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‘Money for nothing’

The Lutheran church and college community of Rockingham Mandurah at the far southern fringe of Perth has raised more than $7000 by collecting bottles and cans for recycling.

The community signed up with the Western Australian Government initiative Containers for Change when it commenced in October 2020. Proceeds from the sale of the bottles and cans they collect are being directed to the maintenance of the chapel, which is owned by the congregation and used by both congregation and college communities.

Recycling bins are placed around the college grounds, including near the chapel and its carpark so that congregation members can easily deposit their bottles and cans on Sundays. Families, friends and neighbours of the Lutheran community are getting on board, too. They simply use the unique ID number when depositing at a recycling centre, and the payment goes directly into the Lutheran community’s bank account.

‘It’s easy, safe and efficient’, said Pastor Steve Liersch, who was a committed recycler when he was serving a congregation in the Adelaide Hills and was keen to introduce the idea to his community in Western Australia.

‘Our participation in the scheme is providing a regular income stream for us’, he said. ‘It’s taking care of the chapel maintenance budget, which is now ticking away on its own.’ So far, the congregation has been able to replace the 20-year-old carpets and blinds, and upgrade the sound system. Their next project is the renovation of the kitchen.

Pastor Liersch encourages all congregations to get on board with recycling. ‘It’s money for nothing’, he said.

There is another clear benefit in being involved in the scheme. Pastor Liersch said that students are learning the environmental benefits of recycling from an early age and can see themselves making a positive difference.

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Lutheran education community back together

by Kate Bourne

After a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Conference on Lutheran Education (ACLE) was held in Melbourne last month, drawing 450 in-person attendees and a further 120 people online.

The hybrid conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre offered an opportunity for connection and re-connection for a Lutheran education community that has faced significant challenges in the past couple of years.

The ACLE theme was ‘One voice, many paths’. With more than 40 presenters leading sessions across the three-day event from 5 July, participants were able to hear from those currently serving in Lutheran education, as well as national and international keynote speakers.

Opening the conference, Lutheran Education Australia (LEA) Executive Director Lisa Schmidt thanked participants for their ‘passionate and dedicated service over the past few years’. ‘This is our long-awaited chance to gather as a whole again’, she said. ‘Communities need connection and nurturing – the next few days is a dedicated time for doing that.’

International speakers included Rev Dr Chad Rimmer, a Lutheran pastor who serves as the program executive for Identity, Communion and Formation at the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, Switzerland. Neuroscience trainer Nathan Wallis travelled from New Zealand to present a three-part series entitled ‘Engage your brain and the first 1000 days’, which was of particular interest for early childhood educators.

During a collaborative session designed to inform the national initiative exploring our vision for learners and learning, attendees were asked, ‘What’s your vision for the learner and learning in 2022 and beyond in Lutheran education?’.

Given the experience schools have had in recent times it was no surprise that the session ‘Me, We, Us, Wellbeing in the Workplace’, led by Natasha Rae, was in high demand and required a last-minute change to seating configuration to allow more people to attend.

On the final day, Dave Faulkner and Maddie Scott-Jones from professional learning organisation Education Changemakers prompted participants to work together in school groups to develop a plan for action and impact to take back to their schools.

Addressing conference attendees, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith described Lutheran schooling as an integral part of the ongoing life and mission of the church. ‘While the Lutheran Church has been forming young people through its schools, Lutheran schooling has been forming the church’, he said. ‘Therefore, that makes ACLE a significant event in the Lutheran Church calendar’.

At the conclusion of the conference, the ACLE candle was extinguished and handed to Lutheran Education Queensland, which will host the next triennial event in 2025.

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Lutheran education community back together

by Kate Bourne

After a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Conference on Lutheran Education (ACLE) was held in Melbourne last month, drawing 450 in-person attendees and a further 120 people online.

The hybrid conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre offered an opportunity for connection and re-connection for a Lutheran education community that has faced significant challenges in the past couple of years.

The ACLE theme was ‘One voice, many paths’. With more than 40 presenters leading sessions across the three-day event from 5 July, participants were able to hear from those currently serving in Lutheran education, as well as national and international keynote speakers.

Opening the conference, Lutheran Education Australia (LEA) Executive Director Lisa Schmidt thanked participants for their ‘passionate and dedicated service over the past few years’. ‘This is our long-awaited chance to gather as a whole again’, she said. ‘Communities need connection and nurturing – the next few days is a dedicated time for doing that.’

International speakers included Rev Dr Chad Rimmer, a Lutheran pastor who serves as the program executive for Identity, Communion and Formation at the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, Switzerland. Neuroscience trainer Nathan Wallis travelled from New Zealand to present a three-part series entitled ‘Engage your brain and the first 1000 days’, which was of particular interest for early childhood educators.

During a collaborative session designed to inform the national initiative exploring our vision for learners and learning, attendees were asked, ‘What’s your vision for the learner and learning in 2022 and beyond in Lutheran education?’.

Given the experience schools have had in recent times it was no surprise that the session ‘Me, We, Us, Wellbeing in the Workplace’, led by Natasha Rae, was in high demand and required a last-minute change to seating configuration to allow more people to attend. Natasha works at Geelong Lutheran College and, with such a positive response to her session, it is anticipated further workshops will be arranged so more people can hear her message.

On the final day, Dave Faulkner and Maddie Scott-Jones from professional learning organisation Education Changemakers prompted participants to work together in school groups to develop a plan for action and impact to take back to their schools.

Addressing conference attendees, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith described Lutheran schooling as an integral part of the ongoing life and mission of the church. ‘While the Lutheran Church has been forming young people through its schools, Lutheran schooling has been forming the church’, he said. ‘Therefore, that makes ACLE a significant event in the Lutheran Church calendar’.

At the conclusion of the conference, the ACLE candle was extinguished and handed to Lutheran Education Queensland, which will host the next triennial event in 2025.

Kate Bourne is LEA Administration Assistant.

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School and early learning staff recognised

During last month’s Australian Conference on Lutheran Education (ACLE) in Melbourne, more than 160 current staff members were honoured for having served Lutheran education for 30 or more years.

The recognition covers all staff of Lutheran schools and early learning centres who have served for three decades or more. Recipients had their photos shown on a digital kiosk in the ACLE exhibition hall, seen by attendees during conference break times, and have been sent a handwritten thank-you note by Lutheran Education Australia.

One teacher whose service was highlighted said, ‘being recognised for 30 years’ service is quite an honour but we teach and serve because we love to and not for the kudos’.

‘We work in partnership with each other and the parents who entrust their children to us’, the teacher said. ‘If we look at this milestone as a way of recognising the many years of God’s blessings and guidance, and the many wonderful colleagues, students, parents and congregational members we have met along the way, I am okay with it!’

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New ALWS leader ready to serve

Lifelong Lutheran and experienced business leader Michael Stolz has been appointed Executive Director of Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) and will start the new role next month.

Mr Stolz, pictured, brings a wealth of high-level experience and expertise in business, consulting, project management and governance, with a strong track record of 30 years in transport, energy, defence, mining logistics and not-for-profit sectors. Gaining a Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautical) in 1985, Mr Stolz also has an Executive Master of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The son of missionary parents, he spent the first 15 years of his life in Papua New Guinea. He believes his life’s values were formed there, including an interest and commitment to the developing world.

From early adulthood, he has served the Lutheran Church – in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland – in roles including school establishment committees, congregation evangelism and stewardship teams, and District and Churchwide committees. He served as a non-executive director of the General Church Board (GCB) from 2012 to 2018. He is currently serving as chair of the board of his local congregation, Prince of Peace, Everton Hills, in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.

LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith said Mr Stolz would bring ‘faithful passion and purposeful deliberation to the role of executive director of ALWS’. ‘I have served with Michael in Lutheran agencies and on committees for almost 30 years, and I cherish his deep understanding of the gospel and his heartfelt yearning to serve the church in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus’, Bishop Paul said.

A long-time personal supporter of ALWS, in 2020 Mr Stolz joined the ALWS Board as a non-executive board member and also the Finance Audit & Risk Committee as a member.

ALWS Board chair Jodie Hoff said: ‘We thank God for calling Michael to this role. He is an exceptionally experienced and gifted team leader. On top of that, his governance experience on GCB and the ALWS Board will be invaluable.

‘For all his life he has sought to serve God wherever God has placed him – and he has done this with deep passion, great faith and profound humility. We look forward to how God will work through him as we bring God’s love to life in those the world forgets.’

Mr Stolz said he was looking forward to meeting stakeholders and staff and working with the ALWS team to ‘deliver an even stronger, better organisation that delivers impactful development and aid outcomes for the forgotten people in our wider world’.

‘It’s such a joy to witness how ALWS can bring together the mission field of students and staff in our Lutheran schools with our local church communities, together reaching out to people in the world’s most vulnerable communities’, he said. ‘You only have to see people of all ages stepping out in Walk My Way, and families in refugee camps celebrating that their children can now go to school, to know that ALWS is a precious gift of God to enable us to go and grow and bring love to life.’

Mr Stolz is married to Kathy, and they have four adult children.

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LCANZ hosts international mission gathering

by Nathan Hedt

International mission practitioners, researchers and theologians from four different continents met recently in North Adelaide, hosted by the LCANZ’s New and Renewing Churches department at Australian Lutheran College.

The International Consultation on Ecclesial Futures (ICEF, formerly known as the IRC, International Research Consortium) is a yearly get-together of mission scholars and practitioners which is hosted across four continents on a rotating basis. The LCANZ was privileged to host the 2022 gathering, originally planned for June 2020, and twice postponed due to COVID, in Adelaide.

Guests from various denominations attended from South Africa, the USA, Australia, the UK and Denmark. Fifteen people attended in person and others joined in and presented online through Zoom. Each day of the week-long conference featured presentations and discussions of missional papers from various ICEF members.

The theme of the conference and open day was ‘Riding the Waves of Change’. Presentation and discussion topics included ‘Exploring exile as a theological narrative for churches emerging from COVID lockdown’, ‘Christian spiritual formation that guards resilience’, ‘Developing a Trinitarian theology of leadership’ and ‘Lessons from 30 years of NCLS surveys in Australia’.

Attendees at the open day held at Adelaide West Uniting Church heard presentations from missional scholars from four different continents and discussed the implications and actions arising from these presentations with a focus on their own local church’s mission and action.

The day was a wonderful opportunity for more than 60 attendees to receive and reflect on missional approaches from many different perspectives. Although originally planned as a fully in-person event, one of the presenters tested positive for COVID and one could not travel from the UK because of a COVID diagnosis, so they gave presentations on Zoom – a perfect illustration of the waves of change that all of us have faced in the past two and a half years! The presenters took us through a post-war history of the mission of the church in Australia; New Testament approaches to spiritual formation; assessing whether your local church is ready for change, and the dynamics of the change process in local churches.

The conference open day sessions have been recorded and will be made available for viewing via the New and Renewing Churches website at www.newandrenewingchurches.org.au

The IRC/ICEF conference and open day were made possible by a grant from the LLL.  What a wonderful blessing and privilege to get to know, and hear from, mission practitioners and researchers from all over the world during this week!

Pastor Nathan Hedt is Manager of the LCANZ New and Renewing Churches Department.

Pictured  L-R: Edwin Van Driel (USA), Marius Nel (South Africa), Scot Sherman (USA), Frederick Marais (South Africa), Scott Hagley (USA), Gayle Hill (Aus), Nelus Niemandt (South Africa), Nathan Hedt (Aus), Doret Niemand (South Africa), Dean Eaton (Aus), Ruth Powell (Aus), Ian Robinson (Aus), Glen Powell (Aus). At home due to COVID: Steen Olsen (Aus), Pat Keifert (USA), Nigel Rooms (UK), Mike Harrison (UK)

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Lutheran pastor honoured in Queen’s Birthday list

LCANZ pastor Darren Jaensch has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List. The Director General Chaplaincy – Army since December 2017, Pastor Darren has been made a Member (AM) in the Military Division of the Order of Australia for ‘exceptional performance of duty in chaplaincy leadership and development’.

An Australian Army chaplain in various roles since beginning part-time with the Army Reserve in 1998, he accepted a full-time call with the Army two years later. Released by the LCA to represent the church in that mission context, Pastor Darren will be returning to parish ministry in 2023, having accepted a call to Holy Cross Lutheran Church at Belconnen in the Australian Capital Territory.

Pastor Darren described receiving the AM as ‘a very humbling but wonderful affirmation’. ‘The sad part is that our entire Army chaplaincy team provides amazing ministry that contributes to the recognised achievements, but there is only one recipient of the award’, he said.

‘Our Army chaplains are engaged in meaningful human interactions, meeting soldiers (and their families) in the raw realities of their lives and the sacred spaces of their spiritual walk and human existence, most recently in supporting the Australian community through COVID-19 and the floods. All the while, sharing their hardships and dangers. And it is my deep honour to lead them whilst flying the flag for our beloved LCANZ.

‘The affirmation is nice, particularly for my family who bear the cost and are long-suffering, but all glory belongs to God in whom “we live and move and have our being”.’

The citation of his honour reads: ‘Principal Chaplain Jaensch’s exceptional leadership as the Director General Chaplaincy – Army has optimized relevant and effective chaplaincy across Army. His wisdom, persistence and compassion have progressed the recruiting and integration of gender and culturally diverse, full and part-time and multi-faith chaplains’.

The congratulations of the church are offered to Pastor Darren and any other members honoured with awards.

To learn more about what our Army and other Australian Defence Force chaplains do, see the following videos: https://youtu.be/RX4ZXLq3ymQ; https://youtu.be/2kFgiOIyGM8 and https://youtu.be/q0WQFdhzI38

Pictured above: Brigadier Darren Jaensch stands in the tower of the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France. Photograph: LSIS Jake Badior. Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence

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General Synod to discuss ordination for fifth time

Six proposals relating to the ordination of both women and men have been submitted for consideration by delegates at February’s in-person sessions of the 20th Convention of General Synod, to be held in Melbourne.

This will be the fifth time that some form of the difficult ordination question has come before General Synod, the first being in 2000.

Two of the LCANZ Districts and four congregations have submitted proposals on the subject. Three of them, including one from the South Australia – Northern Territory District, ask for the removal of Clause 6.11 from the Theses of Agreement, which rules that men only may be ordained as pastors of the church.

The Theses of Agreement was the foundational document on which two Lutheran synods united as the Lutheran Church of Australia in 1966.

The Queensland District’s proposal calls for the LCANZ’s General Church Board (GCB) and College of Bishops (CoB) to investigate the ‘theological, constitutional and governance requirements’ that would allow the LCANZ to operate as ‘one church with two different practices of ordination’.

A joint meeting of the GCB and CoB this year submitted minor amendments to the Queensland District Synod, which met from 10 to 13 June 2022 and approved the changes. In supporting the Queensland proposal, the GCB and CoB said, ‘by acknowledging that agreement does not exist on this matter, we are then free to consider a godly way to collegially participate in the mission God has given us for the wellbeing of the church that we love and serve in together’.

Other proposals to General Synod relate to the review of the church’s processes for ecclesiastical discipline and adjudication; the review of the LCA Constitution; and membership of the Lutheran World Federation and International Lutheran Council. These and other proposals can be found on the General Synod website Business page: www.generalsynod.lca.org.au

Information packages on the key General Synod proposals will be mailed to delegates before the in-person sessions so that they can be well prepared to fully participate in the Synod discussion. Videos will be produced to help congregations and members learn more about the topics and discuss the issues in their congregations and communities.

The 2023 General Synod in-person sessions will be a continuation of the October 2021 sessions, which were held online due to COVID travel and gathering restrictions.

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LCANZ leaders confer on church worker supply

LCANZ leaders have met to discuss and address the urgent church worker supply shortage confronting the church.

Over the next 10 years, half of our active pastors will retire from full-time ministry. Currently the LCANZ has 239 pastors in active ministry. Seventeen men are serving as Specific Ministry Pastors, and there are 15 Aboriginal pastors.

Across the church, 65 Lutheran communities are seeking a pastor to serve among them. However, over the next two years, only five students are expected to graduate from Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in the pastoral ministry stream.

‘Lutheran Education Australia is working hard to prepare principals and leaders for our Lutheran schools’, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith said, ‘but our church needs more Lutheran women and men to be available for these roles.

‘In addition, parishes and church agencies are facing a dire situation regarding trained church workers being available to serve for the ministries of the church.’

The full-day Ministry Futures workshop, held in Adelaide on 18 May, was called by the College of Bishops to consider the church worker supply challenges the LCANZ faces, including ways to provide word and sacrament ministry as the number of Lutheran communities without a pastor increases.

Joining the bishops in the workshop were Pastor James Winderlich (ALC principal), Dr Tania Nelson (Executive Officer for Local Mission) and the three District mission directors, pastors Brett Kennett (Victoria), David Schmidt (Queensland) and Stephen Schultz (SA-NT). The workshop was facilitated by Victorian District Bishop Emeritus Greg Pietsch.

According to Bishop Smith, a strong theme of the day was ‘urgency to work together passionately and purposefully’ on this matter. ‘Participants commented often: “We don’t have time to dither”’.

At the heart of the morning session, workshop participants gathered in small groups for a long session of prayer together, with lament, petition, and thanksgiving.

Three key priorities emerged from the workshop conversations:

  • Pathways: develop pathways for specific ministries, such as pastor or chaplain, including specific pathways for ministries in schools and aged care, and church planting.
  • Regionalising: develop regional collaboration to determine how local areas work together for the provision of word and sacrament ministry in the mission God gives us.
  • Ordering Ministry: establish clear language for how we understand the ordering of ministry amongst us, including what we understand to be flexible. This includes engaging with CTICR’s 2022 project in the study of ordering ministry. (Currently the ordering is bishop, pastor, lay worker, and includes Lutheran principal, Lutheran teacher and chaplain.)

‘We are a small church denomination numerically’, said Bishop Smith, ‘but our Lutheran communities are a vital participant in the work of the gospel in Australia and New Zealand.

‘The group that met in May asks the people of the LCANZ to continue this work of prayer, asking the Lord to guide the outcomes of this preliminary work. Lord, make us bold for the sake of mission. Amen.’

The College of Bishops is working with Bishop Emeritus Pietsch to progress the recommendations of the workshop participants, including consultation and engagement across the LCANZ.

Participants at the LCANZ’s Ministry Futures workshop decided to share the whiteboard notes from their first session’s work. See the LCA website’s news section if you’d like to read the transcript.

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Lutheran pastor honoured in Queen’s Birthday list

LCANZ pastor Darren Jaensch has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List. The Director General Chaplaincy – Army since December 2017, Pastor Darren has been made a Member (AM) in the Military Division of the Order of Australia for ‘exceptional performance of duty in chaplaincy leadership and development’.

An Australian Army chaplain in various roles since beginning part-time with the Army Reserve in 1998, he accepted a full-time call with the Army two years later. Released by the LCA to represent the church in that mission context, Pastor Darren will be returning to parish ministry in 2023, having accepted a call to Holy Cross Lutheran Church at Belconnen in the Australian Capital Territory.

Pastor Darren described receiving the AM as ‘a very humbling but wonderful affirmation’. ‘The sad part is that our entire Army chaplaincy team provides amazing ministry that contributes to the recognised achievements, but there is only one recipient of the award’, he said.

‘Our Army chaplains are engaged in meaningful human interactions, meeting soldiers (and their families) in the raw realities of their lives and the sacred spaces of their spiritual walk and human existence, most recently in supporting the Australian community through COVID-19 and the floods. All the while, sharing their hardships and dangers. And it is my deep honour to lead them whilst flying the flag for our beloved LCANZ.

‘The affirmation is nice, particularly for my family who bear the cost and are long-suffering, but all glory belongs to God in whom “we live and move and have our being”.’

The citation of his honour reads: ‘Principal Chaplain Jaensch’s exceptional leadership as the Director General Chaplaincy – Army has optimized relevant and effective chaplaincy across Army. His wisdom, persistence and compassion have progressed the recruiting and integration of gender and culturally diverse, full and part-time and multi-faith chaplains … His leadership is in the finest traditions of the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force’ (ADF).

The congratulations of the church are offered to Pastor Darren and any other members honoured with awards.

To learn more about what our Army and other Australian Defence Force chaplains do, see the following videos: https://youtu.be/RX4ZXLq3ymQ; https://youtu.be/2kFgiOIyGM8 and https://youtu.be/q0WQFdhzI38

Pictured above: Brigadier Darren Jaensch stands in the tower of the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France. Photograph: LSIS Jake Badior. Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence

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