Team members want to thank everyone who has helped to make the transition to calling a new senior pastor go so smoothly. Special thanks go to Call Committee members who were diligent and devoted to their task.

We know there have been countless prayers supporting this effort, and we ask for continued prayers as we move through the rest of the transition process.

Ben and Alicia Hilding, both students at Luther Seminary, will be helping out on a part-time basis with a student stipend while Pastor Lestock evaluates staff needs.

A sincere welcome to Pastor John! We look forward to our ministry and service together.

Please join the Bethel community in welcoming our new senior pastor, John Lestock!

The Council has agreed to begin the call process for an associate pastor by forming a Call Committee. Anyone interested in serving on the Call Committee should submit his/her name to a member of the Transition Team by JULY 15, 2012. Those names will be forwarded to the Council where careful consideration will be given to selecting members who represent a broad base of the congregation.Transition Team Members: John Clymer, Peggy Hale, Edith Lampman, Dave Orf and Jeremy Palm.

The following is the acceptance letter received from Pastor John Lestock: 

6 June 2012

Bethel Lutheran Church

920 Third Street

Hudson, WI 54016

Friends of Bethel,

It is with great joy, anticipation, and excitement that I accept your call to serve as Senior Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church!  I have been greatly impressed by my visits with your call committee, staff, and church council.  You are a congregation with remarkably committed and faith-filled people, eager to carry out the work God has given you.  I look forward to serving you, serving with you, and doing our very best to make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ!

I will plan to begin my ministry with you the second week of August.  I look forward to meeting you, hearing your stories, and working together as partners in the Gospel.  In the meantime I will pray for you.  Please pray for me and for my family as we make this transition and move to a new home, and into a new community and family of faith.  My warmest regards to each of you and thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Your Brother in Christ,

Pastor John Lestock

Pastor John Lestock has accepted Bethel’s Letter of Call to him to be Bethel’s next senior pastor!  He is excited to serve Bethel and serve with Bethel.  He anticipates a start date during the second week of August!  That is a short two months away.  Please continue to keep Pastor Lestock, Janet Lestock and their family in your prayers as they make the transition from Owatonna to Hudson.  What an exciting time for Bethel!

A special meeting of the congregation was held on Monday May 14, 2012 at 7:30pm at Bethel’s Downtown location.  The meeting was for the sole purpose of acting on the call committee’s recommendation to extend a letter of call to Pastor John Lestock to become Bethel’s next senior pastor. The meeting was called to order and led by Edith Lampman, President of the Congregation.  Jeremy Palm opened with a prayer followed by a presentation from the call committee.  Those who attended then asked several questions and also made comments, as some members have experience with Pastor John Lestock or his current church in Owatonna, Minnesota.  A vote was then taken by written ballot with the votes counted by Duane Austreng, Jennie Boeder, and Darrel Schoeberlein.  After Skip James and Bill Jenkinson lead the congregation in song, it was reported by Edith Lampman that the result of the vote was 127 in favor of extending a letter of call to Pastor John Lestock with 1 opposed and no abstentions.  The motion to extend a letter of call to Pastor John Lestock passed.

The appropriate documents have been sent to the synod for review.  The synod office will then pass the forms on to Pastor Lestock.  Upon receiving the letter of call, Pastor Lestock has three weeks in which to make his decision.  Please keep Pastor Lestock and his wife, Janet in your prayers as they make this important decision that will have a significant impact on their lives.

There will be a Special Meeting of the Congregation of Bethel Lutheran Church on Monday, May 14th at 7:30pm at Bethel Downtown. The purpose of this meeting is to consider and vote on the Call Committee’s recommendation that Pastor John Lestock be called as the next Senior Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church. He is currently serving as lead pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, MN.  Read more about Pastor Lestock below.  

Many thanks to the Call Committee for their faithful efforts during this transition process.

The call committee has interviewed all five candidates!  The committee found that second interviews of some candidates is the appropriate next step.  It is hoped and believed that those interviews can be finished by the end of April.  Once the second interviews are complete, we trust that the Holy Spirit will guide the call committee when recommending a candidate to the Council for the position of senior pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church.  This is an exhilarating time for Bethel!  We hope you feel the excitement too!  In Christ, Your Call Committee

The call committee has conducted one interview and has four more scheduled.  The interviews should be completed by mid-April.  It is hoped that at that time the call committee will be ready and able to make a recommendation to the council as to the next senior pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church.  If none of the candidates are recommended, then the synod will be asked to send another group of candidates.  More to come in the near future.

To view a flow chart of the the Transition process, please click below.

To download the church-wide survey results, please click below. 

The Ministry Site Profile, a document that includes information about the organization and demographics of Bethel, its vision and missions, as well as demographics and facts about the Hudson community, is now available online.  The document was created to give potential candidates a picture of the congregation and the community.  Please click below to view the document.

The transition process is now in the “Search” phase. The Call Committee has been appointed and has been meeting, the profile for a senior pastor has been determined, and candidates are expected to be presented soon.

 The Transition Team is currently working with Pastor Van, Lisa Ruettimann, the Council and youth leaders to ensure continuity in the youth program when Pastor Van accepts a call.

The call process got underway Jan. 12 when Bishop Duane Pederson met with the Call Committee, Council, and Transition Team to explain the process.

He suggested that the Call Committee begin thinking about its interview plans and start formulating questions. The bishop said that he will be researching candidates from three sources—those who have expressed interest in the senior pastor position at Bethel, those recommended to him, and those pastors he knows who are ready to accept a new call. The search will go beyond the Northwest Wisconsin Synod, and he indicated that he would be in contact with his fellow bishops in other synods.

The Transition Team completed the Ministry Site Profile (MSP), and it was reviewed and approved by the Council. The MSP is a document that includes information about the organization and demographics of Bethel, its vision and missions, as well as demographics and facts about the Hudson community. It will be posted to the “ministry opportunities” listing on the ELCA Web site.

Anyone who knows of a pastor that he/she thinks is a suitable candidate for the Senior Pastor position may still submit that name and any information about that pastor to Chris Anderson, chairman of the Call Committee at at canderson@heywoodandcari.com. PLEASE NOTE: Do not tell that pastor that you have proposed him/her to be a candidate. The bishop/synod office will research that pastor’s qualifications. It is the bishop who presents the slate of candidates to be considered by the Call Committee.

It is expected that names of candidates for the senior pastor position may be available in late February or early March. Names of pastors who were proposed by Bethel members have been forwarded to the synod office, and the bishop and the synod office are currently in the process of researching those pastors and other possible candidates.

In the meantime, the Call Committee has met several times to discuss interview tactics and to formulate questions that will be asked.  The Transition Team continues to work with the Council in developing the governance task force and the human relations committee.

The Call Committee, Council members, and the Transition Team met with Bishop Pederson via conference call last Thursday. The bishop led them through the call process and suggested that the Call Committee begin formulating interview questions and discussing how the interviews will be conducted.

The Ministry Site Profile, a 14-page document that includes information about the organization and demographics of Bethel, its vision and missions, as well as, demographics and facts about the Hudson community, was finalized and forwarded to the synod office. It will be posted to the “ministry opportunities” listing on the ELCA web site.

Anyone wishing to submit the name of a pastor to be considered for the Senior Pastor position at Bethel may still do so by giving that pastor’s name and some information about him/her to Chris Anderson, chairman of the Call Committee, at canderson@heywoodandcari.com. PLEASE NOTE: Do not inform that pastor that you have proposed him/her as a possible candidate. The bishop/synod office will research that pastor’s qualifications. The bishop will present the candidates to be considered.

Following a holiday hiatus, the transition process will resume next week. Monday the Transition Team and the Council will give final review to the Ministry Site Profile, a document that explains the characteristics of the congregation, the staff size, the average attendance, demographics of the community, leadership needs, and vision for mission. The bishop will then review the MSP and it will be posted to the “ministry opportunities” listing on the ELCA website.  On Thursday, Jan. 12, Bishop Pederson will meet with the Call Committee, Council and Transition Team to explain the call process.

At its December 12 meeting, Bethel Church Council appointed members of the Call Committee. Serving on the committee are: Deanne Bauer, Paul Gavic, Allyson Loewe, Kyle McNamee, Barb Peterson, Dick Trende and Brian Ullom. Chris Anderson was previously appointed chairman of the committee.

Bishop Pederson will meet with the Council and the Call Committee January 12 to explain the call process. It is hoped that a slate of candidates for the senior pastor position will be presented in February. 

The Transition Team is at work completing a Ministry Site Profile which will be reviewed by the bishop and then posted to the “ministry opportunities” listing on the ELCA Web site.

Q.  How do we get candidates’ names? 

A.  The bishop has indicated that he and the synod office are conducting a nation-wide search for candidates for the senior pastor post.  

Q. How will Pastor Kari be replaced?

A. No associate pastors will be replaced until the new senior pastor   has been installed. We will use lay ministry people and guest speakers and will work with the synod to obtain interim pastors to fill those roles when necessary.   

Q. Will future associate pastors have coterminus language in their letters of call?

A.  The coterminus issue will be studied by a task force of the Council. That group will research the current use of coterminus calls and will seek input from the synod, the bishop, and from other ELCA churches. Findings will be reported to the Council.      

At its December 12 meeting, Bethel Church Council appointed members of the Call Committee. Serving on the committee are: Deanne Bauer, Paul Gavic, Allyson Loewe, Kyle McNamee, Barb Peterson, Dick Trende and Brian Ullom. Chris Anderson was previously appointed committee chairman.

Bishop Pederson will meet with the Council and the Call Committee January 12 to explain the call process. It is hoped candidates for the senior pastor position will be presented in February.

The Bethel Church Council meets Monday, Dec. 12. Naming people to the Call Committee is on the agenda.

May a member submit the name of a pastor to be considered for the Senior Pastor position?

Yes. If you know of a pastor who you think would be a candidate for the Senior Pastor position, please give that name and any information about that pastor to Jeremy Palm at 715-690-1050 or Jeremy.palm@gmail.com. He will see that it is forwarded to the bishop.  PLEASE NOTE:  Do not tell that pastor that you have proposed him/her to be a candidate. The bishop/synod office will research that pastor’s qualifications. The bishop presents the slate of candidates to be considered by the Call Committee, and he has indicated that he is conducting a nation-wide search for suitable candidates.

When will the Call Committee begin interviewing candidates for the Senior Pastor position?

The bishop is scheduled to meet with the Council and the Call Committee  Jan. 12 to explain the call process. It is hoped that a slate of candidates will be presented in February.

The Council named Chris Anderson as chairman of the Call Committee. Chris, a local attorney, has been a member of the Church Council for several years. He and his wife, Kelle, are parents of three children. They worship at Bethel Highlands, and Chris also has been a reader at Bethel Downtown.

 Q.  When will the Call Committee be established?

 A.  The Council plans to name people to the Call Committee in December.. The names of those who expressed interest in serving on the committee as well as suggested names will be considered to ensure a committee that represents a broad base of the congregation.

 Q. Will future associate pastors have coterminus language in their letters of call?

 A.  The coterminus issue will be studied by a task force of the Council. That group will research the current use of coterminus calls and will seek input from the synod, the  bishop, and from other ELCA churches. Findings will be reported to the Council.

Click below to download the letter sent to the congregationr regarding the survey results compiled by Holy Cow! Consulting. Survey results are at the top of this page.

The Transition Team met this past week to review recommendations from Holy Cow! Consulting that were proposed in light of the church-wide Survey. A letter outlining results of the Survey was composed and will be mailed Monday, November 14. Members should receive it sometime later that week (note that bulk mailings sometimes get delayed).

Bethel Church Council met in a special session Thursday evening to consider recommendations forwarded from the Transition Team. Council will convene again Monday evening for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

On the evening of August 26th and the morning of August 27th, the Transition Team, the Church Council, Staff, and the NW Wisconsin Bishop, Duane Pederson, attended a retreat at Highlands to discuss the transition process. It was a time of learning, praying, agreeing on the path which we will be on as a congregation over the next year, and finally a time of excitement for Bethel. The same group will again gather at the end of October to review the results of the Survey being completed by Bethel members between September 11th and October 3rd.

The mission statement that was collectively developed at the retreat is: "Our vision for the Pastoral Succession Plan is that it be a prayerful, deliberate and well communicated process which provides a smooth transition to a new senior pastor who shares God's and our direction for the future."

There are 4 Stages to the Transition Process:

DISCOVER—this is the current stage, during which we solicit information from the congregation through the Survey to understand where we are currently and where we would like to see us go in the future.

SEARCH—the next stage will begin after the retreat in late October, and this stage involves having the Church Council appoint a search committee who will work closely with the Bishop in defining the call, identifying candidates, and interviewing candidates.

DECIDE—the Call Committee is charged with identifying a candidate and making a recommendation to the Congregation for a vote.

CELEBRATE—as a congregation we will take time to celebrate the leadership and many contributions Pastor Nelson has made and also to celebrate the future and the arrival of our new Pastor.

Please pray for our church as we continue this process of transition.

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