Announcement – A New Pastor for Mt. Tabor!

As a pastor and leader in the wider church, one of my “jobs” is to identify people’s gift for ministry – to encourage and uplift those who are called to serve as deacons – word and service or pastors – word and sacrament. Becoming a pastor for us Lutherans is a communal process, and it is sometimes a long complicated one requiring prayerful discernment with others.

It was no surprise to me when Kylie approached me, sort of hesitantly at first, and expressed they were being called to ordained ministry. We have had some wonderful conversations, and I am so happy to be part of this new chapter for them and Mt. Tabor.

Kylie will be entering what the ELCA calls candidacy to become a pastor. The great news for Tabor is that the program Kylie will be doing their candidacy through is called TEEM or Theological Education for Emerging Ministries. And we know that the church sometimes has a complicated way of doing things and in this case TEEM has a lot of moving parts, some of the requirements have already been put into motion and others will be put into motion soon. So, there are still a lot of requirements that need to be completed before Kylie becomes an ordained pastor. The really great news is that in the TEEM program, candidates enroll in seminary for theological studies, and at the same time, serve a congregation. They become a “pastor in training” emersed in a congregation for a few years with the guarantee they will remain at the ministry site for a minimum of three years following completion of the TEEM program.

Here is where we are in the process:

·      Kylie has applied for candidacy, has already had an initial interview with a synod candidacy committee member, they will undergo a psychological exam, they will be interviewed by the bishop, they will be interviewed by the synod candidacy committee in August and if approved for Entrance, they will enroll in seminary classes soon after.

·      The council has applied to be a TEEM site to be approved by the bishop and the ELCA.

·      Pastor Christine has submitted a letter of recommendation to the bishop for Kylie.

·      The council approved the required 1/3 funding for Kylie’s application for candidacy in the amount of $700.00. Kylie and the synod have each provided $700.00 as well.

·      Mt. Tabor’s Call Committee had a discernment conversation with Kylie and has supported their call to ministry.

·      Once approved for “Entrance” by the synod’s candidacy committee, Kylie will be ready to start seminary studies and start serving the congregation.

·      The bishop approves candidates in the TEEM program to preside at the table and perform all pastoral duties and responsibilities under authorized supervision determined by the seminary.

·      The congregation will have a chance to vote if this is what we want to do and vote on salary and compensation. However, this will be closer to when we know that Kylie will be officially “Entranced” later this summer.

·      Pastor Diana Linden-Johnson will be doing a presentation for the congregation on June 28th immediately following worship. She will be able to answer questions about TEEM and the process.

We will hold some listening circles to answer questions following worship on Sundays during the coffee hour – that will give us four weeks to flush out questions, concerns and answers. Look for announcements in the newsletter, emails and in the bulletins. Questions or concerns can be sent to office@mttaborslc.org no later than noon on Wednesdays until June 24th.

As we prepare for this next part of Tabor’s transition, Kylie will do some preaching and Pastor Christine will be covering them on church administration responsibilities, pastoral care, etc.

We know that you all have a lot of questions right now because this is a lot to process and not something that you might have expected. I remind you that the Holy Spirit is always up to something that our human hearts and minds can’t imagine. We will have plenty of time to process over the course of the summer.

In Christ,

Pastor Christine and Lawrence Allred, Council President