Title: Lutheran Leaders Look for
Healthy Church
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 18, 1996
LUTHERAN LEADERS LOOK FOR HEALTHY
CHURCH
96-05-013-AH
ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) -- Church
leaders and pastors are just as likely to be
stressed out and overworked as many
Americans, Lutheran leaders were told --
just as susceptible to weight problems, high
cholesterol and heart trouble. "Healthy
Leaders, Healthy Church" was the theme when
bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America and district presidents of the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod met here Feb.
29-March 5.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, bishop of
the ELCA, told the assembled leaders, "We
are looking for God to provide a road that
you and we can travel together." He urged
the group to "recognize fully the many ways
pastors and their spouses contribute to the
church."
"We're trying to emphasize the cordial
and meaningful relationship between the two
denominations," said the Rev. Thomas
Zehnder, Orlando, president of the LCMS
Florida-Georgia District. In regional
groups the leaders and their spouses talked
about the importance of "stewardship of our
resources, our bodies and our energy." The
Rev. Ronald E. Meyer, Milwaukee, president
of the LCMS South Wisconsin District, led
one of the regional groups. Participants
"pushed out the issues and shared the
initiatives they are taking in their
districts and synods,# he said.
"I feel a paradox when people say, "You
have to take care of yourself," and then
tell me where I'm assigned to be for the
next two weeks," said the Rev. Kenneth R.
Olsen, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan
Chicago Synod, in one of the group sessions.
The Rev. Paul Werger, Iowa City,
bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod,
added, "The body sends clear signals, but
the demands do not diminish."
A pastor who is overweight or in poor
shape may have difficulty finding a call.
The Rev. Jon S. Enslin, Madison, bishop of
the ELCA South Central Synod of Wisconsin,
pointed to the concern that such problems
might indicate a need for affirmation and
attention to issues of self-worth.
After the meeting, LCMS President Alvin
L. Barry said in an interview, "I very much
appreciated this opportunity to meet with
our counterparts in the ELCA. I am
concerned that our meetings do not provide
an opportunity to address the serious
doctrinal issues which divide us. I
question the wisdom of meeting together and
overlooking our differences like this. I
will continue to encourage that a
substantive and meaningful discussion of
theology be a major component at meetings of
this kind."
The Rev. Walter C. Tietjen, San
Francisco, president of the LCMS
California-Nevada-Hawaii District said, "The
resurrection of Jesus is the keystone of
spiritual wellness." He called spiritual
wellness "the foundation of any wellness and
a gift from our gracious God." Tietjen was
the preacher for a morning worship service.
"Spirituality is a way of seeing with
eyes of faith -- a matter of perception,"
said the Rev. Gary L. Harbaugh, Orlando,
leadership support staff in the ELCA
Florida-Bahamas Synod. Harbaugh addressed
"spiritual wellness." Summing up a Lutheran
understanding of spirituality and Christian
vocation he said, "Spiritual discipline is
not a way to God, but a way to give thanks
to God."
Other speakers for the event were
Richard Bimler of Wheat Ridge Ministries,
Elgin, Ill., and Roger Reynolds of the
Cooper Aerobics Institute, Dallas. Funding
for the joint meeting was provided by the
Inter-Lutheran Committee on Ministerial
Health and Wellness and by Aid Association
for Lutherans, Appleton, Wis.
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir.,
ELCA News Service, (312) 380-2058; Frank
Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia
Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956
