HIGHLIGHTS

Why a Transition into Ministry Program?

The long-term retention of gifted clergy is significantly improved if pastors learn healthy practices in their first, critical years of ministry. The Transition into Ministry (TiM) program at Trinity provides a rich and fertile training ground for first call pastors. And, given the clergy shortage facing most mainline denominations, Trinity is delighted to have a positive role in fostering the long-term retention of strong and faithful clergy.
 
The mission and purpose of Trinity’s TiM program is to recognize and recruit gifted seminary graduates who demonstrate promise for long-term leadership in the church, and provide a supportive place to do ministry with gifted and committed congregational members and staff. Trinity’s TiM program is also funded to work with rural congregations as we discover ways to support first call pastors, not only in large city churches, but small rural ones, too.
 
With two grants totaling $1.6 million over nine years, the Lilly Endowment has recognized Trinity Lutheran church as a vibrant and healthy congregation that will provide first call pastors with invaluable ministry experience.
 
How Is the Congregation Involved?
 
Trinity’s role as a teaching congregation deepens with each set of pastors as we learn from and mentor them, and together explore new ways to do Christ’s work around the world and across the street. Trinity’s congregational members and its leadership appreciate this role as we shepherd first call pastors through their transition into parish ministry.
 
Parishioners have a wealth of experience in living the Christian faith, and by sharing that life experience with new pastors as they start out, each member helps shape the life-long ministry of a first call pastor. There are several intentional ways that can happen:
 
TiM Advisory Board is a group of lay leaders and Trinity pastors that oversee the grant at the congregational level by providing a broad base of prayerful support for the TiM program, while acting in an advisory capacity.
 
Mutual Ministry Group members provide each first call pastor with a place for reflective listening regarding their ministry, and gather to offer support and encouragement. (The call committees from the rural congregations may become the Mutual Ministry Group for their new pastors.)

Friends of First Call are assigned to each first call pastor and her or his family during their first months. They provide a place of welcome, conversation about faith and discipleship, and invitations to community events.
  
What Will First Call Pastors Experience?
 
Five new pastors will enter our program in the summer of 2008: three first call pastors at Trinity and two first call pastors in rural congregations. The three Trinity pastors, as part of their two-year term calls, will have position descriptions and be called to specific ministry areas such as evangelism, social concerns, young adult ministry or small group ministry. The two rural pastors will be called to rural congregations, without a two year limit. Together they will form a colleague group that will be mentored by Trinity’s project director, Pastor John Hulden.
 
Grant funding provides the opportunity for the TiM colleague group of pastors to meet with nationally known theologians. TiM pastors have met with Martin Marty, Eugene Peterson, Dan Erlander, and William Willimon. There have been writing workshops, Enneagram consultations, a rural plunge, and traveling to the Festival of Homiletics and the Youth Ministry Extravaganza. Lilly leads an annual gathering with TiM peers and staff members of the Lilly Endowment and the Fund for Theological Education. All of these experiences and travel are at no expense to the pastors. The TiM program strongly encourages (and fully funds) each first call pastor to meet regularly with a spiritual director and take time away for continuing education over the two  years.
 
More About Trinity Lutheran Church
 
Founded in 1882, Trinity has a long and distinguished history and is a visible presence in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Almost 4000 members represent all age groups and walks of life. In a recent book by Paul Wilkes, Excellent Protestant Congregations, Trinity was included among the 311 congregations selected. Wilkes wrote, "We looked for churches that impacted the lives of their people and were making a difference in their communities, local churches that were beacons of hope and guidance and examples of what it really means to be a practicing Christian today." Trinity Lutheran is that kind of church.
 
For More Information About Trinity Lutheran Church or the Transition into Ministry Program Contact...

Pastor John Hulden
210 7th Street South
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: 218-236-1333
Fax: 218-236-8918
Email:
Web: www.trinitymhd.org

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