Iowa District East (IDE) is comprised of 118 congregations with 131 active, candidate, and emeriti pastors. We also have 8 Lutheran elementary schools, one high school, and 26 preschools. The commissioned workers number 24 principals, deaconesses, DCEs, parish nurses, and other parish workers. Our schools are staffed with 110 commissioned or contracted teachers and para educators. The geographical setting of IDE is the eastern half of the state of Iowa. This district office currently employs two full-time and three part time servants. In reference to the resolutions passed in the 2022 district convention, IDE remains faithful to the use of the historic
The theme verse guiding Iowa District West (IDW) for the next triennium is : “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” It is an honor to bring this report to the 2023 Synod convention as president of IDW. Our congregations are faithfully proclaiming God’s Word and administering His Sacraments. Pastors are present with their people as they faithfully visit the sick and shut-ins of their congregations. Teachers, deaconesses, directors of Christian education, and other church professionals are forming and informing the next generation of Christians. Church members are
volunteering to serve in their congregations and communities. We are blessed! Who would have guessed at the 2019 Synod convention that COVID-19 would attack us and those we love? The impact on our society, our communities, our churches, our families, and each of us as individuals will not be fully known for years to come. At first, we didn’t know what we were dealing with, and so society virtually shut down. All the schools in the state ended in-person education from the middle of March until the end of the school year in 2020. Many of our churches suspended in-person activities, including public worship services, at least for a few Sundays. Our pastors and leaders did the best they could in determining when and how to conduct worship services, how to deal with the issue of masks and social distancing, and how to care for church members in their time of distress and loss. It was a challenge for us all. Not everyone was happy with the decisions that were made. I am sure mistakes were made and unkind words may have been exchanged. This is why the proclamation of the Gospel is so very important. We hear again and again the sweet words of the love and mercy of Christ for us. When your pastor says following your confession, I as a called and ordained servant of Christ forgive you, know for certain it is true! Forgiveness is not based on what you did or did not do during this pandemic, it is based on the life, death, and resurrection of God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ. With the word of absolution, we don’t have to be caught up in the decisions we have made in the past. We preach Christ crucified. The blood of Jesus makes us bold to continue, as frail, flawed, and imperfect people, to share this Good News of God’s love for us. This past year, Iowa and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod both celebrated 175th anniversaries. The partnership we share with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a blessing. The seminaries and the colleges are providing pastors, commissioned ministers, and lay leaders for now and the next generation. In the last four years, the congregations of IDW have provided $2,693,850 for our work together with the LCMS. We are blessed! Mission Central is a unique partnership between IDW, the Nebraska District, and LCMS International Mission. This year, people from all over the world partnered through Mission Central and sponsored nearly 100 missionary families. Our partnership with missionary Gary has made Mission Central the single largest missionary supporting ministry in the Synod. This partnership in the Gospel is lived out every day in the congregations of IDW. Our urban centers have more people and a diverse demographic. Our rural communities may be getting smaller, but they also have a more varied population. Long-time members remember when the church was packed most Sundays and enjoyed an active ministry. They look at declining attendance, facilities in need of repairs, an aging congregation, and wonder why this is happening to their congregation. COVID-19 has not helped with these fears. There is no easy or simple answer to these challenges. I believe congregations who wish to thrive into the future need to be preparing today. Partnerships will prove to be helpful in serving these changing communities. Pastors and congregations need to know what the mission of God is in their communities. This begins with an intentional and intensive study of God’s Word. This is a time of reflection on God’s will and God’s promises. God invites us in difficult times to call on Him in prayer. I was recently visiting with a congregation going through the
call process and was asked the question, When should we be looking for a partner congregation to work with us in calling a pastor? That is a great question and I wish I had a great answer! It depends on a variety of circumstances and one answer does not fit all situations. One blessing of being in Iowa West is that our communities are close together. Congregations have opportunities to work together to care for members and to engage the un church ed population in their respective communities. This is the time for congregations to consider how they can partner together for God’s Mission. New models (beyond just dual parishes) are being developed to be able to care for the growing number of small congregations. There needs to be a desire to pool resources for efforts to engage communities. Dialogue between pastors and lay leaders of congregations is necessary to consider the needs of their respective flocks and to explore mission opportunities. God is sending us the opportunity to share this Gospel with the world, right here in Iowa. Who would have thought 40 years ago we would have waves of immigrants coming to our state? In 2021, your congregation partnered with other congregations in Iowa West to call a full-time missionary to the Spanish speaking people of Iowa. Pastor Pedro Lopez is now serving Christ and bringing the love of Jesus to our communities. God is sending African refugees to cities and small towns in Iowa. These brothers and sisters in Christ with their own Christian pastors are coming to us and asking us to help them become Lutherans. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from 1 in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019. Compassion fatigue is a term that describes the physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological impact of helping others—often through experiences of stress or trauma. IDW has a long history of partnership with Lutheran Family Service (LFS). Their professional counselors have consulted with our pastors and commissioned church workers, assisting them in ways they care for members of their congregations. Our church workers themselves have turned to the counselors at LFS during these dark days. I value these and all the other partnerships we have in the Gospel. I join my words with the words of St. Paul, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (). Your Partner in the Gospel,