Archive for category: News

by Rosie Schefe

Pastor Nich Kitchen is the new Assistant Bishop for the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ), following the unexpected early retirement of former assistant bishop, Pastor Jim Pietsch.

Elected to the position by his fellow pastors on 1 September, Pastor Nich said he accepted the nomination to the position to serve with Bishop Mark Whitfield because he had a heart for the Lutheran Church of New Zealand, where he grew up in faith. He felt this was a time when he needed to step up.

Ordained at the end of 2014, Pastor Nich served in the Victoria-Tasmania District: first in the Northern Tasmania parish and then as an interim pastor in Mildura.

He was installed as pastor at Mountainside Lutheran Church in Auckland in August 2018. The congregation is part of the LCANZ Cross-Cultural Ministry network, which intentionally links congregations with culturally diverse memberships. Pastor Nich himself has been a consultant to the LCANZ Department of Local Mission’s Committee for Cross-Cultural Ministry since 2021.

Pastor Jim Pietsch retired suddenly from active ministry and his call to St Paul’s Wellington early in August, in direct response to family need – to support his wife Grace as she cares for her ailing mother in Indonesia. Pastor Jim led his final service on 7 August, and the next day flew to join family members in Jakarta.

Pastor Jim was ordained in 1982, celebrating 40 years of ministry in January. He served in parishes at Whyalla and Waikerie in South Australia, and in the Melton, St Albans and Sunbury congregations in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. He also served a term as manager of theological books at Openbook Publishers.

Pastor Jim arrived in Wellington on Anzac Day 2013 and served at St Pauls for more than nine years.

He served as pastors’ representative on the LCNZ’s Council of Synod from 2015, then assistant bishop from 2017 until his retirement. The appointment of the assistant bishop is made by the Synod of LCNZ on the nomination of the pastors, and as Pastor Jim’s retirement came between conventions, the Council of Synod has appointed Pastor Nich to this position on the nomination of the pastors.

Rosie Schefe is Lutheran Church of New Zealand District Administrator and former editor of The Lutheran.

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Lutheran Super members can look forward to some exciting retirement benefits as a result of the superannuation fund’s decision to merge into the Mercer Super Trust via a successor fund transfer later this year.

That’s the view of Lutheran Super Chair John Grocke, who said the move would broaden services, options and support for members of the $700m-plus not-for-profit fund, which was established by the Lutheran Church of Australia in 1987 to enable church employees to plan for their retirement. Any LCANZ member was able to choose Lutheran Super as their superannuation fund from July 2019, when it became a public-offer fund.

Mr Grocke said the merger, which was announced in August by Mercer Super and Lutheran Super, was in the best financial interests of Lutheran Super’s 5,600 members, including more than 340 pensioners.

‘From the outset, we have sought a merger partner that could deliver the best retirement outcome possible for our members’, Mr Grocke said.

‘Following a rigorous process, we’re pleased to have chosen the Mercer Super Trust, where our members will access a wider range of services, options and personalised support to get the most out of their super or pension. Importantly, the merger will ensure that members continue to benefit from our tailored balanced investment option as well as other characteristics of the existing plan.’

Lutheran Super’s Balanced Growth (MySuper) option has performed strongly against its peers over the past five years. It continues to exceed the MySuper median as of June 2022 reporting.

In October 2021, it was named as one of the Top 10 growth funds by Australian online investment advisor Stockspot. It will continue as the MySuper option for Lutheran Super members in the Mercer Super Trust.

‘From strong investment performance to competitive fees, we’re proud of what we have achieved on behalf of our members over the years’, Mr Grocke said. ‘We know that our members’ best interests will continue to be protected as they join Mercer Super.’

Mercer Super Chief Executive Officer Tim Barber said the firm, which has provided administration, investment management and consulting services for Lutheran Super over many years, looked forward to continuing its service to members.

‘Mercer is proud of its long-term partnership with Lutheran Super’, he said. ‘We know well the deep commitment they have to helping their members enjoy a healthy retirement, and we look forward to welcoming them to Mercer Super.

The Mercer Super Trust currently manages more than $30 billion in funds and leverages the scale of Mercer globally, which has US$346 billion in assets under management. Upon completion of the Lutheran Super successor fund transfer and the recently announced successor fund transfer of BT Super, the Mercer Super Trust will have more than $65 billion in funds under management.

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