by Rev. Naomi Garber, Associate to the Bishop
Hope Lutheran Church (Fargo), St. John’s Lutheran & Good Samaritan Center/Arthur, First Lutheran & Fillmore Lutheran/Enderlin, Havana Trinity Lutheran/Havana & Nordland Lutheran/Rutland, Turtle River Ministry (Ascension Lutheran/ Emerado, St. Paul’s Lutheran/ Honeyford, Faith Lutheran/Inkster, Our Savior’s Lutheran/Larimore, and Ness Lutheran/Mekinock), Eastern North Dakota Synod, and Luther Seminary are joining together in an unique partnership. The proposal is for a regional partnership initative for leadership development meaning dual site seminary internship between each congregation/parish and Hope Lutheran Church with EaND’s and Luther Seminary’s support. The internships are to begin August 1. 2008.
Hope is in a unique position to initiate and carry out this project. Hope is defined as a very large (mega) congregation, and are one of the ten largest congregations in the ELCA in worship attendance. Hope will provide the interns with a large church experience, expecting each intern to work on a mission-focused project at Hope. At the same time, the intern would be in residence in the rural community and serve as the primary pastoral residence in that parish. Hope’s staff will provide day to day supervision for each intern. As a congregation, Hope will commit $10,000 to this project for each year we supervise interns.
Luther Seminary is one of Hope’s partners in the regional partnerships initiative for leadership development. Luther will provide a process for the selection of Master of Divinity students who will thrive under this model. Luther will also make an “inkind” contribution through providing monthly faculty cohort supervision for the interns. They will be responsible for the costs associated with this commitment.
The Eastern North Dakota Synod of the ELCA is another partner in this initiative. Hope is a member of the EaND Synod, a synod of 232 congregations, many in rural locations. The synod will provide expertise and guidance in selecting rural congregations to serve as internship sites. The synod will also commit $2000 per year for each intern from the Synod Endowment Fund. Each congregation/parish that serves as an internship site is the significant partner. They will serve as a teaching/training congregation. The commit is to providing both housing for the intern and a significant portion of the internship stipend. Because these congregations would be funding this in lieu of paying compensation for a pastor and will benefit from having a leader in training as their pastor, they will have both the responsibility and resources to fund a major portion of the cost of this initiative.
As this model develops, it will be inherently sustainable financially and congregations should find renewed mission in being a teaching congregation. The vision is a creative collaboration, as rural congregations and Hope Lutheran work together with Luther Seminary and the EaND Synod to develop future pastoral leaders who will be equipped to serve in an increasing diverse and complex church and world.
Please hold this partnership in your prayers and provide a warm welcome to new intern colleagues in our midst.
This article originally appeared in the February 2008 Newsletter.