Lay Led. Rostered Minister Supported. Spirit Empowered.
That phrase has guided much of the work that we, as the Northern Illinois Synod, have done in the past few years. Using this as a guide has expanded our understanding of how we are being called to be the church in the here and now and as we prepare for what the church might look like in the not yet. I am excited to share that the Northern Illinois Synod has been selected to receive a $50,000 grant to support this important work.
As many of us have experienced in the past several years, the way we are being called to be the church has changed. Congregations are having to make tough decisions as they think about staffing, building, and ministry opportunities. These decisions are grounded in faith and the desire to serve their neighbors.
One of the ways that the church has responded more intentionally in the last few years is by lifting up lay leaders to serve as Synod Authorized Ministers, or SAMs. These dedicated lay leaders have been identified by others and are invited to discern serving the church in this new way. SAMs function similarly to pastors under the authority of the Office of the Bishop; they preach and preside, they provide pastoral care and leadership, and they are invested in the church community they are in.
We are grateful for the 20 lay leaders currently serving as SAMs in the Northern Illinois Synod. They share their gifts not only with the congregations they serve but also with the synod as a whole. One of the ways that we are called to be the church right now is to support our lay leaders and our small and scrappy congregations as they do the ministry they are called to.
Earlier this year, many of our SAMs and small and scrappy congregations gathered for a retreat focused on finding vitality. Building off of that momentum, Pastor Julie Monnard applied for a grant through Wartburg Theological Seminary’s The CaSTLE Project to create additional resources and events to strengthen our SAMs and their relationships with their mentors.
The CaSTLE Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., aims to renew a baptismal ecclesiology for the long-term flourishing of rural congregational life.
We are excited to join a growing network of synods that have received grants through The CaSTLE Project, which is shaped by mutual learning, community building, and innovation. Our hope with this grant is that we can deepen our shared baptismal identity and cultivate thriving, Spirit-led communities of faith in rural contexts. The CaSTLE Project Grant will allow us to create new events and curriculum to strengthen the relationships that SAMs have with their mentors, their congregations, and with God.
As we are called to walk together, loving Christ, loving all for the sake of the world, I am excited to go deeper in our calling to support our SAMs and our small and scrappy congregations as we live into who the church is being called to be. I look forward to the work that will come out of this project and the powerful impact it will have throughout our synod and the greater church.
