Dear Friends in Christ,
As we are now in the process of looking for a new pastor, we wanted to share with you all the options before us as a congregation. As Pastor Rachel applied for disability and ultimately resigned her call with us, the council has been working the Sarah Moening and Bishop Gonia to explore all possible scenarios in which we might move forward. The Synod has been extremely helpful and flexible in that thinking. Three potential scenarios exist.
- We can conduct a formal call process as we did with Pastor Rachel. We would hire an Interim Pastor and interview as many candidates as we want. The process would take 6-12 months.
- We can conduct an expedited call process. We would not hire an Interim Pastor, but rather continue to rely on supply preachers. We could interview as many candidates as we want and would try to complete the process within 4-6 months.
- Our third option is exploring the possibility of hiring a young ELCA pastor who recently moved to Laramie with his wife and family as she accepted a faculty position at UW. The Synod was aware of the pastor’s availability and background, and strongly recommended Trinity consider reaching out to the pastor. The council, along with a number of congregation members, then contacted and met with Pastor Nathan Keith to get to know him and for an unofficial interview (Click here to see his Rostered Leader Profile: Keith_Nathan) . To further explore this possibility, we are planning to host various times for the congregation to socialize with Pastor Nate so you have the opportunity to interact with him. The first opportunity to meet Pastor Nate will be this Tuesday, January 17th, at 7pm at the Downtown Coal Creek Coffee.
While option 3 is an exciting possibility, we want to be sure everyone understands that this is one potential option for us and the other options are still on the table. Bishop Gonia and Sarah Moening are fully supportive that we do not necessarily have to go through the formal call process if we don’t feel we need to, so in that respect, they have been very flexible in presenting options. Ultimately, this decision is the congregation’s as a whole and this will be fully discussed at the annual meeting.
Please understand that the council is trying to provide as many plausible options as we can for our congregation, and to seek participation and input during this process. The council in no way intends to make this decision for the congregation. Rather, we will discuss all these options at the annual meeting and decide collectively on how we want to move forward. With the serendipity of having a young ELCA pastor in town, the council intends to fully explore this possibility and hopes congregational members will engage in interacting with Pastor Nate so we can make an informed decision on this option. We are always open to discussion, thoughts, and comments as we move forward together. Never hesitate to contact us.
In Christ,
Your Council
HERE IS PASTOR NATE’S ROSTERED LEADER PROFILE: Keith_Nathan
