The God who rescued Israel from Egypt in the first exodus is about to do a new thing: a new exodus from Babylon that will be like the old exodus, and also not like it. We read from Isaiah 43:
“16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
I do not think it’s a stretch to say that God is doing something new right now. Sometimes I wish I could predict what it is. Other times I am simply up for the adventure and hope I can keep up. Whatever is happening, I do find it helpful to remember that we are not the first ones to experience new things.
Isaiah reminds his audience and us that God has done something new before. The other helpful directive from this Isaiah passage is to simultaneously forget those former times. Yes, this will be like that, but not really. For the Israelites, I am quite sure God is saying, “This time it will be even more magnificent!” Is that true for our time? It is hard to say. We put the Isaiah text in conversation with 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
What I take from all of this, pastorally if not scholarly, is that God is very good at doing a new thing and doing it wonderfully. At the same time, we are active participants. We have been given agency to engage.
Your congregation may already be living into a new thing; many of our congregations are. If you are not but you are curious, here are some old and new things that the synod staff would be eager to help you explore.
Shared Ministry with other ELCA Lutheran congregations - Lutherans have been sharing pastors in this country since immigrants have been forming congregations here. But we can also share other staff members, other resources, events, prayer, and worship.
Shared Ministry with ELCA Full Communion Partners - See this LIST of partners. In our synod, we already have experience sharing pastors, buildings, and even entire congregations with PCUSA Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and the United Church of Christ.
Raise Up a Pastor from Within - The Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) certificate program is a non-residential and contextual-educational arm of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Luther Seminary, aimed at preparing people for ordained ministry in the ELCA and the Episcopal Church. Students study at home with local pastors/mentors, while doing the ministry in a congregation.
Note–we are also GRATEFUL to all of our congregations who have raised and continue to raise up candidates for ministry who leave and serve elsewhere. Keep it up!
Licensed Pastoral Associates - We have several people trained by the Montana Synod-ELCA’s LPA Program. More of the pieces are online since the pandemic. We would be sure to surround LPAs with mentor pastors or deacons.
Death and Resurrection - Consider the STORY of Redeemer Lutheran in Portland, OR, which is now Salt and Light, nested in the midst of Leaven. Though parts of their story are urban, please do not dismiss this model if you live in a rural setting. The heart of the process was listening, discerning, and evaluating–which congregations everywhere can do.
Communal Discernment - Whether you want to explore one of the tools listed above or whether your congregation simply needs to figure out what might be next, the synod office has a communal discernment resource we would love to share with you.
Anchor Church Model - A grassroots model started by large ELCA congregations in urban Colorado and North Carolina. The vision is “To assist struggling congregations with high potential for regaining a vibrant ministry as well as to launch new mission sites with a higher degree of success and impact.” Here’s a Living Lutheran article about the movement. Since this model was first launched, other sites have adopted it to various contexts.
The good news is that you are not alone, we walk together, and we also are not alone. No matter the season, the Holy Spirit accompanies us and we can trust God’s faithfulness. Finally, not everything will be new. We will still gather as Christian communities. We will still strive to love God and our neighbors.
Bishop Meggan Manlove