At this time of year many congregations are busy working on their budget for next year. Questions like, “What will we be able to do?” and “Why don’t people give more?” and “Where can we cut expenses?” may be discussed. These aren’t unimportant questions, for we’re talking about God’s ministry and what He wants us to do. But there may be even more important questions to ask as you go about setting your budget. To help you in this process, this Leadership Enhancement Opportunity (LEO) features Billy Brath of Lutheran Church Extension Fund, St. Louis speaking to us on Tuesday, October 12 at 7:00 PM.

Almost all of our congregations have older adults in our midst, but sometimes we don’t know what their needs are. At other times we don’t know how to utilize the many gifts that these people have. In this Leadership Enhancement Opportunity (LEO), we will hear from ALOA (Adults Lutherans Organized for Action) and be given insights on how to “encourage and equip congregations for older adult ministry.”

Do you want more leaders in your congregation? Do you need ideas on how to develop and grow new leaders in your congregation? In this LEO we explore a helpful model that demonstrates the leader’s role for growing and empowering good leaders. We will also review the importance of establishing a covenant and a charter with leaders of your church.  Kurt Bickel leads our conversation and presents helpful tips for all congregational leaders.

Without a doubt, everything (except God and His Word) has changed in the last year, and that includes Lutheran congregations in America! But as we hopefully approach the end of the pandemic, it’s time to refocus our attention on our mission to “make disciples of all nations.” To help us in our “reopening”, Rev. Zach Zehnder (author of “The Red Letter Challenge”) answers questions like: What, if anything, should you be doing differently? What do you need to think about and plan for as you move toward this summer and next fall? How can you better achieve your mission?

This workshop features leaders from 5 congregations of the Eastern District as they brainstorm ways of safely holding VBS in 2021.