New Ministry Starts fall into two categories:

  • Synod Authorized Worshiping Community – a new ministry which is led by a mission developer and is gathering people to grow closer in relationship to God, to one another, and to their community.
  • Exploration – a three-to-six-month time of listening and learning to discover what possibilities exist for a new ministry in a particular mission field.

New Ministry Starts create new congregations and new expressions of ministry to share the good news of God’s love with new communities. As a local ministry partner for a New Ministry Start, your congregation helps provide financial support to assist the new ministry in reaching sustainability and your congregation has the chance to learn from your partner’s insights into how they are reaching new people with the story of Jesus.

https://www.facebook.com/micahfredericksburg

Micah Street Church is an ecumenical ministry with individuals experiencing homelessness in Fredericksburg. This new worshipping community is committed to helping the members of the Micah community know the love of God in their lives and to walk with them on their journey of faith and life. The community shares in weekly worship and works together to help members of the community be the best they can be in the image of God. Micah Street Church is a partnership between the Virginia Synod, the ELCA Churchwide organization, and Micah Ecumenical Ministries in Fredericksburg (www.dolovewalk.net) which is supported by nine different local congregations.

Download the Micah Street Church Local Mission Partner Information Sheet: Local Mission Partnership Micah Street Church

http://www.allplacestogether.org/

Connecting to God:

All Places Together will be a non-geographic community, based in Virginia, that will seek to gather individuals who are searching for God in the midst of the wilderness, individuals who deeply want to connect to something beyond themselves, and individuals who believe the love of Jesus is for all of God’s diverse creation.

Authentic Community:

All Places Together will be a digital community that deepens relationships with God and empowers all involved to live out their faith in their daily lives, both online and offline. A community that strives for authentic diversity in participation and in those we partner with. A community that is open to questions. A community that collaborates.

Worship without Walls:

All Places will begin as an Instagram account and podcast shared by the Virginia Synod and its people. The initial stories will focus on personal encounters with God, especially those that related to scripture. As the online following grows, All Places Together will add faith formation opportunities and an online worship experience. The online worship experience will be designed for the digital space, not a reproduction of an in-person, indoor worship experience. Worship will be biblical, interactive, and experimental.

Download the All Places Together Local Mission Partner Information Sheet: Local Mission Partnership All Places Together 2021

https://www.peacehopeva.org/

Serve: Peace and Hope will serve as a non-geographic digital congregation to support the congregations of the Virginia Synod who are not able to provide congregation-based digital worship following the pandemic and to reach individuals in areas not served by a Lutheran church who are looking for a more traditional, liturgical online worship and faith formation experience.

Worship: Worship will use digital platforms to share a traditional Lutheran liturgy and offer opportunities for engagement. Once the regular worship service launches, ministry leaders from partner congregations will be invited to participate in worship each week to help maintain connections with local congregations.

Connect: Peace and Hope offers an opportunity to connect individuals to congregations and to one another in new ways. Instead of trying to develop similar online services in locations around Virginia, Peace and Hope unites the gifts and talents of partner congregations to proclaim God’s love and to share traditional Lutheran liturgy in a digital space while encouraging individuals to remain connected to a local congregation.

Visit the website at:  www.peacehopeva.org

Interested in becoming a Partner in Peace and Hope: Becoming a Peace and Hope Mission Partner June 2021

As Christ Lutheran Church in Radford moved toward holy closure, the congregation made the decision to partner with the Virginia Synod and the ELCA to help give birth to a new ministry in Radford, Virginia. Nineveh Lutheran Justice Ministry envisions a community in which there are no disparities among neighbors, free to live and work together toward love, justice, and peace for all, where the image of God is valued and recognized in each person. Learn more about Nineveh at: NinevehNRV.org.

The idea of partnership comes from a nautical term that refers to the timbers used to support the mast of a sailboat where it enters the deck. The partner must be secure for the boat to function properly. When winds pick up it is the partner that stabilizes the mast and makes sure the deck holds firm. In the Virginia Synod, local ministry partners exist for a very similar purpose – to make one another stronger; true partnership blesses both ministries.

Three Principles of Mission Partnership

Ministry partnership encourages ministries to build relationships with each other around three principles:

  • Prayer: Strengthen the bonds of partnership by regularly praying for one another.
  • Presence: Bless each other with your ministry stories and walk together whenever possible.
  • Resources: Discover how sharing resources, wisdom, and experience can unlock new ministry opportunities.

Expand Your Ministry’s Impact

Ministry partnership provides ways for your congregation to be “hands on” with the mission beyond your community. As a local ministry partner, you are making God’s love known beyond the walls of your congregation.

How can you or your congregation get involved?

  • Provide financial support directly to a New Ministry Start
    • Include a monthly or yearly gift for a New Ministry Start in your congregation’s Spending Plan for Ministry. $50 to $100 a month makes an impact for a new ministry.
    • Create a yearly special offering to provide financial support for a New Ministry Start
  • Provide financial support for current and future New Ministry Starts
    • Include a monthly or yearly gift for the Virginia Synod New Ministry Start Fund in your congregation’s Spending Plan for Ministry
    • Create a yearly special offering to provide financial support for the Virginia Synod New Ministry Start Fund
  • Become a Local Mission Partner and build a relationship with a New Ministry Start

For more information about possible partnerships, email to the Rev. John Wertz, Jr. (wertz@vasynod.org).