Suggested by Joel.
This is from St Andrew's - Middleton - the one with the 2nd campus that took out the pews and made it a coffeehouse church - - - -
cut and paste:
Call for Crossroads Consulting - Q & A
It was our privilege to have Pastor Stroh as our guest two weeks ago to explain more about the ministry of
helping churches. Pastor Stroh reviewed for us some of the questions people asked and the answers below:
Is Pastor Stroh taking the place of our vicar who just left?
No. The timing might make it appear that way, but this has nothing to do with the vicar program.
Isn’t it unusual for a pastor to be asking for a call?
Yes, these are unusual circumstances but this is a special opportunity to be a blessing to many WELS
congregations… for the sake of God’s Kingdom. District President Herb Prahl is supportive of this
call and is happening in other churches, too.
Would this be a permanent or temporary call?
This could be limited to one year, for both Pastor Stroh and St. Andrew to see if the partnership is
mutually beneficial.
What will this cost our congregation?
Pastor Stroh is not asking for any financial commitment from us, however our leadership is
recommending we support this ministry to other churches by paying the pension for Pastor Stroh, app.
$2,000 per year.
Why are we considering doing this? What’s the rationale?
When Parish Assistance was defunded by the WELS for budget reasons, congregations continued to
ask for assistance. Many encouraged Pastor Stroh to launch a new consulting ministry. Pastor Stroh
would like to partner with a local congregation to remain a called pastor in the WELS; it will help him
relate to churches he’s serving. He considers St. Andrew a congregation others can learn from and a
good fit for his consulting ministry.
What would you actually be doing to help our WELS congregations?
Go to http://www.nextdisciple.com and click on GIA Projects to access the process of Crossroads
Consulting. Grace in Action (GIA) is a group of WELS lay leaders who came together to provide new innovative methods to extend existing ministries and develop new ministries to proclaim the gospel message of Christ crucified.
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Crossroads Consulting Ministry is directed by Pastor Elton C. Stroh. Pastor Stroh served as a WELS parish pastor for 24 years during which, under God, he launched a new congregation, served as senior pastor in a turnaround congregation, and was privileged to serve in a number of district and synodical positions. Most recently he served as a church consultant and directed WELS Parish Assistance – a consulting ministry that became a blessing to about 500 congregations with the assistance of both full- and part-time lead consultants and well over 100 associate consultants. Pastor Stroh also conducted the Turnaround Churches in the WELS research project.
Crossroads Consulting Ministry offers both a comprehensive and streamlined ministry planning process, both of which are custom designed around the needs and desires of client congregations. Each planning process includes the following: (1) analysis of current reality, (2) development of short- and long-range ministry goals, and (3) strategic implementation. Special services are also provided as requested. Examples of these services include developing multi-site ministries, coaching/mentoring, leadership development, organizational realignment, organizing staff for maximum effectiveness, teambuilding, and assisting with conflict management.
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GJ - Pastor Randy has the female "Minister of Worship," but that does not make her a female pastor. Oh no.