We've clarified the mission, and gone a long way to carry it out

By Jim Hushagen, synod vice president

It began in 2003 with a phone call from the bishop. “Jim, would you be willing to serve as synod vice president?”

“What’s a synod vice president?” I naively asked. With that inauspicious start, I began a very rewarding journey of nearly nine years that will end this May when the Synod Assembly elects a new vice president.

When the Synod Council appointed me, I decided to learn something about this Synod I was to serve. The first thing I learned was that the Synod had no mission statement. This was odd: the church has at least two clearly articulated biblical missions – the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. I also learned that, while the Synod Council met regularly, none of the meetings were in a retreat setting where it could discuss mission, vision and values.

So, one of my first official acts was leading a Council retreat dedicated to discerning this Synod’s mission. After three days of hard, prayerful work, the Council crafted the Synod’s mission: “to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ by empowering congregations and church leaders to grow in worship, education, stewardship and other ministries.” This statement brought some clarity to our task as a Synod: (1) we “spread the Good News of Jesus Christ” and we do it by (2) “empowering congregations . . . to grow.”

Clarifying our mission yielded immediate positive results. The most significant were the Synod’s two strategic priorities: pastoral care and mission starts. To grow, pastors and congregations need a high level of care. And, what could be more empowering than the planting of new congregations where there previously were none? The Council also relied regularly on the mission statement in making the hard financial decisions required by declining revenues during the recession and following the 2009 sexuality decisions.

So, how has the Synod done in living out its mission? In some areas, we’ve done very well. After having NO mission starts since 1993, the Synod now has SIX new mission congregations underway, thanks in large part to Pastor Melanie Wallschlaeger, director of evangelical mission. It is hard to quantify successful pastoral care, but we believe most of the Synod’s pastors and many of its congregations are more effective than ever, thanks in large part to Bishop Hofstad and his assistants, Pastors Ron Hoyum and Valinda Morse. And, we now have a very strong Synod Council that is focused on carrying out the mission in even more significant ways.

Yet, not all has been rosy. I grieve to see that we have lost as many congregations to the sexuality fallout as we have gained through mission starts. And, the “perfect storm” of worldwide recession plus disagreement with the sexuality decision has reduced congregational mission support to the Synod, requiring some painful financial decisions.

Still, I remain very hopeful about the Synod’s future. Before I leave office next May, I hope the Assembly will enact the recommended constitutional changes to give a “shot in the arm” to the Synod’s boards and committees, making them more effective at pursuing our mission. And, we have already started a process of improving how we will elect our bishop at the 2013 Assembly.

I am very glad I took the Bishop’s phone call more than eight years ago. Service as synod vice president has been one of the high points of my life – an opportunity to serve Christ and His church in a unique way. I have gained much more from this job than I have given to it. I wish for the Synod continued growth in faithfulness to the mission of “spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.”