Thanks for visiting....
First
of all, “Thank You!” for the opportunity to serve with and among you as the
Director of Evangelical Mission in the Nebraska Synod. I have been blessed in so many ways as I see
the church in mission and ministry, as I witness the inner passion this Church
has for mission and ministry and as I share in the resolve to transform lives
and raise up missional leaders, faithful stewards and healthy disciples.
In
so many ways, I get to witness our Church at work through new eyes. As I make my way around the Synod and into
the Churchwide offices, I’ve seen our Church in a new way. I’ve discovered how much mission and ministry
takes place behind the scenes. I’ve
found so much that doesn’t make for slick marketing or catchy “sound
bites”. Instead, across the Church significant mission
and ministry is being accomplished in and through people who may go unnoticed,
yet, who, in their faithful service, are heroes for the sake of the
Gospel! Through my new eyes, I’ve been
blessed to see how profound our work is and the difference we make through our
“mission share” in “sharing the mission” of the risen Christ.
Seeing
the Church from this vantage point has caused me to say, “I wish I would have
had this experience 25 years ago. My
ministry would have taken such a different shape.” The fact is it has been easy over the years
to be myopic, seeing only what is close at hand. It has been easy to pass up opportunities to
deepen connections with Synod and Churchwide expressions of our Church. It has been easy to say, “Oh I know about
that” and then quickly move back to the routines of parish life.
For
example, early in this position I had the opportunity to travel to Churchwide
offices Chicago. Can you believe this
was the first time in my ministry that I’ve visited Churchwide? Wow!!
In standing in the offices on Higgins road I was overwhelmed at the work
that is being done there. My eyes
widened as I saw the Church in mission at this level. What I learned first hand is that “Chicago”,
as we call it, isn’t a building or a bureaucracy. Instead I saw people, very competent and
committed people, who are daily involved in ministries that support and enhance
the mission of this Church. In meeting
many of these people, I learned first hand the connections that are being made
between our Church and our ministries throughout the world. I met a young woman who literally beamed with
excitement about her mission in connecting talented youth to global mission
opportunities.
In
the field of my work, I have learned that our ELCA executives don’t just hole
up in 11th floor offices, but get out into the synods and
congregations to encourage leaders, learn about successful ministries, suggest
alternative strategies for mission and “get their hands dirty” in some of our
most challenging areas of ministry and mission.
In
relating to my peers from other synods, I’ve heard stories and witnessed first
hand the kind of renewal that is moving through our church to deepen personal
faith, challenge congregations to focus on their neighborhood (rather than on
themselves) and deepen the commitment of individuals and mission centers to
reach out with the resources with which God has blessed them. For example, I had the opportunity to worship
with a congregation in suburban Seattle that is renewing their historical
presence in the neighborhood with a ministry focused on the hunger needs of the
community by establishing a community garden plot and a Sunday morning ministry
that serves up a healthy dose of the Grace of God for a diverse and changing
community.
And
moving about the Nebraska Synod, I’ve seen something I’ve only glimpsed
before: that each mission center has a
profound “back story” that motivates mission, that inspires ministry and that
finds its expression in the way ministry is shaped. Mission Centers are finding creative ways to
deal with new immigrants and declining populations; to fight hunger with a
community garden or a mobile food pantry; or to renew the spiritual life of “20
somethings” or a more mature leadership base.
Through
these new eyes I know that I haven’t always made it easy for people to connect
to the larger mission of the church. I
haven’t even been very attentive to taking advantage of opportunities to
broaden my own experiences.
Having
seen through these new eyes I know that I’ll be more conscientious in sharing
stories, painting pictures and being a “cheerleader” for our Church and for the
mission and ministries that we so faithfully tend from individual to mission
center to synod to church wide and even into the global community.
Again,
thank you for this opportunity to serve with you. Please be in touch if there is any way that I
might support your ministry and mission.
Tom
Miller
Director of Evangelical Mission (ELCA)
Assistant to the Bishop (Nebraska Synod)
Nebraska
Synod, ELCA
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