Long-run leaders feed Generous Cultures

"Build. Settle. Plant."

Rev. Lisa Lewton is in year 19 as lead pastor at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dickinson, ND, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Following her ordination in 2004, Pastor Lisa began ministry as an associate pastor at Holy Nativity Lutheran Church in New Hope, MN. In 2007, she was called to St. John. She and her husband, Marcus, are parents to Tom, Sam and Karis.

I asked Lisa to consider what building relationships for the long-run looks like, and what that means for the mission.

Build, Settle, Plant

When I began my call at St. John in 2007, I thought someone who was 50 was old. I also thought long-term pastorates were risky for a congregation’s future. And– I did not drink coffee!

Now I am nearly 50, serving in my 19^th year at St. John, and I drink enormous amounts of coffee.

I started here as the associate pastor to serve with the senior pastor, Steve Tangen. He was one of St. John’s only two senior pastors over a stretch of 50 years. He faithfully stayed for a long time, and faithfully said goodbye at the end of it. I am grateful to have learned from him..

When I wonder whether my time at St. John is up, I go back to this Bible verse from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. The people of Israel had been conquered and now lived in Babylon as exiles, in a situation that didn’t look like it would change any time soon. God’s word to them: think long-term. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” (Jeremiah 29:5)

One risk of having a long pastoral tenure is that people might grow too comfortable with one leadership style. Their level of trust may exceed their willingness to accept someone new, when the time comes. “Am I standing in the way of the next lead pastor?” I ask God regularly.

Then Jeremiah’s words creep in: build, settle, plant. Some pastorates (not all) are best to stretch across multiple decades–and multiple generations of families. Staying a long time allows the pastor to settle in and build deeper relationships throughout all that can happen in a life.

For me, stepping into this congregation with its habit of retaining pastors for long stretches came with an invitation: plant seeds, wait patiently, and watch what the Spirit might grow.

Here is a plant-watch-wait story:

I had gotten to know one family throughout several milestones in their lives. When the congregation had an opportunity to purchase a small lot next to the church building, opinions swirled. Most people wanted to make the space a parking lot.

The church council, however, offered the congregation a different idea. With no city parks nearby, what if the lot became a garden and park for the neighborhood? Instead of adding parking spaces for the congregation, what if we add beauty to the neighborhood?

Someone from the family I mentioned above called and asked to visit with me about this issue. I imagined the worst. This person whom I deeply respect must be upset with the park idea and wants the parking lot instead. Oy vey!

But I was very wrong. The person came to see me with a large monetary gift. That family saw this ministry for the neighbors through a lens of generosity and wanted to help make it happen.

A Culture of Build, Settle, Plant

That gift funded most of what is now the Garden of Grace. Each time they see the park, they witness the impact of their gift: adding beauty to the neighborhood.

But there’s more to that story!

Instead of accepting the gift for the park and calling it good, the church leadership challenged the congregation with an even bigger idea: “What if the rest of us match that family’s generosity?”

The church agreed, and began a campaign to raise the same amount of money for the local domestic violence center, and for a scholarship fund for future leaders in our synod. The gift was doubled. So was its impact.

This train of thought was shaped by St. John’s culture. The culture I stepped into 19 years ago was one of generosity. Pastor Tangen and Faith Simonieg, who served as the director of stewardship and endowment ministry, had worked to cultivate a spirit of generosity. With thoughtful and creative stewardship campaigns and education, the congregation had learned the joy of being generous.

Build, Settle, Plant, Oops

I can also tell you a story of missed opportunity, of seeds that were not planted. A long-time member of the congregation had always loved one particular ministry and gave generously to support it. The endowment director and I planned to visit with that member to ask for an estate gift to support that ministry after they were gone.

But we ran out of time. All the things a pastor sorts through each day got in the way. After that person’s funeral, I regretted missing out on that seed-planting conversation; we will never see what may have produced. And yet, even though I missed my chance to have that conversation, other seeds were planted through this person’s generosity. Other ministries were blessed.

We are not in charge of God’s abundance garden.

A Culture of Planting Abundance

Conversations in the church world tend to be light on abundance. “Is the church growing?” everyone wants to know. How a congregation responds to that question is shaped by its culture.

So how can leaders shape a culture?

Paul (Hanson, not the Apostle) mentioned that culture is shaped by what we feed. “Think yogurt,” he explained. The culture of yogurt contains many different organisms. So does a church culture. Some parts you want to feed and grow; others not so much.

The culture of a church can be fed by a message of decline. We get caught up in the differences between the full sanctuary in 1960 and the empty rows today, defining the church by its declining numbers.

But what of God’s abundance? What happens when you feed that message?

Long before I joined in, St. John’s culture had been fed by stories of generosity that begat stories of generosity. People were inspired by abundance. Abundance, of course, is more than numbers. It is not limited to large gifts or large attendance or large cups of coffee (as coffee cups should be.)

Now that I’ve turned out to be a long-haul pastor, I have learned the importance of settling in and building relationships. One conversation at a time, the Spirit plants seeds and God’s abundance garden grows.

The editor of “To Be a Fundraiser” is Kelly Wendell, Coordinator of Communication for South Dakota State University.

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