leaders of all kinds will be called, trained and equipped to lead thriving, mission-focused congregations and ministries in our contemporary world. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. --Ephesians 4:11-13

7 Vibrant Connections 25% or $375,000 Local congregations and ministries are an expression of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. Individual Christians, congregations, and ministries form a living network that make up Christ s Body in the world. Vibrant communities of faith draw strength and encouragement from that network as they connect to God s work in the wider world. Through Living God s Abundance, congregations and ministries will be connected to one another in new ways and use technology to communicate more effectively with members, other congregations and those outside the church. [Jesus prayed] I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me --John 17:20-21

8 Sharing Abundance 15% or $225,000 Christians share in God s abundance in gratitude and thanksgiving for God s blessings in their lives. With glad and generous hearts, the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod will share from the abundance we give for the sake of God s mission and ministry in the world. Through Living God s Abundance, we will participate in our church s goal to prepare native children to lead and serve, raise up leaders for the whole church, feed the hungry, encourage youth and young adults in their ministry, support new and renewing congregations, and strengthen God s work around the world. We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. --2 Corinthians 8:1-2

9 Living God s Abundance: A Campaign for thriving Lutheran mission and ministry Frequently Asked Questions 1. When and for how long can I make my contribution? Living God s Abundance is a three year capital campaign that will be brought to the 2015 Synod Assembly for approval and, if approved, will officially begin following the Assembly. However, you may begin making contributions at any time prior to the Assembly in May. Contributions may also be given beyond the three year period as well. 2. Can I contribute stock or other property? Appreciated assets may be given (Stock, land) in support of the campaign. Instructions for the donation of appreciated assets will be developed by the Leadership Team. Other property (jewelry, cars, etc.) should be sold by the donors and then the cash given in support of Living God s Abundance. 3. Where will contributions be held before they are used in a Campaign project? All Living God s Abundance contributions will be held in a designated Synod account. We hope to begin converting gifts into ministry as soon as enough is accumulated to begin priority projects in each of the four identified ministry areas, disbursing money according to the designated percentage in each area. The Synod Council and its working groups will make decisions for grants to congregations to support the timing and priorities of money provided for projects to accomplish the ministry goals set forth in the campaign. 4. What happens to the Campaign and its goals if there is a change in Synod leadership or Bishop Mike is not re-elected in 2017? The seeds for Living God s Abundance were planted before the current bishop was elected. This is not the Bishop s Campaign, but has been developed, endorsed and supported by synod leaders at Bishop s Summits and in other conversations across the Synod. The Campaign will be set in motion by the Synod Assembly in 2015 and will continue to provide momentum as the Synod moves into God s future together. 5. Why are we doing this at the same time the ELCA is having a fund drive? Living God s Abundance gives our Synod a great way to support The Campaign of the ELCA by designating 10% of our campaign to that churchwide effort. Individuals and congregations will also have opportunities to contribute to the ELCA appeal to increase our total Synod response.

10 6. Is a $1.5 million goal realistic? The Synod Council, Living God s Abundance leaders and KAIROS consultants believe $1.5 million is an achievable goal. Success will depend on encouraging many individual gifts of $5,000 or $10,000 or $100,000, as well as all of our 53 congregations making generous commitments from whatever abundance God provides. Other synods across the ELCA have had successful campaigns in the last five years. As the economy continues to recover, individuals who are able to consider larger gifts seem willing to respond to the urgent needs of a synod to do ministry. Together we can do this! 7. One of the goals is to fund additional synod staff person for leadership. How will that position be funded after the capital campaign funds are used up? The hope of the campaign is that thriving ministries will enhance the capacity of Synod congregations to support ministry in the Synod. In other words, over the several years that the campaign s funds will be utilized, we hope to expand synod support and earmark some of those incremental resources to expand synod staff on a continuing basis. 8. How can congregations already struggling with their own financial needs participate in this campaign? As a synod we are doing church together. The goal of the campaign is to create a larger pie. We hope pastors and congregations who are struggling with financial support will see this campaign as an opportunity to encourage growth in financial stewardship both for their local congregations and for the work we do together. We can provide resources and support for working on local stewardship. 9. How do we get congregations without pastors (because they can t afford one) on board? As Paul suggests in 2 Corinthians 8-9, each congregation and individual is invited to participate in Living God s Abundance according to their means so that everyone can benefit through our combined generosity. We are open to working with our smallest congregations to provide leadership for participation in Living God s Abundance and to foster local stewardship. 10. If my congregation is having a capital campaign of its own, how can we participate in the synod s campaign? Several congregations in the Synod who are planning campaigns are deciding to include a tithe of their campaign for Living God s Abundance. Because we believe our theme, congregations may consider the abundance of God s gifts rather than develop a theology of scarcity. 11. What other questions do you have about the proposed Campaign?

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