Newcomers by AK Mode

By Catherine A. K. Mode

Mode is pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Neenah, Wisconsin. She also volunteers as a Partner in Evangelism for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The key to your congregation’s transformation may literally walk through the door.

This is a lesson I’ve learned from serving both a small, new-start congregation and a large, turnaround congregation. Perhaps it also gives new meaning to Jesus’ words, “. . . knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Luke 11:9), and Jesus’ declaration, “I am the door . . .” (John 10:9, NEV).

My first call was to develop a new congregation, All Saints Lutheran, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In the early years, it was a lively but slow-growing mission start that worked very hard to get off synod support. I accepted my second call seven years ago, this time to Our Savior’s Lutheran, in Neenah, Wisconsin. Our Savior’s was a large, 125-year-old congregation that had been declining for over twenty years. During a congregational conflict, they had lost 600 members (one-third of their membership). I arrived as their ninth pastor in seven years.

Like many churches, All Saints and Our Savior’s had limited financial resources. It would have been a stretch for either of them to buy a video projector or a notebook computer with PowerPoint. Neither would have had the resources to hire a jazz band or build a state-of-the-art worship center. However, the critical challenge for both congregations was to identify and claim a vision for mission: a reason to exist, a way to make a difference.

They both needed to claim or reclaim the Great Commission. All Saints needed a defining vision that would not only unify a congregation of new members from varying faith backgrounds but also help them reach the unchurched in the community with the good news of Jesus Christ. Our Savior’s lacked confidence. They were so preoccupied by their grief over the previous conflict that they had no sense of purpose. They, too, needed a clear vision that would help them move from in-reach to out-reach. As it turned out, the visions for mission that energized each congregation and gave them new life were not copied from another church, found in a book, initiated by a pastor, or even voted on in a goal-setting process. Their visions were particular to their place and time. Both congregations discovered their visions for mission in the unique gifts and talents of the people who literally walked through the door.

Leadership is crucial. It sets the climate for recognizing and supporting new ministry. All Saints and Our Savior’s refused to lament what the congregations did not have. Instead, they chose to “go with what we’ve got.” Rather than asking the question, “What are we missing to make something happen?” they began asking, “What gifts do we have and how can we use them?” The best gifts, of course, are the people.

Every church—even a struggling new start or a 125-year-old, declining church—has people. And those people who walk through our doors, sit in our pews, and live in our communities have marvelous gifts to share.

At All Saints, Louise brought more people into the congregation than any other committee, program, or person, including the pastor. She spent most of her free time with people who were unchurched. She was kind, caring, accepting, and patient. So it was not surprising that she seemed to gather around herself people who were struggling or in need. Louise never preached or lectured. She would simply invite her friends to church. If they were going through a divorce or sick or had lost a job she would say something like, “Maybe church would help. Why don’t you come to mine?” Her secret weapon was that she’d always add, “I’ll save you a seat”—and she would. Her pew was always packed.

Steve and Pat visited All Saints for the first time because Louise had invited them and promised, “I’ll save you a seat.”

The first week, they sat with Louise. The second week, they came alone. As it turned out, the ushers didn’t show up that morning, so a brave and creative recruiter asked Steve and Pat to hand out bulletins. After worship, they joined the usher team. Before long, Steve and Pat had joined the church. They figured that as long as they were ushering, they might as well become members.

Even more significant, Steve is deaf and Pat interprets for him. In all of their years of attending church, this was the first time they’d been given a responsibility in the church. They were excited that they had something to offer.

We quickly hired an interpreter who signed the worship, and I learned to sign the words of institution so that Steve could experience Communion in his primary language.

That was sixteen years ago. Over the years, deaf ministry has become a centerpiece of All Saints’ mission, and the congregation is now known in the community for its inclusivity.

From the beginning, deaf worshipers participated in the whole ministry of the congregation. They participate in the congregation’s stewardship programs, read in worship, and go to potlucks. An interpreter is available whenever possible. Early on, hearing members joined the signing choir that signs anthems during worship. The alphabet and words in American Sign Language and aspects of deaf culture have been taught in Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, Adult Forum, and to the church council and new member classes. Courses such as Signs of Hospitality and Sign of Faith were offered and advertised in the community.

All Saints’ ministry grew and evolved in ways they would never have expected. It has developed into an ecumenical worship community known as “Hands of Christ” with a full-time ELCA pastor serving the whole valley from Green Bay to Fond du Lac. Pat and Steve have served on the board.

At Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, a three-year conflict had left the church feeling like a disaster site: no hope, no interest, no energy, and no direction. Then one day, Al and Wally walked through my door. These men, both graduates of the University of North Dakota, were desperate to help their alma mater when the Red River flooded. “What can we do?” they asked. “Whatever God is calling you to do,” I responded. Their passion was sufficient to get thirty others to join them on three mission trips to the Red River Valley. That’s how Our Savior’s mission trip program began. Furthermore, it was the moment when a declining, inward-looking congregation began to turn around by looking outward with the gospel. The irony wasn’t lost on the members. Many commented that cleaning up after the disastrous flood and helping others begin again was good work for a congregation that also needed to begin again.

The initial vision was picked up and carried forward by Mike Madsen, who likes to build and had a dream of doing mission work overseas. The result: Every summer for the past few years, the church has sent a group of adults and youth to help with disaster relief somewhere in the U.S. As you might expect, we always receive more than we give. Lives of volunteers are transformed. People return home with a new depth of faith. High school students claim these trips have changed their lives. Adults come back excited about their faith and anxious to take new leadership roles in the congregation. Our Savior’s has offered eight trips in seven years. And this past summer, Mike’s dream of overseas ministry was realized. Twenty-four people traveled to Slovakia to meet our missionaries and help finish a building in a Lutheran camp. 

The vision for mission has grown over the years. The congregation has established meaningful partnerships with All People’s Gathering in inner-city Milwaukee and Wilderness Church on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation. Some members work with Habitat for Humanity, while others volunteer at a local meal site. The Sunday school has a mission project every year, and renewed interest has developed in making quilts for Lutheran World Relief. It thrilled me when a nonmember living in our church’s neighborhood commented, “You’re the church that’s known for helping people.”

I’m not saying that every church should start a deaf ministry or volunteer to clean up after a flood. However, a vision for mission can transform not only the lives of those in need and those who serve, but it can also invigorate all of congregational life. Any congregation, whether new or old, growing or declining, small or large, already has what it needs to be transformed. Simply pay attention to the folks who walk through the door.