In fall 2018, faculty/staff teams from Luther Seminary visited a dozen ELCA synods across the country to listen to local pastors, lay leaders, and synodical staff.
Our key question was:
What do leaders need to know, or know how to do, to be faithful and effective in a rapidly changing world?
We combined the answers we heard in this listening with other research we’ve conducted since 2015. Taken together, some important themes began to emerge.
This is an initial summary of those themes. It will guide the work we do here at Luther Seminary. As our listening to the church deepens, we expect to add to it in the coming months and years.
The Themes
Connect with God
Leaders and congregations need a Christ-centered identity, embodied in a life of discipleship and nourished through spiritual formation.
Cultivate Community
Leaders need to cultivate community by listening to people, loving them, and building trust within and beyond the church.
Innovate Faithfully
Leaders need a spiritual theological purpose that frees them to renegotiate established cultural norms.
Connect with Diverse Neighbors
Leaders and congregations need intercultural competency to connect with neighbors across all dimensions of diversity.
Equip the Saints
Laypeople need opportunities to develop as disciples, ministers, and leaders.
Shift Ministry Models
Leaders need to know how to start, tend, and manage entrepreneurial models of structuring ministry.
Deepen Administrative Leadership
Leaders need to be skilled in organizational leadership, management, and administration for a 21st-century world.
Want to engage further?
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- Download the full report in PDF format.
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Join the Faith+Lead Learning Laboratory— Luther Seminary’s new Facebook community for rostered and lay leaders who want to explore how to cultivate Christian faith in the 21st century.
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Join the Faith+Lead Learning Laboratory— Luther Seminary’s new Facebook community for rostered and lay leaders who want to explore how to cultivate Christian faith in the 21st century.
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Answer the question yourself to provide us further insight: What do faith leaders need to know, or know how to do, to be faithful and effective in a rapidly changing world?
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Answer the question yourself to provide us further insight: What do faith leaders need to know, or know how to do, to be faithful and effective in a rapidly changing world?