This past September, the National Church Council (NCC) began work developing a new Strategic Plan for the work of the National Church. As it has in the past, this five-year strategic plan helps us to focus our work and sometimes also helps us make decisions about what opportunities and partners we need to take on in order to achieve our goals.
At its recent March meeting, NCC approved the following strategic goals. For each new goal, we have identified a verse that helps us to hear God’s call to live out ministry in this area. NCC agreed that all of these goals need to be realized through the lens of clear theological identity.
Courageous Innovation
We are called to not be afraid. Luke 12:32
As the song says, the times they are a-changing. The place of churches in Canadian society has changed. We see an increase in Canada of both people of different religions and people of no religion. Many of our congregations are getting both smaller and older in membership. We feel the strain of financial resources at all expressions of the church. The role and expectations of rostered ministers is changing. All of these things can be anxiety producing and yet God calls us to not be afraid. We are going to have to learn new ways of being church. We will have to experiment and sometimes fail as we try to see how God is calling us. New approaches may look different in the various regions of our church. God’s spirit is calling us to courageous innovation.
Reconciled Relationships
We are given the ministry to reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18
It seems our world is experiencing increasing brokenness—from increasing numbers of homelessness, domestically to increased refugees and internally displaced persons, internationally. Racism, terrorism, poverty, disease, climate change, human trafficking and many more ills are present in our world. The whole creation groans. God calls us to be reconciled and entrusts to us the ministry of reconciliation. What will this mean in our relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada? With people of different faiths? With the creation itself? These are just a few questions we are called to answer as we strive for reconciled relationships.
One Body Working Together
We are one body in Christ. Romans 12:5
As we consider the work of the National Church, we can not forget the many other expressions of church with whom we are called to work. These include synods, congregations and synodically recognized ministries, partner churches in Canada like the Anglican Church of Canada and international partners such as The Lutheran World Federation. To loosely quote the apostle Paul, we cannot be just an eye or a hand—we need to work together as one body in Christ.
Empowered Disciples
We are to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Ephesians 4:12
To do all these things and more we need to empower all of the disciples, all of the baptized for a variety of ministries. We need to discern anew what it means to live out our baptismal calling in all avenues of our lives. We need to nurture mutual respect and partnership for all forms of ministries.
It’s an exciting time to be the church. May God bless us as we endeavour to live out God’s calling for our church in this time and place.
National Bishop Susan Johnson
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
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