Interview with Deacon Erin Power
Assistant to the Bishop for Synodical Life October 10, 2018 Moving forward with my Alternative Residency Formation Plan to be approved for ordination by the Rocky Mountain Synod Candidacy Committee, I will be focusing my interviews to answer the following question: What are the joys and challenges of congregational ministry? To answer this question, I will ask:
On October 10, 2018, I had the opportunity to meet with Deacon Erin Power, Assistant to the Bishop for Synodical Life, at the synod office in Westminster. In our conversation, we had the opportunity to talk about each of the areas of responsibility: Assembly Manager, Theological Conference, Communications & Website, Mission Interpretation, Ministry Reviews, Global Mission, and World Hunger. What strengths did you bring to your ministry setting? Erin said she was originally from South Dakota. She said when she was in college, she discovered outdoor ministry and it was while she was working in outdoor ministry, she discerned a call to ministry, but she had no idea how that call would materialize in her life. Erin said after college, she took a position as a youth director in a church. She said she was 22 years of age and told to develop a youth program. Erin admitted the job “wasn’t a great fit” and after a few years, she decided to move on. She said right after the youth director position, she moved to Washington state with a friend. She said there wasn’t a particular reason for going to Washington other than someone invited her to go as she said she just needed a place to go and take some time to decide what she should do with her life. Erin said for the next six years, she was a wanderer. She said in between waiting tables, she spent a year in AmeriCorps and also spent nine months working in outdoor ministry. She said outdoor ministry was wonderful, but it can also be isolating. Eventually, Erin moved to Denver with a friend. She said she worked in a restaurant and in catering. The restaurant she worked in was in the Highlands neighborhood and she discovered Highlands Lutheran Church. Pastor Liliana Stahlberg became a mentor for her. It was while she was a member of Highlands Lutheran Church were she once again discerned a call to ministry, but she said she had no desire to be a pastor as she began to realize she had a call to hospitality; that is when she realized she was called to the diaconate. Erin said she got the impression the candidacy committee did not really know what a “call to hospitality” might look like, but they gave her the opportunity to find out what it could be. Erin earned a degree at Iliff School of Theology. She said she also spent 17 days at Gettysburg Seminary for a diaconal ministry retreat where she realized she had to complete an internship. She said she had no idea what a diaconal internship would entail. After the retreat, Erin said she was with Pr. Liliana and she met Pastor Kent Mueller. Pr. Kent was an assistant to the bishop and was planning synod assembly. With Erin’s background in restaurants and catering and discerning call to hospitality, she became involved in planning the synod assembly which later ended up in an internship in the synod office. She said her internship meant she answered phones and helped to plan the theological conference, synod assembly, as well as taking on more responsibility in communications. She said she found her niche in synod hospitality. Erin said (with a huge smile on her face), “I wouldn’t leave so the bishop had to find a place in the office for me.” Erin said after her internship was complete, she continued to work in the synod office until she completed all the requirements for candidacy. After she was approved, her job at the synod office officially became a half-time call. The other half of her time was spent in catering and also working with Urban Servant Corps. Eventually, her call became a full-time position. She said her call to hospitality is an experience: “How do we make sure the experience is what they are hoping to have?” In other words, how do we [synod staff] invite people to think about the whole experience of synod assembly or theological conference? What were your areas of growth? Erin said her years as wait staff and in catering prepared her for planning and executing synod events. She said the greatest areas of growth came in Communications & Website, Global Mission, and World Hunger. She said there was a learning curve related to website development. She said she had to ask herself, “How do we navigate the changing medium of communication? How do we communicate who we are as the church? What are we communicating and how?” She said she had to grow into her own identity as a public leader in the church especially as a deacon. She said she sometimes feels like she is constantly repeating herself as many people in the church forget deacons are rostered leaders in the church. Do justice issues impact how you do ministry? Erin said synod assemblies can be an effective space for inviting conversation around justice issues. She said there have been creative ways to invite conversations around immigration and the Doctrine of Discovery. She said two years ago, there was a dramatic presentation about immigration which compared and contrasted stories of a German Jew fleeing persecution in WWII and the story of a Columbian man fleeing persecution in his home country. She said we are in a position to ask, “How does the church respond to all of this?” She said as a deacon, she was introduced to the process of re-writing the welcoming statement for the synod. She also said there have been events where she was able to see what she had previously overlooked. She is constantly asking, “How can we do this better? Do we material in Spanish? Do we need All-gender restrooms at assembly? How are we modeling behavior for our people?” She said every assembly or conference is an opportunity for folks to see things differently. How does the geographical setting of your ministry impact how you do ministry? “I think it is brilliant!” Erin made the point the people in the Rocky Mountain Synod can have better conversations because of our geography because of the diversity of geography. “We have folks with many different points of view.” Erin pointed out conversations that took place at the synod assembly in Salt Lake City where Lutherans are far outnumbered. She said the conversations about ecumenism were incredible because of the exposure to a different point of view. What advice do you have for a new pastor? Erin said it is important to ground yourself in “being church together.” She also said “ministry can be isolating, so you really have to lean into our Lutheran lens, live into the tension, and seek collaboration.” She mused about the countercultural aspect of Lutheranism, “We [Lutherans] have something powerful to offer and we have to claim it unabashedly.” She admitted that this is a “hard time for church leaders and we need radical change now. How do we navigate [change] to be the church we need to become and how do we sit in that space?” The most difficult aspect is “how do we move forward and not leave anyone behind? Reflection For refection, I am to answer the following questions: What do they tell you about you? How does your particular lens as a Latina Transgender minister affect how you hear and see the work of other ministries in this synod, and how would a deeper understanding on the part of these ministers bless the work at hand? Where does the gospel intersect these interpretations? Full disclosure, I was recruited by Erin to be the sacristan for the Theological Conference held in Colorado Springs in September 2017. I also was a volunteer at the Synod Assembly held in Westminster in May 2018. I saw first-hand the energy and commitment Erin brings to her position as Assistant to the Bishop. She is committed to excellence. I enjoyed working with her at both gatherings. I was gratified to hear of Erin’s commitment to inviting people to have difficult conversations at gatherings and the synod office has the opportunity to help people have those conversations. I was very happy to hear how Erin approaches the gathering sites and how each person perceives each individual meeting as well as their overall experience. She admits many people do not take the time or have the ability to step back and look at the overall picture, but she wants to ensure there is a continuity to each gathering and the overall theme is important. Erin and I had an in-depth discussion about the future of the church. We talked about how rostered ministers are being trained and how we are each shaped by our experiences. We talked about Lutheran theology and how our theology is a gift to the world and it is a gift we need to share with the world. I heard undertones of justice and equality in Erin’s words and her passion for creating experiences for all participants in synod gatherings that will impact them at an emotional and theological level. We talked about communication and exchanged ideas on how websites do make a difference. Not as many congregation members look at their home congregations’ website, but the internet is a place where people who are looking for a church go to look. The website is a window into the church and it is important how the website invites people into the life of the church.
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