"As is the pastor, so goes the parish." Regardless of denomination, church officials and parish leadership have a significant influence on what local parishes emphasize in their ministries. Rev. Rick Foss (pictured at left), Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Synod in Fargo, North Dakota, has offered a vitalizing boost to parish-based Bible study.

Earlier this year, more than 140 pastors, teachers and lay leaders from across the Fargo Synod gathered for a complete Living Word for Leaders workshop. Bishop Foss’s staff applied for and received a grant from Lutheran Brotherhood (an insurance company with home offices in Minneapolis, MN) to cover workshop costs – and to set up a fund to help buy overhead projectors and materials for churches on slim budgets. Pastor Randy Gehring of Wahpeton, North Dakota said, "It was just fantastic. I’m really excited about the materials, and we plan to begin the studies this fall. I probably would not have made it as high a priority to come [without the synod’s sponsorship]." Pastor Gehring also indicated that the workshop helped to fill a gap in his seminary training. On a social note, Gehring said that the fellowship that occurred between the pastors and professional leaders helped to build positive relationships.

"It was just fantastic," said Pastor Gehring.

Lynette Kehler, an assistant to Bishop Foss said, "Crossways is such a wonderful program and it’s so adaptable. So we just thought, if we can help [parish pastors and education leaders] get a basic Bible study that any congregation can offer its members, and make that easier to do, then we would have been a success." The synod-sponsored training program was a model of different groups working together," says Pastor Randy Schlecht, assistant to Bishop Foss. Schlecht added, "Parish pastors asked for a way to make Crossways International materials even more affordable for them, and the synod was part of that; also, Crossways was open to a cooperative effort."

If you are a professional or lay worker seeking a unique experience that will nurture, encourage, and inspire your work, you may consider contacting your local or national leadership about sponsoring a Living Word for Leaders workshop.

Parish pastors, professional and lay leadership all know there are times when a retreat into a fertile pasture is a good thing. Living Word for Leaders is a workshop for those who teach the faith and preach the Word. It is an opportunity to gather these servants into a study that is stimulating, text-based and refreshingly practical. Above all, a workshop of this nature teaches the teachers to inspire others to embrace the mind, heart, and manner of Jesus, the Living Word.
 

For more on Living Word workshops, click here.

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