from Pastor Brian Campbell

The Futures Task Force has completed their work and recommendation, and remember it is a recommendation, is that the three Covenant Lutheran churches form a new church.

The Task Force suggests one church be designated as the temporary home, with the other properties be sold. During a consolidation, the new church discerns what and where it is called to serve, and then takes its new form and location. The Futures Task Force spells out their reasoning in the Current Analysis. Even before the Covid-19 crisis, the three churches were struggling financially, and none could survive without the other two.

The Future Task Force’s work was to make a recommendation for the future of the three churches, and suggest a possible way forward. All three of the Covenant congregations must agree to consolidate.

The recommendation is each congregation have an informational congregational meeting to learn and discuss how this would happen. Then, the congregation meets a second time to agree to consolidate, and begin to develop their plan on dissolving their assets and corporation. After the plan is developed, the congregation must again vote to dissolve. Another task force would plan how the consolidation happens.

While the congregations are dissolving, a new combined congregation will prepare and enact a plan to be a new congregation. All along this process, each congregation will have multiple opportunities to agree to continue to move forward, or not.

I thank the Task Force for their work and recommendations. I know how hard they worked and how difficult these decisions have been.

I hope that you prayerfully and thoughtfully consider what they have proposed. Ascension and Redeemer have already scheduled congregational meetings to discuss this matter, and St. Mark will schedule a meeting shortly. Please ask questions of the Task Force and your Church Council. For our work as Church Together to succeed, we need everyone to understand what we are doing, and to work for its success. The decision on the future of our churches is up to you.

The Futures Task Force Recommendations are available HERE,
Task Force Recommendations – June 11 2020  and are in the middle of the June 28th, 2020 Clicks of the CLOKC.