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TULP-Special Articles
THE UNITED LUTHERAN PARISH OF SHAWANO COUNTY, WISCONSIN
The United Lutheran Parish, which consists of seven ELCA churches in Shawano County, Wisconsin, is a cooperative ministry endeavor of Bethlehem Church, Pella; St. John's Church, Leopolis; Zion Church, Tigerton; Immanuel Church, Morris; St. Matthew Church, Bowler; Peace Church, Tilleda; and Elias Church, Herman. These seven churches officially joined as one parish on July 16, 2000, when their four pastors were installed at Zion ELCA, Tigerton in a service which included the ordination of Pastors Jim and Carol Johnson by Bishop John Beem. Pastor Shari Routh and Pastor Howard Buenting joined them to form the first Pastoral Team for TULP.
In 1998, Bishop John Beem of East Central Synod of Wisconsin, Mission Developer Rev. Davis Darrington, and other synod staff joined with significant congregational leaders of these seven churches, and began conversations regarding their need for pastoral assignments for their churches. They reviewed and began problem-solving as a core group regarding the complications facing smaller churches attempting to remain viable in their communities. The struggling financial situations of some of the churches, the limited number of available pastors to fill openings, and the isolated sites of some of the churches were all issues faced by the church leaders and their people. These seven churches lie within this 40 mile radius between Wausau and Shawano, Wisconsin. There were three natural "pairings" already in place within the seven-point parish, with a history of sharing pastors and ministry within those pairings. The success of such a venture, it was noted, was the combination of the faith and diligence of the people of God.
Many meetings eventually led to the formation of a Mission Statement:
"The seven-point cooperative ministry of The United Lutheran Parish is intent on assisting each individual congregation in carrying out their own defined ministry and mission. Together, under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit and with encouragement from one another, we commit ourselves to share our faith, hope, and love in the strong name of Jesus, in our rural setting."
These seven churches formed an Advisory Council, consisting of church presidents and other leaders at each site, with the purpose of assisting each individual church council in joint decision-making, policy formation, and financial commitments. The individual councils continue to set policy for their own churches regarding issues relevant to their own history, context, and voices of their people.
The United Lutheran Parish Preamble contains these words:
"We are separate, independent congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. However, we believe that the church is more than our own congregation. Thus we join hands with neighboring congregations in order to give witness to Christ's love and life-giving power for changed lives in our community, country and world. The seven-point parish is not one parish serving multi-locations. It is multi-locations with their own missions and identity, working together through joint ministries."
The Parish defined agreements regarding each site's financial obligations to the TULP budget, the maintenance of their own properties, Sunday School or VBS programs (unless in cooperative arrangement), specific joint financial obligations, and mission commitments. Synod reports and annual reports would be prepared by each church site. Once the Pastoral Team was in place, joint adult education programs were arranged, joint confirmation programs coordinated, committees formed, and decisions were made regarding worship scheduling, visits to shut-ins and the sick, social ministry projects, and opportunities for fellowship within the parish.
Bulletins were synchronized in regard to liturgical flow, with each site devising their own bulletin covers, printing their own site announcements. Later, Sunday bulletins were prepared centrally, then sent to each site for final copying. Worship Planning Team members (representatives of each of the seven churches) began to work with a pastor to make decisions regarding music and liturgy for the worshipping community. All seven churches began singing the same hymns each Sunday, using the same worship tools (LBW and WOV) for the cause of unity. The churches made decisions regarding frequency of communion distribution, so that each site could have pastors distribute communion twice per month during worship.
Pastoral care visits to shut-ins and those in special need were charted and divided by the Pastoral Team. Weddings, baptisms, funerals, and special programs were planned at the discretion of the pastors. First Communion throughout the parish was offered to fifth graders who successfully completed their preparation classes. Confirmation classes began in the fall, with Gr. 7, 8, and 9, with Confirmation on Reformation Sunday for Gr. 9.
A TULP Central Office Site was selected in Tilleda (a former parsonage) where a part-time coordinator/treasurer, Diane Kryll, would serve the parish. Some sites chose to employ secretaries to assist in bulletin preparation, newsletter mailings, and to handle general business matters specific to that church. A parsonage serves the parish at Pella, where Pastor Jim and Pastor Carol Johnson became residents. Pastor Shari Routh agreed to initially serve part-time, commuting from New London. Pastor Howard Buenting agreed to contract as a part-time pastor for TULP, following his retirement in 2000.
The Red Tulip with a Cross became the logo for TULP, by its symbolic representation of a united central base, and separate functioning petals, bound in Christ's mission and commission.
Each pastor serves a pairing of the churches each Sunday, or the single site, St. Matthew's. The scheduling cycle continues in a rotation of the four pastors staying at each site for two weeks, then rotating. It became important to synchronize worship times for certain sites to facilitate this movement.
The Pastoral Team has clearly defined pastoral duties, meeting weekly for staffing review of special events, planning, sermon preparation, reviewing special needs and prayer requests, in prayerful consideration of the parish and area. Division of labor, or defined areas of ministry for the Team include these areas: Administrative duties; Evangelism/Stewardship/Outreach; Adult Education; Social Ministry; Worship Planning; Youth Education; Youth Ministry; Pastoral Care; WELCA and Men's groups; Fellowship.
Leadership from the individual churches needed to be significant and reliable from the beginning, in order for the new programs, joint projects, and ministry opportunities to address the needs of the people. Lay ministry within the parish was noted as significant and vital, from all seven sites. Bill Kriegel of Tigerton became a graduate of the synod-sponsored Lay School of Ministry, to further equip himself for lay ministry commitments, and agreed to serve in pulpit supply or other parish needs occasionally.
Worship attendance within the parish gradually began to grow within a few months, as did membership and baptism at some sites. Pastors were intentional, as were evangelism groups, in attempting to reach out to those whose anxieties and questions needed to be addressed. A monthly TULP newsletter was developed and mailed to over 600 home sites within the parish. Eventually, Wednesday evening worship was put in place, at one (rotating) site within the parish.
It was noted by the people and by the pastors that the prayer life of the parish led to a greater movement of the Spirit to solidify the purpose and capacity of this cooperative parish ministry. Hospitality and compassion to inquirers and visitors was needed and began to rise. Willingness of church members to adjust to change, to negotiate, compromise, and instill hope and enthusiasm in others became a visible product of that faith-building. The Pastoral Team's love for the people and willingness to be available and approachable was recognized as an important element in bringing about a more peaceful transition period for the seven churches.
On July 22, 2001, The United Lutheran Parish celebrated its first full year of joint ministry with a joint worship at Pella Park, led by all four pastors and the joint TULP choir led by Linda Krueger of Zion. It was an occasion of shared Word and Sacrament, and good food and fellowship as the seven churches came together to remember their connectedness as a community rooted in Christ, bound together, yet separate. The large crowd which gathered provided a witness of faith to the community at large. It was decided that this would be an annual event.
© Copyright 2003 by tulpchurch.com
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