Town & Country e-mail newsletter   

This month we want to highlight two new opportunities to our Town & Country churches. One is a new initiative from the national Town & Country Commission, and the other is the new School of Discipleship called Solid Rock. We pray as you start this summer season that you will consider both opportunities.

Nancy King, Community Covenant, Upsala, MN

From the ECC Town & Country Commission

A new Coaching of Town & Country Pastors initiative is being launched this year by the Town & Country Commission of the Evangelical Covenant Church. A strong start is key to any ministry, and it is important for the new Town & Country pastor to know what to expect and how to navigate the beginning period of ministry.

Did you know that some of the biggest struggles in town and country ministry are isolation and loneliness? Pastors often feel "emotionally closed but socially exposed." But it doesn't have to be this way.

The good news is you are not alone. Imagine the prospect of pastors starting their call with the well-timed coaching of a seasoned town and country pastor. Imagine how encouraged a pastor will be to have regular coaching conversations with seasoned pastors who have walked the road themselves. At the Town & Country Commission we have developed resources and a coaching program to help pastors thrive in their first year of Town & Country ministry.

Making your first impression at your new town and country church is key to starting your new call off right. We want to resource new call pastors with a solid guide, developed by seasoned pastors, on how to get off to the best start at their church. Whether it is getting the blessing of the eldest member, or spending your time out in the community, we pass along valuable advice on how to make the most of their first three days.

Having a pastor-coach come alongside a new town and country pastor for their first year of this type of ministry is invaluable. It is our goal to connect pastors with a coach before they even arrive at their new call. Coaches will not only help them navigate the entrance into their new church family, but coaches will help pastors navigate the complicated first year of town and country ministry. Because we want pastors to thrive in ministry, the TCC has already paid most of the coaching costs. For $25 a month, pastors will have biweekly conversations with their coach, face-to-face discussions at conference annual meetings and pastor spouse retreat, and an ongoing friendship that will provide years of support and encouragement in their town and country ministry.

Plans and details are coming together for the Solid Rock Discipleship Program. As the busyness of summer is starting, the work of getting Solid Rock ready to open in the fall is in the homestretch. Curriculum development has been moving along smoothly and the list of core courses is now available on Solid Rock's webpage.

Preparations for this fall also include nearing completion on the new residence space for Solid Rock students and LBBC summer staff. This was a big project and much thanks goes to the hard work of Lake Beauty staff and the many volunteers who have helped. Check out the photos to see the transformation from basement storage to brand new housing.

Applications are still open for this fall. Visit Solid Rock's webpage to download the application materials. So far, seven students are enrolled in Solid Rock's first cohort, but there is still time for more young adults to apply.

Finally, it was a great Memorial Day Family Camp at Lake Beauty Bible Camp including a groundbreaking ceremony for the new dining hall addition. This new building will provide much needed meeting space for camp and the upper level will house the classroom, library and lounge space for Solid Rock. Construction is planned to begin in a few weeks. We are also looking for financial partners. If you would like to partner with us, please contact Brian Alnes at brian@lbbc.com or call (320) 732-3218.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement as this new ministry is forming.

Stephen Hanson

Director of Solid Rock Discipleship Program

Lake Beauty Bible Camp

Have you ever considered having an intern spend time in your church? The Covenant Church in LaBolt, SD, did and here's their experience.

By Linda Chapman, LaBolt, SD 

Having an intern come for a summer was a new concept for our congregation in rural northeast South Dakota. It was also new for our pastor, Mark Chapman. Having an intern stay for the summer was a commitment-and a serious weighty assignment. A young man's calling was at stake. Trevor Stillin, a first-year Seminary student at North Park was struggling with clarity in his calling. The internship was to help him hear God's voice regarding continuing toward becoming a pastor.

The congregation embraced Trevor. Another young single man from our congregation opened his home free of charge. This was great on two levels. Trevor would live right within the community, and would have a friend and peer to relate to. Others had him to their homes and workplaces and gave him feedback on his preaching and worship leading.

God provided opportunities for Trevor, both in the intense reality of ministry as well as some contemplative time for him to be alone, pray and study God's word. The first week of Trevor's arrival, a family from the community requested pastoral care for an incarcerated son. The jail visit and time with the family was heart-wrenching in its stark exposure of pain. It was clear how God had orchestrated the events. Soon after came ministering to a homeless teenage girl, elderly end-of-life visits, Vacation Bible School and the full rigors of day-to-day ministry and church worship planning. Trevor was renewed in his passion to serve a rural church.

Trevor was also given the assignment of preaching a sermon series and got the opportunity to feel what it was like to stay on top of study and preparation within the daily ministry routine.

Prayer, meditation and times of listening were also intentionally inserted in his week. Because of the kinds of real ministry opportunities that Trevor was part of, as well as his time of listening and praying, his calling became real again. The mentoring from the senior pastor to bring him along in all aspects of pastoral life was also life changing. Eating and visiting with the congregation and letting them love him was essential to the experience.

Internships need not be more complicated than this: Participating in both the intense and the mundane, staying in the Word, a commitment from the pastor to take him alongside in all aspects of ministry, and encouragement from the congregation. God is good and provides all we needed to make Trevor's internship fruitful for him and our community ... all in the name of Jesus Christ.

Congratulations on groundbreaking!