March 17, 2005

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Saying he wanted to express "a profound word of gratitude for your ministries," the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) addressed nearly 250 people here March 13 at the opening session of the 24th annual Rural Ministry Conference.

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson was a keynote speaker at the three- day event, organized by the Center for Theology and Land, a rural ministry program of the University of Dubuque and Wartburg Theological Seminary, one of eight ELCA seminaries. Several people attending a conference for potential seminary students were also in the audience.

Rural small-town ministry is still the "backbone" of the Lutheran church in the United States, and too often it is taken for granted, Hanson said. He said he has little personal experience in rural ministry, but that he and others are "the beneficiaries" of those who grew up in rural areas, including parents and spouses.

Hanson paid tribute to his father-in-law, the late Rev. Elmo Agrimson, saying "his perspective on grace from the context of being raised in rural America had a great effect on me."

To keep rural ministry vibrant, the ELCA must embrace its name and become an "evangelizing" church, he said.

"If we ... claim our Lutheranism and work together to be an evangelizing church, the future is marvelous," he told the audience.

Hanson told a story about a farmer who once asked him about the possible closing of the congregation the farmer attended because it was slowly losing members, many of whom had moved away. Hanson said he replied by asking the farmer to consider the area in which he lived as "a mission field" in which the congregation had an important role to play.

For current and future pastors in the audience, Hanson said their challenge is to put the gospel "into a context where it is heard" and understood. Christian education is also important in today's world, he said.

"If we are going to be an evangelizing church in a ‘Lutheran key,' we've got to be a witnessing church in our context," Hanson said. "I'm afraid we're becoming biblically illiterate. We don't know the stories. If we don't know the history, how will we know what God is up to today?"

Whether a person lives in a rural or urban area, Hanson suggested that in Sunday school classes each week, the leader should ask every person to describe what he or she witnessed in God's work in the past week. "We don't take time to discern what God is up to," he said.

Hanson said, in his travels he has met many taxi drivers – some Christian, some not – who are almost always willing to talk to him about their faith. Yet many Lutherans seem hesitant to "claim their baptismal identity." He urged the audience to work toward being part of an "inviting church," actively bringing friends and acquaintances to church.

"If we leaders are not modeling that behavior, how do we expect others in the congregation to do it?" he asked. "I think people are hungry to hear the gospel." He cited the success of books such as "The Purpose-Driven Life" and the "Purpose-Driven Church," both by Rick Warren.

"This is a clue," he told his audience. "This is fertile ground, folks."

Hanson said research has shown that American citizens want to hear three phrases every day: "I love you," "I forgive you," and "dinner's ready."

"This is the gospel," the presiding bishop said.

Hanson noted that in a lively church, there will be tensions. He said congregations should not ask how they can be tension-free; they should consider what tensions are worth creating for the sake of the gospel.

"To be the body of Christ is to be messy and to be in chaos," he said, noting that Jesus created tension everywhere he went, usually by challenging accepted norms.

In a panel discussion preceding his keynote remarks, Hanson identified several assets of rural communities and congregations: the experience of the people, relationships enhanced by community asset-mapping and organizing; preserving and transmitting faith and culture; and holding continuity and change "in tension."

He urged rural communities to create space for newcomers, many of whom may speak Spanish or another language as their primary language. Hanson also said the church must confront "the sin of racism" and work to protect diversity in its fullest expression.

"If we don't believe God calls us to protect the gift of diversity ... we're going to fail," he said.

ELCA News Service