God is doing something new with United Methodists and Lutherans in Lake City.
PASTOR JEAN M. SMITH
Lake City UMC
Sunday, April 9th was a milestone day in Lake City, Michigan. On that date, two churches from two different denominations voted, by a significant margin, to enter into a covenant of shared ministry together. They will share one pastor and serve one community in the name of Jesus Christ.
Lake City United Methodist Church, with just under 160 members, and St. John’s Lutheran Church, with about 250 members, both were in a place of diminishing people and financial resources. It became apparent that something unconventional needed to happen.
So in February, 2017 Pastor Rosanne Anderson of St. John’s Lutheran and Lake City UMC’s Pastor Jean Smith began sharing concerns about the future of the congregations they served. For some time, Pastor Rosanne had had a vision of shared ministry across denominational lines with another church in the Lake City community. How might two churches join forces, share resources and clergy, so that together they can be more effective in ministry for Christ in a small community? What might that look like? Could these two churches catch that vision and dream about ministry opportunities they could share?
Both leaders felt the urgency of keeping a United Methodist and Evangelical Lutheran Church presence in the community since both churches had a long and vital history in the area. Both pastors knew the importance of each congregation maintaining its unique denominational flavor, while doing many things together.
Before Pastor Rosanne and Pastor Jean approached their congregations, they took the dream to their denominational leaders, Bishop Craig Satterlee of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod of ELCA and Grand Traverse District Superintendent Rev. Anita Hahn. Bishop Craig and Rev. Anita caught the excitement about the possibility of shared ministry between two churches serving one community. They gave their full support and blessing for the congregations to move forward.
While each church is different, both congregations are alike in the essentials: they both believe Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again to restore broken relationship with God. The two Communion tables are open to all who desire to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Both believe in one baptism in the name of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. .
Having been affirmed, where to start growing vital congregations in the midst of a small, rural Northern Michigan? One youth group welcomed youth from both churches to grow in faith together. Singers from each church combined their voices in both worship services on Sunday morning. Bible studies briought people of the two churches together to learn and grow in their understanding of the others’ faith perspective. And this is just the beginning of what God can do!
Thanks to this outside-the-box visioning, beginning Sunday, July 2nd Jean Smith will serve as the pastor of both Lake City United Methodist Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church
As of this writing, the congregations are gathering equal numbers of people from each congregation to serve on a Mutual Ministry Team. These folks will meet together with Pastor Rosanne and Pastor Jean through the spring to help pave the way for this new thing to happen. They will vision for future ministry together, work out the logistics of worship and Sunday school times (at present both churches worship at the same hour), and dream God-sized dreams.
Pastor Jean reflects, “My vision for this effort comes from God speaking to the prophet Isaiah: ‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.’ (Isaiah 43:19, NLT). I truly believe this is a God-given vision for us and that God is already doing a new thing in our midst.”
These Lake City churches covet the prayers of brothers and sisters across Michigan that they may be blessed as they move forward to the glory of God.
Last Updated on May 8, 2017