Deployed staff facilitates 

Salem is following the model of Hospital del

mission and ministry 

Alma ( Hospital for the Soul ), in Leisure City, Fla.

Tabor helped the congregation acquire an existing

Ten years ago, the Southeastern District 

church building and bring in a preschool/after 

pioneered a staffing model with  mission and 

school day care operator to lease space.  Hospital 

ministry facilitators  placing staff  in the field  to

hosts language and job training programs on

serve a specific number of congregations  on the

Saturdays. The daycare and training programs are

front line.  The model has been followed by more

self sustaining and help pay the mortgage. 

than a dozen other districts. 

 We have to think outside the box,  says Rev.

Working in assigned regions, their goal is to

Douglas Kallesen, the district's executive director of

build healthier, stronger congregations and help

outreach.   These creative approaches bring in a

them develop new ministries together, explained

positive cash flow. The district is not just a land 

Rev. Ken Carlson, facilitator in the Southeastern

lord we have ministry going on! God is opening

District's North Region. He said pastors and lay

doors of opportunity!  

leaders,  see us as colleagues who walk and work

with them. 

Big area, small numbers,

Carlson and two other facilitators help con 

rich opportunity

gregations assess their strengths and weaknesses.

They offer specialized workshops for pastors, lay

Across 700 miles from the eastern plains to

leaders and school staffs. They guide processes to

the western mountains and 350 miles north to

help congregations in conflict or calling a pastor. 

south, 63 congregations and 12,000 communicant

Associations of congregations have begun

members lie scattered in the Montana District. 

schools, revamped facilities for new uses and shared

 Small towns are disappearing, and young

ideas.  Our urban congregations have developed

people leave the state after graduating. The ranches

many ethnic ministries, including Eritrean,

and farms are now run by multi conglomerates or

Ethiopian, Sudanese, Hispanic, Liberian, Korean and

millionaires,  says District President George

Chinese,  Carlson said.  I believe these started, in

Wollenburg, who began his ministry in Montana 50

part, because of the networking we helped foster. 

years ago and has served as full time president since

1992.  Many congregations have combined because

Outreach model aids ministry 

there aren't enough pastors or they can't afford their

to Florida immigrants

own pastors.  

He said some pastors are equipping lay dea 

The blue roof became brown and God's

cons to give sermons and to visit the sick, pray for

Word, not pancakes, feeds people as a former

each other and take on more ministry tasks. He

International House of Pancakes building in Lake

described how a congregation in Havre is posting

Worth, Fla., now houses Salem Evangelical Haitian

sermons and educational materials on the Internet. 

Lutheran Church.

The district stopped subsidizing eight parishes

Next door is a 4,000 square foot facility that

and established a policy that existing congregations

the Florida Georgia District Lutheran Church

are responsible for new missions.  Our members

Extension Fund is buying to convert into a pre 

have to learn how to give,  Wollenburg said,  and

school and child care center. A private daycare oper 

also take ownership of the Word and Sacrament

ator will operate the center, providing income to

ministry.  

underwrite the mortgage. And the services will

During the past five years, a Bozeman congre 

allow members of Salem and their pastor, Rev. Elie

gation began a mission in Belle Grade and a

Louissaint, to reach neighborhood families.

Kalispell congregation began services in Creston.

 The sanctuary is the least used part of a

Native American congregations were organized on

church plant, and immigrant populations are usually

the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations. A

poor and can't support a new building,  says David

Hardin congregation is doing Hispanic ministry.

Tabor, a consultant to the district.  We're creating a

Wollenburg sees the district as  a connector. 

prototype for funding ethnic mission starts and

He tries to visit all  my pastors  at least annually

serving communities with social ministry and 

and urges them to  walk the streets and become

education at the same time.  

deeply involved in their communities. 

(39) FEBRUARY 2003

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