visioning & Transitions updates


January 2023: David Ashcraft, chair of one of Our Saviour's two current pastoral call committees, shares this update on the committees' work, following the successful submission of Our Saviour's two ministry site profiles (MSPs) last month: "We have prepared our interview questions and format and are ready to meet with candidates. Pastor Sunitha Mortha from the Metro Chicago Synod is working to vet potential candidates that she will then present to us." 


December 2022: Church Council Chair Alan Jacobs shares exciting updates on the process to call two associate pastors, discusses additional opportunities to share your voice and vision with Council, and addresses questions that have come up during the visioning process.

LOADING PLAYER…

associate pastor call committees

Our Saviour's two associate pastor call committees were tasked with identifying and detailing what our congregation seeks in the two associate pastors that our church is looking to hire. One call committee developed the Ministry Site Profile (akin to a job description) for an associate pastor who will have church and community engagement as one area of focus; the other call committee developed the MSP for an associate pastor who will have children's and youth ministries as one area of focus. Call committee members are as follows.


Call Committee Members

Engagement Committee:

David Ashcraft (chair)

Linnea Banialis

Sydney Ewald

Luann Gerth

Sue Harvey

Mike Jettner

Linda Sosnowski

Mark Tucker

Laura Weren

BJ Okel (council representative)


Children and Youth Committee:

Avery Hudson

Karen Lindflott

Amy Millard

Todd Peterson

Vanessa Strougal

Kelly Volin (council representative)

John Wagner

Vicki Witt

McKenna Wolfe (chair)

Joyce Zimmerman


news from the call committees

December 2022: The two pastoral call committees have submitted their Council-approved ministry site profiles (MSPs) to the ELCA Synod, and as of Dec. 7, the Synod has accepted them. The Synod will publish the MSPs and begin identifying prospective pastoral candidates. View the two finalized MSPs below:


An update from pastoral call committee chairs David Ashcraft and McKenna Wolfe, November 2022:


Our Saviour's two pastoral call committees have been hard at work in October and November developing the Ministry Site Profile (MSP) for each of the two associate pastors we seek to call. The MSP, akin to a job description, highlights our congregation and details our missions, trends and goals. The MSP document also is where a call committee outlines and describes what we are looking for in an associate pastor. The committees have identified two areas where the new associate pastors will focus: engagement and children's/youth ministry. The committees also strive to find candidates who will work closely with Pastor Brian, church staff, lay leaders, and our church community to further Our Saviour's mission of Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known.

 

Both call committees now have finalized their MSPs and sent the documents to the Church Council for review. Once the Council reviews and approves the MSPs, the documents will be submitted to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Synod, which will publish the MSPs and identify prospective candidates. Completing the MSP documents is a huge step in the call process, and the committees' work is applauded! 

 

Meet the Call Committee Chairs

David Ashcraft has been a member of Our Saviour's for more than 20 years and is honored to serve on the call team for the associate pastor of engagement. David has experience with selection and hiring and is eager to work with the call team to find the right person for Our Saviour’s.

McKenna Wolfe has been a member of OSLC for more than 10 years. Her family worships at the Celebration Campus and helps with hospitality and Sunday School. McKenna is excited to lead the call committee for the associate pastor of children's and youth ministry and looks forward to finding a candidate who will help grow and engage Our Saviour's children's and youth ministries.