MNO Synod Bishop's Message

Our synod council engaged in a visioning process that helped us identify
missional directions in the coming biennium. We identified five areas, one
of which was addressing rural despair. As I travel the synod the despair is
evident. Rural population is decreasing and aging; resources are diminishing;
congregations are closing or reducing ministry tasks. There is an environment
of depression sinking some of our rural communities. This reality is scary and
moves people into a long term palliative care mode.

Rev. Dr. Cam Harder, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon facilitated a
conversation with our Northeastern Manitoba congregations in the fall of 2007.
In his presentation he lifted up the gifts of rural ministry to the church. He said
rural churches have the tools to build partnerships- they’ve been doing it for
generations. Rural churches have the power to convene and connect
generations as well as the strong and the weak. Rural churches help
communities navigate life’s passages and give people a process to celebrate
and lament. Rural churches know how to save the “remnant” that is used to
plant next year’s crop, a way to sustain a community.

These are valued assets that the urban church needs as well. Too often, communities are not formed in urban areas of the world. Too often partnerships are not developed because the urban congregations have access to many services that keep them independent of one another. The urban context also seems to focus more on programs that are age specific rather than intergenerational in nature. There are seniors centres, youth drop in centres, schools divided by age and sometimes even by gender. Community often seems fractured.

While this is not meant to be a comparison, it does emphasize what each context can bring to God’s mission in the world. God intends for us to be in community with one another, to support the “common good”, to engage people who are different than us so that we might learn from each other and use the variety of gifts given to us and those around us. We cannot continue to live in isolation of one another. We need to be in partnership with one another, sometimes for financial reasons but mostly for spiritual reasons. We were meant to share in the proclamation of the gospel. Rural and urban congregations both have valuable gifts that need to be shared.

The primary task of church leaders is to assist members in the task of spiritual discernment regarding a congregation’s call to ministry. One of the first tasks is to map the assets of a congregation- what are the gifts of the congregation? Every congregation has God given gifts, graces and resources. The discernment process, through which the people pray, worship and hear God’s word together, is a way to discern how God wants to use those gifts and use the congregation.
The risk is that God might lead the congregation in a different way than some of the members would like. The risk is that we might find that our gifts would enable another congregation to discern God’s call more fully in new and exciting ways and that it actually wouldn’t benefit us in a direct way. Cooperative ministry is especially helpful in enabling congregations to move beyond the nurture ministry focus of a congregation and to reach out to the community.

Rural ministry is an opportunity for the whole church to discern where God is leading. There is a hunger for hope in the midst of despair that only Christ can give. Through all congregations, hope can be present. Through shared resources, more and stronger ministries might develop. As we pray, worship and read the Word of God together, congregations and individuals can be lead to deeper faith.

Our 2008 synod convention will be held in Dauphin, MB. It is an intentional choice on the part of synod council leadership. It reminds us that rural congregations are partners with us in the proclamation of the gospel. It will provide an opportunity for us to witness the amazing gifts for ministry that rural congregations give to the church. We will be among God’s people in the rural places of our church. I hope it will be an opportunity for the “remnant” to plant new missional thinking that can sustain the whole church.

To view Bishop Elaine's blog click on the link below:
mnosynod.wordpress.com