NADCE (National Association of Directors of Christian Education)

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas.  Today's devotion is given by Joel Symmank from Woodbury Lutheran in Woodbury, Minnesota. We are thankful you have chosen to make this devotion part of your Advent journey.  

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area. 

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that happens every other year.

This month we are blessed to be joined by Pastor Adam, DCE Kyla Rodriguez, and Poet Tanner Olson.  We enjoyed a conversation about life in ministry, especially during the holiday season where many professional church workers are extra busy.  During this season of hope, church workers need to hear and live this message as much as those we minister to need to hear that message.  Yet, as Tanner notes, the Advent and Christmas seasons can be a time of heaviness for many people, because the recent past doesn't look like years before COVID.  There is a lot of unknown and uncertainty living in 2022.  

For the Rodriguez family, planning for the holiday season at their church in Wisconsin started in October. Their planning is an early Christmas celebration of the season among the staff and is a time where they seek to intentionally focus on the quality and quantity of communication coming from the church that is both in person and digitally. The Advent and Christmas seasons invite joy, and they have found that it's an opportunity where people are more open to hearing the saving message of Jesus Christ.  The Rodriguez family involve their young children, tell them the reason behind their service in ministry, and invite their children to help.

With added activities during this time of year there comes stress for professional church workers and their families because of the time involved.  In the Church we want to celebrate and share the Christmas message, because we are the John the Baptists of the Christmas story who prepare the way for that celebration. To help with this stress, Kyla pointed out that the activities and their success (or not) are not a reflection on you as a child of God.  You can pull back because you don't have to know and do everything. Try to think about how to create stress free and low preparation activities that balance fun and the preparation/celebration.  Some of these may involve volunteers who are looking for ways to serve that they may not participate in during the rest of the year.  In all, lean into God and know He will give you a time to regroup and recharge after the busy rhythm of holiday ministry is over when you trust and rely on Him.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas.  Today's devotion is given by Jolene Siebarth from Immanuel Lutheran, St. Charles, Missouri. We are thankful you have chosen to make this devotion part of your Advent journey.  

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area. 

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that happens every other year.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) is pleased to offer this Advent podcast devotion for your encouragement as we prepare for the birth of our Savior at Christmas.  Today's devotion is given by Kelly Buckwalter from St. Luke Lutheran in Mesa, California. We are thankful you have chosen to make this devotion part of your Advent journey.  

NADCE regularly offers podcasts that focus on topics in ministry as practical resources for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. Our hope is that our podcasts will encourage those listening in their calling and equip and strengthen them in their ministry area. 

To learn more about NADCE we invite you to go to nadce.com to see the benefits of membership which include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmanus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that happens every other year.

In this episode Shelli Haynes continues her conversation with Brianna Clark, Julia Tougas, Hannah Elsey, and Lindsey Ohling. The group discusses building relationships while ministering and serving in their role as Christian educators.  They discuss how they see their relationship with people tied together with involvement in ministry. Other themes touched on include ways to make the most of every opportunity to live out your faith as a light to the world and the values and delivery modes they use in guiding their ministry.  Hannah tends to seek peace and be non-assertive.  She shares with the group that the only place to find actual peace is in Jesus. In hard conversations she has had she has taken cues from her senior pastor. Julia feels that ministry isn't just by a book, but in the small unplanned events/instances, too, where there is a balance of truth, peace, and mercy.  These characteristics are not as portrayed as in world's culture, but in the church where there is true mercy.  Brianna feels she was called into ministry to strengthen her relationship with God, and her success is defined by God even though it's not always as she defines it. Lindsey feels that God walks beside her and she is simply His arms and feet.  As you have questions or thoughts about this episode, share them with us on the posts we share to highlight the episode. These can be found on our Facebook and Instagram pages and Facebook group.

Our roundtable discussion includes Brianna Clark (Intern, Shepherd of the Desert, Scottsdale, AZ) Hannah Elsey (Intern, Faith Lutheran, Topeka, KS), Lindsey Ohling (Intern, Redeemer Lutheran, Fort Collins, CO), and Julia Tougas (DCE student, Concordia University Irvine). Highlight from their discussion includes:

• their unique avenues to ministry and how that has impacted how they are serving now.
• how they find in their current placements and positions that the church is the only place from some to find community.
•  people they are ministering to who are looking for a place for acceptance, love, and personal touch.  Within the church people want to grow and feel loved more than being evangelized to.
• there are times they are choosing to skip lessons until relationships have been developed, and then they circle back to focus more on the faith life lessons. 
• the realization that the post-Covid world may pass too quickly to encourage growth and wants to take part of something different.  The people they're working with are looking for a different mindset of ministry that is more authentic.

Enjoy this part and join us for part two of this lively discussion of learning from younger female DCEs and their thoughts about ministry today and in the future.

Welcome to our monthly podcast from the National Association of Directors of Christian Education where we focus on topics in ministry that will be a practical resource for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs. This month's podcast will be the second part of our series focusing on younger DCEs and how we can all work together as the body of Christ. This episode in the second part of my discussion about urban ministry settings with Haley Davisson from Trinity Lutheran in Houston, Texas, and Andrea Roettger from Trinity Lutheran in St. Louis, MO. As continue to listen to the conversation, listen for your how their ministries are different, not better or worse...but a unique setting that may be foreign to those serving in more traditional suburban, small city and rural settings.  Yet, even in these differences what a blessing it is that God has equipped us each in unique ways to build up His kingdom. 

We thank you for listening to this month's podcast sample and hope you were encouraged and challenged by listening. To hear the whole podcast, members can log into the member area of our website at nadce.com If you're not a member yet, we would also ask you to go to nadce.com and complete the membership application so that you can enjoy all the benefits of membership. Benefits include joining us at the Tent of Meeting and Emmaus Table online community groups, receiving our Quarterly publication, and getting a discount to our Conference that happens every other year. We wish you God's blessings on your day!

Urban ministry is unique in Lutheran ministry and provides DCEs with an opportunity to challenge and stretch how and what you feel is important in ministry.  Within the urban setting there are many similarities to ministry in other places, but also different in many respects. This month's conversation is the first part of two with DCEs Haley Davisson from Trinity Downtown in Houston, TX and Andrea Roettjer from Trinity Lutheran, St. Louis, MO.  As you listen to the podcast consider the types of members you have in your congregation and how you meet their needs.   Also, what do you think about this statement, the greatness of urban ministry is the honesty in conversations that is sometimes not found in suburban churches.   

We hope you enjoy the sample of this episode and look forward to sharing another sample of the remaining conversation in a few weeks.

Some highlights from this episode:

Steps To Help When Dealing With Conflict:

• Bring it to God in prayer
  • Pro tip: try speaking aloud a prayer to God when you are alone in the car.  You might appreciate hearing the situation as you speak your prayer - without breaking the 8th Commandment by sharing with others.
• Seek out a trusted wise friend or your pastor to gain clarity and process your issues.  
  • Pro tip: If possible, find a person to talk with who is outside of the situation so they won’t know the people involved.
• Clarify the conflict - understand why you are upset. 
  • Pro tip: Try writing it down, create a timeline.
  • Pro tip: Try to engage in active listening to hear and be heard.
  • Pro tip: Try practicing “When you do ____, I feel ______.”
• Seek to forgive easily and ask for forgiveness readily.
• Be specific about how the conflict can be resolved.

Other notes/resources:

• Volunteers might see conflict as an issue between you and them as a conflict against them and the church. Whereas you might think it is an issue between two friends/colleagues.  Don’t underestimate the heaviness of perceptions!
• https://www.peacemakerministries.org/
• How to Have Difficult Conversations book

Link mentioned : Carey Nieuwhof post

Welcome to the first monthly podcast from the National Association of Directors of Christian Education. During our podcasts we will focus on topics in ministry that will be a practical resource for those serving in the Lutheran church as DCEs.  As a benefit for members of NADCE we hope these podcasts will encourage you in your calling and equip and strengthen you in your ministry area.

This month's podcast is the first in a two part series focusing on younger DCEs and how we build each other up as we serve in the body of Christ. We are pleased to welcome DCEs Alex Brice from St Mark Lutheran Church in St. Charles, IL and Harrison Grimes from King of Glory Lutheran in Williamsburg, Virginia.  These younger DCEs are asking our more seasoned DCEs about relationships and boundaries...and how they have established both in  their ministry careers.  We are excited to have DCEs Steve Schedler, Grant Carey, and Brenda Segovia share their insights into they have learned over their years of ministry  and are still learning regarding the role of DCEs and the importance of relationships, and addressing boundaries with the congregational members we serve, and time, email, and pastors.  

Join us again next month as we continue this topic focusing on conflict and failure.