Anton Armstrong, the current conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, was the first to actually compete for the privilege of leading the world-famous ensemble. But he almost didn't make it. When his interview began, the choir had already had a long week of singing under other candidates. They sang the first piece under Armstrong with little emotion, then struggled with the second, Ralph Manuel's "Alleluia."

Sensing that things were not going well, Armstrong stopped the choir and asked an alto what the word "alleluia" meant. "A word exuding praise and joy," she answered. In light of that, Armstrong encouraged them to put their full energy into the song. When they started again, the choir took hold of the piece and, according to one observer, the music "leaped off the page." It was an illustration of one of Armstrong's core leadership beliefs: before an audience can understand and feel a piece, the singers must feel it.

How does that apply to church leadership? The answer is in the words of an experienced pastor: in order to be a leader, you have to be a follower. In Leading from the Inside Out, Sam Rima says that goes against the natural bent of many leaders. "The strong temptation," he writes, "is to simply begin leading. After all, that's what leaders do."

But in Mark 3:14, we read that Jesus "appointed twelve ... that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach." There's a clear order to things: they had to spend time-lots of time-with Jesus before they could go out themselves. Before they could be leaders, they had to be followers.

Make plans to send a team to the Converge leadership training event, which will take place at Redeemer Covenant Church in Brooklyn Park, MN, on Oct. 27.

Curt Peterson, executive minister of world mission for the Evangelical Covenant Church, will be giving an update on Covenant Kids Congo. The Redeemer Covenant Church team will lead worship.
 
The event will feature a variety of workshops designed for pastors and lay leaders to come together to learn and be inspired. Some of the topics that will be addressed include: church communications, local church governance, church finances, processing setbacks, children's ministry, funding strategies for local churches, risk management, working with volunteers, and more.
 
Visit our Converge page to download a promo poster and flyer/registration form.  

The Children & Family Commission is excited to sponsor "Imagine: A day for those serving Children & Families." Imagine is designed to connect people who work with kids, deliver concepts to apply to your ministry, and provide a place to share ideas and ask questions.

The event is FREE and open to anyone who works with kids. Lunch will be provided, and the event will feature speaker Tiger McLuen, as well as time for discussion, freebies and opportunities to browse and purchase resources.  

Come and learn about building a team of caring adults around each child, working with messy families, and practical ways for your volunteers to make a difference. We're confident this will be time well spent! Mark your calendars and please share this event with your staff and volunteers.  

WHO: All NWC Children/Family Staff and Volunteers

DATE: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012          

TIME: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Crossroads Covenant Church, 17445 Notre Dame Street NE, Forest Lake, MN 55025

SPEAKER: Tiger McLuen is the President of Youth Leadership, a local organization dedicated to educating, equipping and encouraging leaders in youth and family ministry

TOPIC: From Chaperones to Shepherds: Equipping your volunteers to engage in the spiritual formation of kids.

RSVP as a church group by Friday, Nov. 2 to 612-721-4893 or kara@nwc-cov.org. Download a promo flyer to share with your volunteers at www.nwc-cov.org/imagine 

Northwest Conference churches, members and attendees have an opportunity to stand alongside our Congolese friends in the remote area of Congo known as Equateur Province. Along with them, we are seeking to turn around the most overlooked province in the neediest country of the world.  

But it will take all of us, says ECC President Gary Walter. A partnership with World Vision is about to make sure our Congolese friends receive the help they need. Together we can make a difference!

Right now, we ask our NWC churches to schedule a "Hope Sunday" this coming fall 2012 in order to give members and attendees the opportunity to sponsor a child in Congo.  

For $40 per month, a Covenant household can make it possible to promote clean water, nutrition, education, health, and economic development; expressing God's love in tangible ways that provide opportunities for the recipients to experience new life in Jesus Christ.

An unprecedented need ... an unprecedented partnership!

Visit the Covenant Kids Congo blog to learn more and sign up to host a "Hope Sunday."  

Watch a video introduction to Covenant Kids Congo by ECC staff. 

Communications Corner

What should we talk about at Converge?    

Covenant Trust Company 

Planning your legacy   

Our 2012 Annual Meeting included the debut of three new videos highlighting the Ministry Priorities of the Northwest Conference. Each video features interview segments with church staff, lay leaders and pastors, intermixed with animations of statistics and key statements designed to help explain each priority.  

The videos are designed for use throughout the year in church new member classes, services and other adult education opportunities to help congregations better understand and engage the work of the NWC. The delegates from each church left with a DVD copy of the videos, and the series is available on the NWC web site's video page (www.nwc-cov.org/resources/videos) and Vimeo Channel (http://vimeo.com/channels/northwest).