Greetings Siblings in Christ,
We are now entering fully into the summer months. School has officially been let out. The congregation's program year has ended, and people are on their way to their summer adventures. I do not personally have any big adventures planned for this summer. However, I will be taking a week off starting July 7th-13th. Eileen, Luca, and I will be spending a few days at the shore during that time. However, most of the week will be spent at our home doing maintenance and working in the yard. It has now been a little over a year since we bought our home in Drexel Hill. A year ago, I wrote a newsletter about my moving experience, and I shared with you all my adventures of homeownership. Then, in the second half of my article, I asked you all for “patience as I began to adjust to my new normal,” and I reiterated that “I am available.” I also emphasized that as your pastor that “I am here to be present with you all in the best way that I can.” Overall, the article highlighted the importance of communication, especially with being in the context of part time ministry and my now hour-long commute.
So, you may be wondering why I am bringing up this year old newsletter article? Well, I was reminded of this newsletter article because recently Jerusalem put together a mutual ministry committee, and we just had our first meeting. At this meeting, this theme of communication and its importance was reiterated, especially with the context of our congregations. With being in shared ministry with both Faith and Jerusalem, sometimes information is not always transferred to the fullest extent. However, as I said last year in my newsletter article, “I am here to be present with you all in the best way that I can.” I am here in this position because I want to be in ministry with you all, and within this ministry we all have our own role. This is one of the reasons why we have a mutual ministry committee. The term “mutual ministry” recognizes that the Church’s ministry is the mutual concern of both the laity and the pastor. “It encourages us to move away from a primary focus on the ministry of ordained clergy alone and includes all the people of God in the mutual work of ministry. There is one ministry in Christ, and all baptized people participate in it according to the gifts given to them and the specific ministries entrusted to them.” However, many congregations have often thought of mutual ministry committees as personnel committees. “Such committees define the job descriptions of the congregation’s staff, evaluate staff performance, make recommendations to finance committees and/or the congregation council about staff salaries, and serve as the place where complaints from the congregation are discussed. Such a model reinforces the notion that ministry is about the pastor and other paid leaders in the church. This is not ‘mutual’ ministry. While all of the above tasks must be performed by someone, experience suggests that these tasks should not be the responsibility of the mutual ministry committee.”
So, a mutual ministry committee is a group of people that intentionally walks with the pastor in their ministry, since there are parts of ministry that pastors often do alone. However, the mutual ministry committee also serves as a reminder that we are all a part of this “mutual ministry.” You all are doing ministry with me, and I am doing ministry with you. Together we are doing one ministry in Christ. And so, again, it is essential for us to remember the importance of communication. So, I want to invite you all to always feel free to come and talk to me. If there is something you think that I should know or think that I have missed, come talk to me. If you have a question, come talk to me. If you have an idea, come talk to me. If you have any suggestions or comments, come talk to me, and I will also do the same. I am so excited and blessed to be in ministry with you as the body of Christ. We are one mission and one call. Together with Christ, there are many things that we are called to do and so let us go out and do them. Amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
Source: Driesen, Robert, “Mutual Ministry Handbook: Guidance for Healthy Congregations” South Dakota Synod, ELCA.
We are now entering fully into the summer months. School has officially been let out. The congregation's program year has ended, and people are on their way to their summer adventures. I do not personally have any big adventures planned for this summer. However, I will be taking a week off starting July 7th-13th. Eileen, Luca, and I will be spending a few days at the shore during that time. However, most of the week will be spent at our home doing maintenance and working in the yard. It has now been a little over a year since we bought our home in Drexel Hill. A year ago, I wrote a newsletter about my moving experience, and I shared with you all my adventures of homeownership. Then, in the second half of my article, I asked you all for “patience as I began to adjust to my new normal,” and I reiterated that “I am available.” I also emphasized that as your pastor that “I am here to be present with you all in the best way that I can.” Overall, the article highlighted the importance of communication, especially with being in the context of part time ministry and my now hour-long commute.
So, you may be wondering why I am bringing up this year old newsletter article? Well, I was reminded of this newsletter article because recently Jerusalem put together a mutual ministry committee, and we just had our first meeting. At this meeting, this theme of communication and its importance was reiterated, especially with the context of our congregations. With being in shared ministry with both Faith and Jerusalem, sometimes information is not always transferred to the fullest extent. However, as I said last year in my newsletter article, “I am here to be present with you all in the best way that I can.” I am here in this position because I want to be in ministry with you all, and within this ministry we all have our own role. This is one of the reasons why we have a mutual ministry committee. The term “mutual ministry” recognizes that the Church’s ministry is the mutual concern of both the laity and the pastor. “It encourages us to move away from a primary focus on the ministry of ordained clergy alone and includes all the people of God in the mutual work of ministry. There is one ministry in Christ, and all baptized people participate in it according to the gifts given to them and the specific ministries entrusted to them.” However, many congregations have often thought of mutual ministry committees as personnel committees. “Such committees define the job descriptions of the congregation’s staff, evaluate staff performance, make recommendations to finance committees and/or the congregation council about staff salaries, and serve as the place where complaints from the congregation are discussed. Such a model reinforces the notion that ministry is about the pastor and other paid leaders in the church. This is not ‘mutual’ ministry. While all of the above tasks must be performed by someone, experience suggests that these tasks should not be the responsibility of the mutual ministry committee.”
So, a mutual ministry committee is a group of people that intentionally walks with the pastor in their ministry, since there are parts of ministry that pastors often do alone. However, the mutual ministry committee also serves as a reminder that we are all a part of this “mutual ministry.” You all are doing ministry with me, and I am doing ministry with you. Together we are doing one ministry in Christ. And so, again, it is essential for us to remember the importance of communication. So, I want to invite you all to always feel free to come and talk to me. If there is something you think that I should know or think that I have missed, come talk to me. If you have a question, come talk to me. If you have an idea, come talk to me. If you have any suggestions or comments, come talk to me, and I will also do the same. I am so excited and blessed to be in ministry with you as the body of Christ. We are one mission and one call. Together with Christ, there are many things that we are called to do and so let us go out and do them. Amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
Source: Driesen, Robert, “Mutual Ministry Handbook: Guidance for Healthy Congregations” South Dakota Synod, ELCA.
