(Report September 2022)
It was great to be back in the office this week and especially to be back at worship on Sunday. It has been wonderful to reconnect with folks and hear about summer travels and other adventures. I am so grateful to Pastor Natalia and Pastor Jenny for leading a summer of faithful and engaging worship along with so many other important ministry priorities. All of our staff and lay leaders did a great job as well offering summer day camp, Boundary Waters and Camp Wapo experiences among other faith building activities.
While I was intentional about removing myself from most communications with staff and lay leadership during my sabbatical, I did stay in touch with our Business Administrator Paul on the financial picture.
It became clear as the summer progressed, that the planned staffing changes would need to begin sooner than the beginning of next year as planned. Reducing both senior and associate pastoral positions to 3/4 time, along with a 5% pay reduction among all other paid staff, would need to begin with the 4th quarter of this year. It also became clear that even these changes would not be enough to fit our total staffing budget within current income levels.
Therefore, both the Director of Children and Family Ministry (Katie) and the Director of Youth and Family Ministry (Brent) positions will become 1/2 time positions as of October 1 and the beginning of the 4th quarter of this year. These changes will bring a total reduction in staffing costs of a little over $10,000 each month. I believe this is a sustainable new baseline for the foreseeable future.
As the senior pastor and the head of staff, I regret that these significant changes are required in order to fit our staffing profile into current budget realities. I remind the congregation that none of these reductions would be necessary if the mortgage debt had been retired in earlier times when congregational trends were better suited to large debt reduction capital funding appeals. I oversaw several of these capital campaigns that followed building expansions at my former congregation to retire a $2 million mortgage before I was willing to move on from there.
All that said, I know this newly configured staff leadership serving PoP remains committed to our shared ministry and outreach and to one another. It is this team, surrounded by so many faithful and committed lay leaders, that keeps me engaged and truly hopeful for this next season of ministry.
Everyone knows that things are changing and have changed for the church across denominations in the United States. I am so grateful to serve with these leaders and among this congregation as we see where God will lead us next.

I am optimistic, energized and grateful for the future ministry we all share in these incredible times, building on the rich history of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Even as I type, we have members serving people in need in Jamaica and a poor family has just moved into their new village home provided by those who participated in the Vision Trip to Tanzania in June at the beginning of my sabbatical. This is the 18th family that has received a new home from PoP Vision Trippers!
God is always taking what we have to give and multiplying it!
Your partner in ministry, Pastor Chad