Travelling Together

For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints – and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and by the will of God, to us. 2 Corinthians 8:3

I am a movie buff and one of my favorite film genres is the “Road Trip” picture where two or more people are traveling together on a journey. From the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby “Road to…” pictures, to The Blues Brothers to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to Thelma & Louise to this summer’s The Odyssey, it is the journey itself, and not the destination, that is the whole point of the movie. It is through the journey that the characters grow and discover their true selves.

The word “synod” means literally “to go on the way together”. A Synod is an assembly of congregations traveling together on the way of our Lord. From the earliest days of the Church congregations have been traveling together “on a mission from God”. The Jerusalem congregation sent Barnabas to Antioch, Antioch send Paul and Barnabas to Cyprus, Galatia, Asia, and Greece, and Paul and Timothy collected donations from these congregations to support the congregation of Jerusalem. The Church has always been congregations traveling together on the way of the Lord.

Most of our congregations are going through the budgeting process for next year. Things are uncertain economically. Costs are increasing and, in many cases, giving is not keeping pace with inflation. The recent announcement by PORTICO of an unprecedented jump in the costs of health insurance for 2027 hit most of us by surprise.

In the face of such uncertainty, what might appear to be an “easy fix” is to reduce giving to “the Synod.” Such a move may appear to be expedient and necessary, but it flies in the face of who we are as the baptized people of God. We are the body of Christ traveling together to be the hearts and hands of Christ in the world. The recent outpouring of support for the people of Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, and Nepal after the devastating storms is a testimony to who we truly are as the East Central Synod of Wisconsin.

Although many of us face some hard choices in the coming months, we do not face them alone. We are the Church traveling together and supporting one another and doing what we can both individually and collectively to first give ourselves to the Lord and then to one another in love.

God’s blessings,

Robert Ferro, Lead Pastor, Ascension Lutheran Church, Green Bay
Member of the ECSW Financial Sustainability Task Force