Calling a New Lead Pastor for Good Shepherd
This page will serve as a resource for information about the call process at Good Shepherd. Regular updates from church leadership and frequently asked questions will be posted here, in addition to other important updates.
PUBLISHED TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2024
Good Shepherd Welcomes Interim Lead Pastor
Good Shepherd has hired a new individual in the interim to lead the church while the search continues for a new lead pastor.
Pastor Craig McMahon will start work as Good Shepherd’s new Lead Interim Pastor on Monday, May 13. Pastor Craig lives on Madison’s near east side and has served at numerous Lutheran and United Church of Christ (UCC) churches in south-central Wisconsin and Illinois for nearly 20 years. He most recently served as the Senior Pastor at Windsor UCC in DeForest. Pastor Craig is married and has two adult children. Please welcome Pastor McMahon as he accepts a new role with Good Shepherd in this transition period.
PUBLISHED THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024
Task Force to create Ministry Site Profile Following Listening Sessions
More than 100 people helped provide input in three listening sessions Sunday, March 10 about what gifts and abilities they would like to see in Good Shepherd’s next lead pastor.
The healthy, generative feedback that came out of those sessions will supplement the information gathered through a recent survey of the congregation. More than 300 members and staff completed the survey over the past few weeks, and an additional 175 comments were provided by people who filled out the survey.
The Transition Task Force will take all the data received from the congregation to create a Ministry Site Profile for the ELCA. The Profile will be filled with qualitative and quantitative information about Good Shepherd and highlight the top desired ministry tasks and gifts for the new lead pastor. In addition, the Profile will have supporting attachments outlining the church’s mission, vision and strategic plan, along with supporting documents like our annual report and budget.
The task force expects to finish the Ministry Site Profile and have it approved by the Good Shepherd Board at their next scheduled meeting on Monday, April 15. Once approved, the work of finding a new pastor for Good Shepherd will be handed off to a newly formed Call Committee, which will work with the ELCA on the process. The church is expecting the entire process to take 9-12 months.
Presentation Shared at March 10 Listening Sessions
PUBLISHED TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024
Share your Feedback in Congregational Survey
The Good Shepherd Board has established a Transition Task Force to support calling a new Lead Pastor. One of the tasks of the Task Force is to create a document that identifies:
- Which tasks will be most important for new the Lead Pastor.
- Which gifts for ministry will be most important for the new Lead Pastor.
To allow for the greatest level of participation in developing our materials we have created an online anonymous survey. As you complete the survey, we ask that you prayerfully consider the many blessings already bestowed on the Good Shepherd Congregation, including our gifted Pastors, Staff, Boards and Committees.
The future of Good Shepherd will be guided by our Vision, Mission and recently completed Strategic Plan. Something else to consider is the post pandemic world in which in our new Lead Pastor will serve. Today over 40% of our Sunday worship is via online participation. Consider how that impacts the tasks and gifts of the Lead Pastor.
The Transition Task Force realizes that not all members of the congregation may be able to access the survey in an online manner, if that is your situation, please contact the church office (608-721-6633) and we can provide a hard copy of the survey to return to the church when completed. Your responses will still be considered in an anonymous manner.
Thank you in advance for helping with this important step in calling our next Lead Pastor.
Lastly, on Sunday, March 10, we will be hosting in-person and zoom link listening sessions after each service to have dialog and gain additional insights from all of you.
IMPORTANT TIMELINE INFORMATION
In order for the survey results to be tabulated and prepared for our listening session on March 10, we need online and mailed in surveys to be received by the church by Thursday, March 7. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact any member of the Transition Task Force.
Peace and blessings as we travel through this transition,
Rick Blum
Jen Holmer
Sara McCormack
Don Nelson
Kay Simmons
Katie Wagner
Steve Frei, Chair
Please note: Only complete this survey if you are a member of Good Shepherd. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
PUBLISHED THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Survey about new lead pastor coming February 25
The Transition Task Force is gathering information to prepare a Ministry Site Profile for Good Shepherd, which is a document that identifies which tasks and which gifts for ministry will be most important for our new Lead Pastor. All members will receive a survey via email on Sunday, February 25 to tell the task force what gifts and skills they think will be most important. Congregational listening sessions will be held after all three services Sunday, March 10 to discuss the results.
Rick Blum
Director of Administration
PUBLISHED TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024
Updates on Next Steps for Call Process
Greetings, Good Shepherd!
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.
As you are all aware, Pastor Chris’s last day with us was December 31, as he has taken a call at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. We thank him for his many contributions to Good Shepherd over the last 7+ years and we wish him and his family well as they transition to their new church and city. With that said, I wanted to update you on three items that the Board has been focused on since Pastor Chris announced his resignation:
- Interim Lead Pastor
- Transition Team Task Force
- Call Committee
Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe and her team have been diligently working on identifying an Interim Lead Pastor for Good Shepherd. As of now, we have nothing to report on this item. I hope to know more in early to mid-January, so stay-tuned for subsequent communication. Rest assured, we are in the very capable hands of Pastor’s Sheryl, Dara, and Joe and our wonderful staff in the interim.
The Board approved the creation of the Transition Team Task Force at our December meeting. This Task Force will be chaired by Steve Frei. The other members of the Task Force include Jen Holmer, Sara McCormack, Don Nelson, Kay Simmons, and Katie Wagner. Thank You! The key deliverable for this Task Force is the Ministry Site Profile, which needs to be completed before we can formally begin the Call process.
The Ministry Site Profile contains both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of our church. The qualitative characteristics relate primarily to our collective Vision for Mission and Leadership Needs at Good Shepherd. The Vision for Mission and Leadership Needs information will be sourced primarily through listening sessions with the Congregation, Board, Staff, and Committees, and our recently adopted Strategic Plan. The current expectation is that the Transition Team Task Force will complete its work in April and will be presented to the Board for approval shortly thereafter.
The work related to the appointment of the Call Committee has yet to begin. Our Constitution states the Call Committee shall consist of a maximum of eight members, and no more than half the members shall be members of the Board of Directors. Our goal for the composition of this committee is a well-rounded, diverse, passionate group with a variety of skillsets. This task will be completed and approved by the Board in March.
As always, if you have questions about this or anything else, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the Board, or email us at goodshepherdboard@gslcwi.com. We plan to provide another transition update to the congregation during services on January 14. You can follow all updates on the process right here at gslcwi.com/transition.
I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!
Bob Beggs
Church Board President
boardpresident@gslcwi.com
PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2023
Announcing Pastor Chris Enstad's Transition from Good Shepherd
Pastor Chris Enstad has accepted a call to a new congregation in Minneapolis. We are grateful for the many years of fruitful ministry we have shared together at Good Shepherd and we wish Pastor Chris and his family well as they embark on this new journey at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. On this page you will find a letter from Pastor Chris, some frequently asked questions and more details about this transition.
Bob Beggs
Church Board President
boardpresident@gslcwi.com
Letter to the Congregation from Pastor Chris Enstad
Dear friends and members of Good Shepherd,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is with a heart full of mixed emotions that I write to you today. After much prayer, reflection, and discernment, I have accepted a call to Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Twin Cities as their next Senior Pastor. This decision was not made lightly, as serving as your pastor has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my ministry.
Our time together has been a remarkable journey of faith, growth, and community. We have shared moments of joy, times of sorrow, and countless experiences that have enriched our collective faith. Together, we have witnessed the power of God's love in action as we have practiced welcome, forgiveness and service. I am deeply grateful for the support, encouragement, and trust you have bestowed upon me. Your faith and dedication have been a constant source of inspiration and strength.
We have accomplished much in our 7+ years together:
- Instituted new mission and vision statements.
- Initiated a more intentional shared leadership structure including over 10 new or rebooted committees.
- Developed a staff and board structure that maximizes the amazing gifts and talents of our team. This church is in good hands going forward.
- Adopted a new welcome statement and became a Reconciling in Christ congregation.
- Launched the Holy C.O.W. ministry to bring the Good News way outside the walls of our church.
- Developed a more transparent financial reporting system.
- Reduced our mortgage by more than $3,000,000.
- Produced, adopted, and have begun implementation of a new strategic plan.
- Weathered the Covid-19 Global Health Pandemic and emerged stronger, better connected, and with major upgrades to our technological and digital ministry opportunities.
None of these achievements belong to me but are milestones we reached in prayer, fellowship, and forbearance with and for each other in the name of Jesus Christ.
This next transition will undoubtedly bring more positive changes for Good Shepherd. I am confident that the strong foundation we have built together will continue to support and guide you in the days ahead. The church leadership will be providing more information about the transition process and how we will move forward in faith and unity.
I humbly ask for your prayers during this time of transition for Good Shepherd, my family and the people of Bethlehem – Twin Cities. Carrie, and our daughters Liv and Berit, will be staying in Madison for the rest of the school year. Please keep all of us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours, trusting that God will continue to guide and bless this wonderful church.
I look forward to the remaining time we have together and will cherish each moment. Let us continue to support and love one another, as we have always done, during this time of change.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Chris Enstad