DEM Report
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016
DEM REPORT Rev. Chris Markert, Mission Catalyst
As I served our synod as the Interim Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM) for the past year, I had the amazing privilege of helping this little corner of the church called the Gulf Coast Synod continue to figure out how to do mission together. I am also excited, and continually surprised, to be serving our synod as the new Assistant to the BishopMission Catalyst. As the synod's Mission Catalyst, my primary responsibility is to accompany congregations and community leaders as they seek to grow in mission, generosity, and diversity through coaching, advocacy, networking, and the leveraging of resources and relationships.
NEW MISSION DEVELOPMENTS In the year that I served as Interim DEM, we saw the following ministries gain traction: Kindred, Houston This is our synod's first experiment with a restart mission. After 94 years of ministry, Grace made the challenging but faithful decision to close in order to restart as a new faith community. With financial support from Live On, Kindred was born on Ash Wednesday and formally launched on Palm Sunday. The Rev. Ashley Dellagiacoma serves as the restart pastor. Mesa Abierta, New Orleans The first three years of funding for this congregation under development was provided by our synod, churchwide, and offerings raised at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Christ the King in Kenner is their mission partner. The Rev. Rachel Ringlaben serves as the mission developer and has been on the ground since June 2015, working on relationship building, leadership equipping, and vision casting for this new faith community.
DEM REPORT
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2016
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016
St. Francis of the Island, Galveston Originally, St. Francis of the Island was a mission of the Order of the Lutheran Franciscans (OLF) in a collaborative partnership with the Zion Retreat Center in Galveston. This is a particularly unique situation since I accepted the call to be our synod's Mission Catalyst. The leadership from Lutherhill, the OLF, and the synod continue to work to further develop this collaborative partnership and will begin seeking a new Mission Developer and Director of Ministries. Umoja, Houston This Swahili-speaking worshipping community was established by a group of Tanzanians in Houston with assistance from its sister church in Dallas. Memorial Drive in Houston is their mission partner, providing the emerging congregation with a worship location. Pastor Absalom Nasuwa serves as the mission developer. REDEVELOPMENTS Even as four new mission developments got off the ground, I continued to work with several congregations in the revitalization of local ministries: Bethlehem, New Orleans Bethlehem, our synod's only existing historically African-American congregation, has been a prophetic voice in a community that has endured Hurricane Katrina and is surrounded by poverty and violence. They have been in redevelopment for nearly 18 years and have received more than $300,000 in mission support over those years. We as a synod are committed to support this congregation in becoming self-sustaining. The Rev. Nancy Andrews currently serves as interim pastor as we work together to revitalize the church, even as the neighborhood is revitalizing. Spirit of Joy, The Woodlands This congregation is in its second year of redevelopment. They have recently undergone a successful capital campaign and continue to intentionally focus on re-rooting in the local community. The Rev. David Hansen serves as the redevelopment pastor. St. James/Santiago Apostol, Houston The Rev. Arthur Murphy, redevelopment pastor, speaks of their uniqueness as "One church, two expressions." There are two worship communities - one that worships in Spanish and one in English. And yet, they are one congregation. The Rev. Adriana Johnson-Rivas also provides pastoral leadership.
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016 PILOT PROGRAM Our synod is now one of five synods participating in a three-year pilot program where a portion of mission support, that originally would go to churchwide and trickle down back to us in the form of mission grants, is now staying local. The hypothesis of this experiment is the following: 1. Money can more quickly be engaged to do mission within our synod. 2. Mission support will increase. I have been working with our bishop and churchwide staff in developing hoped-for outcomes, benchmarks, and relational understandings. STEWARDSHIP As we enter this pilot program, it is a good time for us to pay attention to how we practice generosity. As we cultivate generosity among members within our congregations, it is important for congregations to model generous giving as well. I am available to speak or preach at your congregations, helping engage them in conversations around stewardship and generosity. I also have resources I can share with your congregations that are helpful in growing congregational stewardship.
OTHER MINISTRIES (Re)Developers Network I am working with our synod's current mission developers, redevelopment, and restart pastors to recreate a network of encouragement, accountability, and support. This network will include regular gatherings and opportunities for training, interfacing, and renewal. Reclaimers Ministry This is a synod version of Mission Builders. We will be working to recruit and unleash those with gifts in handiwork, plumbing, roofing, and the like to help congregations that need some assistance with repairs and renovations of their facilities.
DEM REPORT Rev. Chris Markert, Mission Catalyst
As I served our synod as the Interim Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM) for the past year, I had the amazing privilege of helping this little corner of the church called the Gulf Coast Synod continue to figure out how to do mission together. I am also excited, and continually surprised, to be serving our synod as the new Assistant to the BishopMission Catalyst. As the synod's Mission Catalyst, my primary responsibility is to accompany congregations and community leaders as they seek to grow in mission, generosity, and diversity through coaching, advocacy, networking, and the leveraging of resources and relationships.
NEW MISSION DEVELOPMENTS In the year that I served as Interim DEM, we saw the following ministries gain traction: Kindred, Houston This is our synod's first experiment with a restart mission. After 94 years of ministry, Grace made the challenging but faithful decision to close in order to restart as a new faith community. With financial support from Live On, Kindred was born on Ash Wednesday and formally launched on Palm Sunday. The Rev. Ashley Dellagiacoma serves as the restart pastor. Mesa Abierta, New Orleans The first three years of funding for this congregation under development was provided by our synod, churchwide, and offerings raised at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Christ the King in Kenner is their mission partner. The Rev. Rachel Ringlaben serves as the mission developer and has been on the ground since June 2015, working on relationship building, leadership equipping, and vision casting for this new faith community.
DEM REPORT
|
2016
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016
St. Francis of the Island, Galveston Originally, St. Francis of the Island was a mission of the Order of the Lutheran Franciscans (OLF) in a collaborative partnership with the Zion Retreat Center in Galveston. This is a particularly unique situation since I accepted the call to be our synod's Mission Catalyst. The leadership from Lutherhill, the OLF, and the synod continue to work to further develop this collaborative partnership and will begin seeking a new Mission Developer and Director of Ministries. Umoja, Houston This Swahili-speaking worshipping community was established by a group of Tanzanians in Houston with assistance from its sister church in Dallas. Memorial Drive in Houston is their mission partner, providing the emerging congregation with a worship location. Pastor Absalom Nasuwa serves as the mission developer. REDEVELOPMENTS Even as four new mission developments got off the ground, I continued to work with several congregations in the revitalization of local ministries: Bethlehem, New Orleans Bethlehem, our synod's only existing historically African-American congregation, has been a prophetic voice in a community that has endured Hurricane Katrina and is surrounded by poverty and violence. They have been in redevelopment for nearly 18 years and have received more than $300,000 in mission support over those years. We as a synod are committed to support this congregation in becoming self-sustaining. The Rev. Nancy Andrews currently serves as interim pastor as we work together to revitalize the church, even as the neighborhood is revitalizing. Spirit of Joy, The Woodlands This congregation is in its second year of redevelopment. They have recently undergone a successful capital campaign and continue to intentionally focus on re-rooting in the local community. The Rev. David Hansen serves as the redevelopment pastor. St. James/Santiago Apostol, Houston The Rev. Arthur Murphy, redevelopment pastor, speaks of their uniqueness as "One church, two expressions." There are two worship communities - one that worships in Spanish and one in English. And yet, they are one congregation. The Rev. Adriana Johnson-Rivas also provides pastoral leadership.
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2016 PILOT PROGRAM Our synod is now one of five synods participating in a three-year pilot program where a portion of mission support, that originally would go to churchwide and trickle down back to us in the form of mission grants, is now staying local. The hypothesis of this experiment is the following: 1. Money can more quickly be engaged to do mission within our synod. 2. Mission support will increase. I have been working with our bishop and churchwide staff in developing hoped-for outcomes, benchmarks, and relational understandings. STEWARDSHIP As we enter this pilot program, it is a good time for us to pay attention to how we practice generosity. As we cultivate generosity among members within our congregations, it is important for congregations to model generous giving as well. I am available to speak or preach at your congregations, helping engage them in conversations around stewardship and generosity. I also have resources I can share with your congregations that are helpful in growing congregational stewardship.
OTHER MINISTRIES (Re)Developers Network I am working with our synod's current mission developers, redevelopment, and restart pastors to recreate a network of encouragement, accountability, and support. This network will include regular gatherings and opportunities for training, interfacing, and renewal. Reclaimers Ministry This is a synod version of Mission Builders. We will be working to recruit and unleash those with gifts in handiwork, plumbing, roofing, and the like to help congregations that need some assistance with repairs and renovations of their facilities.
