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Call Committee Update

May 2012
The Call Committee is pleased to recommend that the council forward the name of Pastor Susan E. Tjornehoj to the congregation to be called as the seventh Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church. We make this recommendation unanimously and with the greatest possible enthusiasm. 

Pastor Tjornehoj has an extensive and varied background in ministry. She currently serves as the ELCA Director of Evangelical Mission in the Minneapolis Area Synod, a position she has held since 2008. Before that, she served as Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, Minnesota (2002-07); as Assistants to the Bishops for the St. Paul Area Synod (1995-2002) and Northwest Minnesota Synod (1991-95); as Pastor of the Baudette Lutheran Parish, three congregations in Baudette, Minnesota (1986-91); and a congregation among the Inupiaq people north of Nome, Alaska. She was born and raised in Colorado, graduated from Luther College (B.A., English) and the Luther Seminary (M. Div.), and has completed coursework toward a Master of Theology. Pastor Tjornehoj is married to Pastor David Wangaard, who currently serves as an interim pastor to a congregation in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and they have a daughter, Ingrid, a student at Luther College.

 

The Call Committee makes this recommendation after a thorough process. After preparing and submitting the Congregation's Ministry Site Profile in November 2011, we received five names of potential candidates from the Bishop's Office in January 2012. We conducted extensive background research on all five candidates, including reviewing published writings, audio and video taped sermons, and materials from their current calls. We interviewed all five candidates in person, then invited two for a second round of interviews that took place in mid- March. We then contacted and spoke at length with Pastor Tjornehoj's references (more on that below), and arranged for her to preach in greater Baltimore on April 15, 2012. After hearing her sermon, the Committee met and reached the final decision to recommend the call.

 

Pastor Tjornehoj comes to us with the enthusiastic recommendations of a number of current and former colleagues, including the Presiding Bishop.

 

Here are a few examples of their comments, which capture nicely the personal qualities and energy that drew the Committee to her immediately:

 

Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop, ELCA: "More than anything, she just has a passion to be part of a ministry where people take the Gospel seriously. She loves to proclaim it in a community of faith where people are going to be broken loose to live that in the world. She sees leadership as a shared phenomenon - she will find and create leaders, bring people to the table, and serve as a catalyst, convener and equipper of leaders.  There will be few people as prepared for the opportunities and challenges of your congregation."

 

Professor L. DeAne Lagerquist, St. Olaf College: "She understands the Pastor's role as someone who both proclaims and invites, someone who is looking to be a catalyst, who helps people think and giving them spark and direction, but not the one who tells you what to do or does it herself."

 

Pastor Glenn Nyckelmoe, recently retired Bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod: "Sue is one of the most innovative pastors I've ever come across in 50 years of ministry. She has a great ability to set a table, get people around it and get people excited for ministry - you don't see that very often."

 

Pastor Jerry Wahl, Minneapolis Area Synod staff: "Sue is good at finding people and empowering them - she will lead with a broad agenda, but bring people along. She's very skilled at turning the ministry of the laity loose, letting people dream dreams and live them out."

 

Pastor Craig Johnson, former Bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod: "Sue is a really faithful person. Her faith is incredibly authentic, and her piety is high but not off-putting - she embraces people, and she's not too holy to talk to. She's a really refreshing presence."

 

We look forward to having all of you meet Pastor Tjornehoj at the special meeting of the Congregation on Sunday, May 20.

~Doug Nazarian
Chair, Call Committee.

FAQ's About the Call Process:
1. Who are the members of the Call Committee?
The Call Committee is comprised of active church members who were nominated by the congregation. They were voted and approved by the church council. The members of the Committee are:
Doug Nazarian (Chair)
Bill Campbell
Nancy Charitonuk
Connie Crabtree
Gina Homer
Lee Nyberg
John Spencer
Yvonne Tanner
Amanda Wulf

2. How does the Call Process work? Briefly: After the Pastor decides to retire, the Congregation appoints a Call Committee. The Committee gathers information about the Congregation, invites input from the Congregation (through a series of "Conversations About the Future") and completes the Ministry Site Profile. Based on the Profile, the Bishop and his Assistants find and interview potential candidates and recommends candidates to the Call Committee for it to interview. The Call Committee interviews candidates, hears the candidates preach, and ultimately recommends a candidate to the Congregation Council. The Council meets with the candidate to decide to accept or reject the Committee's recommendation. If the Council agrees with the Committee, the candidate will preach at one special Sunday service, after which we will hold a special Congregational meeting for the Congregation to decide whether to extend a call. Two- thirds affirmative votes are needed to extend a call to the candidate. The candidate has thirty days to give the Congregation his/her decision.

3. What is the Ministry Site Profile? The Profile is an online document, in a form required by the ELCA, congregations use to call an ordained or lay rostered minister. The profile describes our church and its purpose, mission and gifts.

4. What does the Call Committee do with the information gathered from the Congregational forums (the "Conversations About the Future")? The Committee uses the information to fill out the Profile, which paints the first picture of our congregation that candidates will see.

5. How many candidates will the Bishop give us at one time? The Committee will be allowed to consider three to five names at one time. The Committee must decide to reject all of the candidates provided by the Bishop before he will provide any additional names.

6. Will the congregation know the names of the candidates? No, the names of the candidates are kept confidential until the Council has decided to accept the Committee's recommendation. The Congregation will meet the candidate when he or she preaches.

7. When will the Congregation Council and Congregation meet the pastor who is the Call Committee's choice? The Council will meet the candidate in a social setting, and then meet to vote. If the Council approves, the candidate will preach on a Sunday with only one special service. After the Congregation has heard the candidate preach, we will hold a special Congregational meeting and vote on the candidate, immediately following the service.

8. How long after a decision to call a Pastor will Pastor Sabatelli retire and the new Pastor start? Approximately 90 days after the Congregation extends a call, although there may need to be some flexibility around the date.