Current Issue

Are You Ready to Renovate?

The church is restructuring, and now’s your chance to get in on the ground-floor stages of what could be a major overhaul.

My family is embarking on a home renovation this summer.

Exciting? Yes! Scary? Yes, really scary. And did I mention we will be living in the basement for the next four months? I will be preparing three meals a day in a makeshift kitchen that occupies my husband’s former workshop—no proper stove or oven, just a microwave, an electric frying pan, and a two-burner hot plate. And, of course, there’s always the barbecue. Not a bad setup, really.

My primary job, other than cleanup crew and head painter, will be containing our four-year-old and five-year-old to just a few rooms of the house for the entire summer. (Anyone in Winnipeg have a pool we can come use?) It will be an adventure, no doubt. But in the end, our home will function much more efficiently for our busy young family.

Change is hard. It thrusts us out of our comfort zone, out of our predictable routines and ways of doing everyday tasks. Here at the National Office we’ve seen our fair share of change over the past few years. Priorities have been refocused, staffing portfolios reorganized, and several positions—both in executive and support staff—have been eliminated in an effort to make this church more financially viable. Of course we didn’t just lose positions, we lost people: friends, co-workers, faithful servants. Thankfully, many of them continue to serve the church in other capacities.

For a small, close-knit church family, these decisions aren’t easy, and there will be more tough choices to come. Last year the National Church Council called for the establishment of a Structural Renewal Task Force that will examine all aspects of church operations and develop a new model for carrying out God’s mission in the world. While past restructuring efforts primarily focused on National Office staffing and the division of responsibilities between the synods and the head office, this initiative has the potential to be much bigger. There are no sacred cows in this discussion. Every potential solution—from changing our synodical structure to revamping the way we do National Convention—will be on the table, and now is your first chance to get in on that discussion. The Structural Renewal Task Force has posted an online survey that will help focus its efforts based on member feedback. Last fall I encouraged you to participate in the ELCIC’s Study of Human Sexuality, and now I’m asking for you to en-gage an equally—if not more—important issue of church structure. Our cover story on page 9 outlines the reasons behind the initiative, offers a look at past restructuring efforts, and explains more about how you can get involved.

The good news, of course, is that change is on the horizon. And even if change is difficult, it’s also exciting. Please take a few minutes to register your thoughts—and stay tuned. We will keep you posted on all the progress so that, together, we can ease into a new model of being and doing that will help this busy, young ELCIC family function more smoothly for years to come.

Lucia Carruthers, Editor