From Bishop Kristen - February 2022

To God’s Beloved People,

The Northwest Intermountain Synod has come to the end of our fiscal year, and we are writing to thank you for your faithfulness in sharing mission support to enable our work.

It was a rough year for many of our congregations, which translates into a rough year for our synod—a reality that was not unexpected, but causes the Synod Council to take serious consideration to the synod budget, much like congregational councils are forced to take serious consideration to their budgets. In these days, it’s part of our life together.

This reality makes us even more grateful for your support. We know that hard conversations were had in Sunday School classrooms, fellowship halls, fireside rooms & Zoom gatherings as you struggled to make money go further. We know that every dollar of mission support you send on to the synod could have easily gone to many other ministries and still not have been enough to meet the needs that the last few years have brought to our communities.

Please know that we are working hard to make sure the mission support you share with the synod is utilized in ways that help support the health, vitality, and well-being of congregations in our synod, our region’s campus ministries, our churchwide partners and many others. 

It can be challenging to remain hopeful in days like these. But know that I have every confidence that God continues to be with us and continues to work in mysterious ways to use us to support the ministries that we need and love. It is clear, however, that radical adaptation will need to be part of any plans we make for our future.

This is the work that we will do together as congregations, clusters, synods, regions, and a national church. It will be fearful work if we put our faith into rows of numbers on spreadsheets. It will be an exercise in trust if we enter into the work with a spirit of curiosity, “What is God up to in the world? In our synod? In my church?” It will be easier if we remind one another that numbers only tell one story, and that while it’s an important story: it’s not the only story our churches tell. Nor should it be.

Once again, thank you for your faithfulness—financial and otherwise—in these days. May we make this journey together, with a spirit of curiosity & gratitude in the knowledge that we are not alone.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Bishop Kristen Kuempel