Church Council: Church Council Opportunities?

Most people know that there’s a church on campus. Fewer know that the church has a council. We are that council—nine student leaders with the guidance of the three campus pastors. So what exactly does this “church council” do? Largely, we do what many church councils do in congregations outside of this church—we help direct the mission, vision and activities of the congregation throughout the year. We help budget the congregation’s finances, allocate funds to worthy causes, help support various concerts and events, etc. In other words, we find ways to keep busy.

You’re probably wondering how wide the Congregation Council umbrella actually is. In addition to the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, within the council is the Deacon of Global Concerns, who is in charge of facilitating and working with all the global concerns groups on campus. There is also the Deacon of Outreach who helps coordinate the seven on-campus outreach teams that “reach-out” into the community, helping with lock-ins, worships and the like. The Deacon of Community Action helps coordinate the Fall and Spring Fling in addition to setting up the Adopt-A-Grandparent program at Aase Haugen Nursing Home. The Deacon of Christian Education is in charge of overseeing all of the bible studies that happen throughout the semester. And the Deacon of Worship helps plan the various worship opportunities throughout the week—student led chapel, Eucharist and Sunday morning worship. So summarily, our umbrella is one of the biggest you’ll find! Perfect for a rainy day!

In speaking to specifics, so far this semester we have collectively put on the first-year contra dance the first weekend of orientation, coordinated the College Ministries leaders’ retreat, served as ushers for the Jesus, Justice and Jazz tour, been seen in the Homecoming Parade, helped fund students to go to the Interfaith Youth Conference in Chicago, found weekly worship volunteers and participants, facilitated Fall Fling and financially supported the One Campaign Poverty Conference happening on campus Nov. 21. Currently, our big task is revising/updating the Luther Congregation Constitution.

The Luther College Congregation is a great place to get involved—no matter what, if any, faith tradition you subscribe to! The congregation is rooted in the Lutheran Christian tradition, but seeks to welcome people of all faiths to be involved in the collective work for justice, community and dialogue. If you are interested in any of the general initiatives listed above, or want to get more involved with college ministries we would love to have you! Just e-mail ministry@luther.edu and let them know what you’re interested in!

The Luther Congregation is a great commnity to belong to! Wait...is commnity spelled wrong? Oh right, that’s because we need “u!” So come, get involved, and get excited! We’re doing great things, and we’d love to have you join us!