Pastor Leadership Transition

Good Shepherd Leadership has begun the process to form a call committee and move toward our next phase of pastoral leadership. Visit this page for future updates as we move through the transition process and search for our next pastoral leaders.

October Update

Self Study

A period of intentional self-study begins October 1 as the Good Shepherd community is invited to participate in activities that are focused on individual and communal self-reflection that informs the future of Good Shepherd’s ministry. Guiding principles for this time of reflection include broad participation; a combination of divergent and convergent thinking; reflections informed by our past but not defined by our past; focus informed by the content of the ministry site profile (MSP) but not defined by the MSP; and value placed on the process of asking and listening (not just the outcomes).

Two methods for facilitated self study will be provided:

1. A community-wide survey. Anonymous responses to this survey will provide insights into current perceptions and future dreams and will capture valuable demographic information about our congregation. Everyone is encouraged to complete the survey. Check your email or contact the church office for a link to the survey. A letter with a link was also mailed on October 16.

2. Small group gatherings hosted by members of the congregation or at church. These 75 – 90 minute discussions will be facilitated by the Transition Leadership Team and provide an opportunity for the Good Shepherd community to collaborate, share feedback and gain insights with one another, while also providing an opportunity for community members to get to know one another better. Everyone is encouraged to participate in one of these in-home small group gatherings, which will be held throughout the month of October and early November.  Click here to sign up for a gathering.

And, don't forget we have a Transition Update Meeting on Sunday, October 27 following the late service. The Transition Leadership Team will provide an update on various transition-related activities, Call Committee nominations, overall process, and more. All members of the Good Shepherd community are encouraged to attend this 45-minute meeting. Childcare will be provided.

Call Committee

As part of Good Shepherd’s preparation for the next chapter of pastoral leadership, we are ready to form the Call Committee that will be instrumental in the process of calling our future pastoral leadership. As you participate in the Self Study activities occurring throughout the month (see above), please consider participation on the Call Committee for yourself and your fellow members. Be aware of those within our congregation who you would consider to be valued members of the Call Committee and have a conversation with them about potential participation.  More information about the Call Committee is included in this edition of the Shepherd’s Staff. Nomination forms will be included in the November Shepherd’s Staff in anticipation of the call for nominations which begins on November 3.

Small Group Hosts for Self Study Gatherings

As mentioned above, an important component of the self study process is gathering in small groups to collaborate, share feedback and gain insights with one another, while also providing an opportunity for community members to get to know one another better. The content of these gatherings will be facilitated by the Leadership Transition Team. However, we need members of the Good Shepherd community to host these gatherings in their home. Responsibilities of the host include:

• Provide a place in your home for the group to gather for 75 – 90 minutes

• Provide something to drink and something light to eat (cheese, crackers, veggies, fruit, cookies, etc.)

• You identify dates and times that you are willing to host a gathering. Please provide several dates and times that you are available to host ONE gathering.

• You identify the number of people you are willing to host/able to accommodate

Please communicate your willingness to host a gathering by sending an email to events@goodshepherdlc.org. Please note the dates and times you are willing to host and the number of people you can accommodate. Please respond by Sunday, October 6. Please contact Transition Leadership Team captain, Mark Ledogar with questions at events@goodshepherdlc.org or 630-742-0460.

Expressing Grace, Gratitude and Greatness

During this time of transition, please continue to proactively extend grace, express gratitude and share excitement about God’s greatness using the greeting cards available at the coffee service area at the back of the worship space.

Who to Call

For pastoral care for life events such as illness, death, birth, baptism, trauma, transition, etc., please contact Pastor David Heim at dheim@goodshepherdlc.org or 708-848-4741).

For any questions related to the operations of congregation or facility, please contact Office Administrator Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa at churchoffice@goodshepherdlc.org or 708-848-4741.

For any questions related to family and children ministries, please contact Deaconess Debbie Speer (ChristianEd@goodshepherdlc.org) or 708-848-4741.

For any questions or feedback related to this time of transition, including suggestions and concerns, please contact members of the Transition Leadership Team including Council President Gail Frost (gsfrost@comcast.net), Transition Process Facilitation Team leader Mark Ledogar (mark@theledogroup.com), Call Committee Chair Troy Koch (troykoch@gmail.com), and Deaconess Debbie Speer (staff representative).

September Update

Welcome Pastor David!

We welcome Pastor David Heim to Good Shepherd! Pastor David begins his service as our interim pastor on Wednesday, September 4. Pastor David’s primary focus will be in worship planning and leadership, staff coordination, pastoral care, visitor outreach and stewardship. In addition, Pastor David will leverage his previous interim ministry experience and training to provide consultation and advice as we envision the future of Good Shepherd’s ministry and prepare for the next chapter in Good Shepherd’s pastoral leadership.

Throughout the coming weeks, Council members, committee chairs and others serving in various leadership roles will be spending time with Pastor David to share information about the various areas of our ministry. During this time of continued transition, everyone is encouraged to extend grace, understanding and patience as we explore and learn from the new dynamics and perspectives that naturally occur with new leadership.

Pastor David will be installed during worship on Sunday, September 22, followed by a special coffee hour celebration after the 10:30 am service.

Pastor David can be reached at dheim@goodshepherdlc.org and via phone at 708-848-4741.

Self Reflection

A period of intentional self-reflection will begin in late September as the Good Shepherd community is invited to participate in activities that are focused on individual and communal self-reflection that informs the future of Good Shepherd’s ministry. Guiding principles for this time of reflection include broad participation; a combination of divergent and convergent thinking; reflections informed by our past but not defined by our past; focus informed by the content of the ministry site profile (MSP) but not defined by the MSP; and value placed on the process of asking and listening (not just the outcomes). More information about the time and process of self-reflection will be shared in the coming weeks.

Expressing Grace, Gratitude and Greatness

During this time of transition, please continue to proactively and intentionally extend grace, express gratitude and/or share excitement about God’s greatness using the greeting cards available near the coffee and more near the back of the worship space.

Worship leadership in September

This month, we welcome the worship leadership of Pastor Kelly Nieman Anderson, Pastor David Heim, Dan Eppley and Michael Stryker along with  jazz musicians and service leaders of the special Jazz Prayer worship service on September 15 (see related article in this Shepherd’s Staff)

August Update

Transition Time Community Listening and Update

Thank you to the 50 people who attending the Transition Time Community Listening and Update session on July 21. During our gathering, the Transition Leadership Team provided an update on the status of assignment of an interim pastor, the financial projections for supporting the work of the interim pastor, and the anticipated process for Good Shepherd’s visioning activities, which will culminate with the articulation of this vision to inform the calling of our future pastoral leadership.

Future Transition Time gatherings are in the works. If you have not yet participated in a Transition Time gathering and would like to do so, please contact process facilitator, Mark Ledogar, to share your interest and availability so that future gatherings can accommodate as many people as possible.

Shalom Pastor Kerstin

We bid farewell and shalom to Pastor Kerstin and her family on Sunday, August 4. Please join your Good Shepherd community at a special coffee hour following the 9:30 am worship service. Any who wish to share individual expressions of gratitude in the form of cards or notes are encouraged to do so on August 4. We are grateful for you and your family, Pastor Kerstin. Thank you for reflecting God’s love in so many ways during the last four years we’ve been together. Shalom. We will see you again!

Expressing Grace, Gratitude and Greatness

During this time of transition, it’s more important than ever to proactively and intentionally extend grace, express gratitude and/or share excitement about God’s greatness with one another. To make this as easy as possible, the Transition Leadership Team has provided greeting cards for you to use to write a personalized message (or use your own card if you prefer). Notecards and blank envelopes are available near the soundboard. Just write a note, seal it in a provided envelope, address the envelope (a membership directory is available for your reference), and leave the sealed and addressed envelope in the basket and we’ll take care of delivery!

Worship leadership in August

We welcome Pastor Kelly Nieman Anderson, Pastor Kerstin Hedlund, Pastor Jeff King and Pastor Nathan Klein as our worship leaders in August.

July Update

A new way of being

Pastor Kerstin’s upcoming departure from Good Shepherd really stings. Not only are we bidding shalom to a beloved family within our congregation, we’re also saying goodbye to a faithful leader whose presence, preaching and genuine care contributed so much to the health of our congregation, especially during recent months as Kerstin provided pastoral leadership continuity during and following Pastor Kathy’s departure.

But in this and in every aspect of transition, we are assured of God’s presence and plan for us – shown recently through the constant and consistent leadership of our staff team - Debbie, Kimberly, Carl, David and Holly; through uncompromised worship participation levels and experiences that remind us of the importance of gathering weekly; through community outreach programs and events that remind us that our service as God’s hands knows no end; through a VBS program that demonstrates the trajectory of our post-pandemic recovery especially for children and their families; through the 22 people who attended the transition listening session last month to share their experiences from past transitions to make this one ever more healthy and meaningful; and through the dedication and love of countless lay leaders and members of our community who show unwavering commitment to Good Shepherd’s past, present and future. 

God’s presence during this time of transition is also shown to us through the leaders of our churchwide body. Communication with Pastor Nathan Klein, our Metro Chicago Synod liaison, continues on a regular basis as we await the assignment of the interim pastor and prepare for the start of the call process for our next pastor leader. A recent email message from Pastor Klein demonstrates this support and reminds us of God’s presence . . . 

“I have heard about the upcoming transition for Pr. Kerstin.  Peace be with you all in this moment of continued transition.  I am honored to be walking with you in this chapter . . . I acknowledge the new sense of importance to find some consistency in this transition, and I hope to have news (about the assignment of an interim pastor) for you soon . . . By having a thoughtful and capable transition team, engaging in active listening, and regularly informing the congregation of progress, you are doing a great job handling this transition, and positioning yourself even better than most, in my opinion. I think you are doing all that you can/should in this moment; part of this transition process is spending time in this new way of being.”

A new way of being . . . that’s where we are right now. God tells us to “be still and know that I am God”. As we attempt to do all the “right” things to make this time of transition as meaningful and smooth as possible, we are also reminded of God’s presence in our being the people of God at Good Shepherd.   Let’s encourage one another to embrace this new way of being – with the grace, gratitude and greatness that befits this time of transition.

What reflections about this time of transition would you like to share with your Good Shepherd community? Contact Transition Leadership Team members Gail Frost, Troy Koch, Mark Ledogar and Debbie Speer to share your experience.

Transition Time Listening and Sharing Session

A community listening and sharing session is scheduled for Sunday, July 21 immediately following the 9:30 am worship service. During this gathering, an update on the assignment of an interim pastor, plans for our time of visioning, and process leading to the call of our next pastor leader will be shared.  All our heartily encouraged to participate. While in person gathering is always preferred, the opportunity to participate remotely via Zoom will also be available. Childcare will be provided. The gathering will conclude by noon. Please communicate your intent to participate in person or remotely via the YES sheet or by sending an email to events@goodshepherdlc.org. 

Worship leadership in July: We welcome Pastor Kelly Nieman Anderson, Pastor Kerstin Hedlund, Pastor Fred Reklau, Pastor Troy Medlin, and Deaconess Debbie as our worship leaders in July.

Transition Experience Share Session

Thank you to the 22 members of our community who attended the Transition Experience Share Session on Tuesday, June 4. During this gathering, participants shared their experiences from previous pastoral transitions, asked questions pertaining to Good Shepherd’s current transition period and offered suggestions for making this transition time meaningful and effective. Please contact Transition Leadership Team members, Gail Frost, Troy Koch, Mark Ledogar and Debbie Speer for more information. And be on the lookout for additional transition-related gatherings in the coming weeks and months.

June Update

Update from June 16: Pastor Kerstin and her family will be moving out of state this summer. Her pastoral leadership at Good Shepherd will conclude on August 4. We are grateful for her leadership and service during the last four years and excited for the many ways that she and her family will share God’s grace and love with so many others.

Every month, your Transition Leaders Team will provide you with information related to this time of pastoral leadership transition. All information related to activities surrounding this transition time can also be found in the “About” tab of the Good Shepherd. You’re encouraged to keep this page bookmarked to get the most updated information about this time of transition.

Last month, the Transition Leadership Team and Council met with our representative from the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to receive an update on the process and timing for assignment of an interim pastor, and to learn more about the process for calling future pastoral leader(s) to Good Shepherd. The Synod is actively seeking an Interim Pastor on behalf of Good Shepherd, who we hope will be onboard in preparation for our fall programming and schedule. In the meantime, we welcome Pastor Kelly Nieman Anderson, Pastor Kerstin Hedlund, and Pastor Bill White as our worship leaders in June.

We’re especially grateful for Pastor Kerstin’s continued leadership and service during this time of transition. Please take a moment to read the greeting from Pastor Kerstin:

Dear Good Shepherd Community,

Like many in the congregation, I am prayerfully imagining Good Shepherd’s future during this new stage of our life together. In the congregation’s current chapter, I treasure serving in a part-time role and I look forward to continuing to provide part-time service specifically in the areas of worship planning, pastoral care, and visitor outreach for the foreseeable future as Good Shepherd awaits the
assignment of an interim minister and prepares for the next chapter of pastoral leadership. As the process moves along, I wanted to take a moment to clarify a couple of things. 

During the last four years, I have served Good Shepherd on a part-time basis to fill gaps created by Pastor Kathy’s responsibilities with the synod office. This has provided me the time and space needed to complete coursework, exams, and a section of my dissertation in pursuit of my PhD in Theology & Ethics, while also continuing my service as an Army Reserve chaplain. Given my growing obligations to the Army through the next 4 years, and given my family responsibility, full-time parish ministry is something that I have prayerfully concluded I cannot faithfully fulfill. This means I will not submit call papers seeking to serve as pastor of Good Shepherd’s next chapter of ministry. 

Although I will continue to serve in a part-time capacity as Good Shepherd moves towards its call process, I also will not seek to serve as Good Shepherd’s interim pastor for various reasons including my membership, relationships, and history with Good Shepherd.

I am sincerely grateful for all the ways this community continues to deepen my faith in Christ. I have witnessed us all formed into Jesus’ body as our Lord has offered his body to us all at the table. I’ve also seen Jesus in you as you have opened your arms in love to our neighbors. Together we have been blessed by Jesus’ presence in many whom God has called us to serve, many times entertaining angels unaware.  I trust that God will continue to do a new thing in our faith community, and Christ’s power will continue to be made perfect, showing us grace sufficient for all our days.

Christ’s grace and peace be with you all.

Pastor Kerstin

Pastoral Leadership Plan During Transition

April Update

The Congregation Council has formed three teams to guide the efforts of the transition period:

• Call Committee. This team develops the congregation profile including future state aspirations as informed by the visioning process; completes appropriate reports and documents as required by the Synod Call Process; and facilitates the candidate search and selection process. The Call Committee is led by Troy Koch.

• Process Facilitation Team. This team serves as facilitator for transition planning efforts including discussions, meetings, processes and related communication; ensures current day leadership and management of the congregation as provided by the Council is coordinated with future state and visioning efforts; identifies voids within congregation functions and brings these voids to the attention of the Council for consideration and response; and mentors and support members of the interim ministry team. The Process Facilitation Team is led by Mark Ledogar.

• Transition Leadership Team. This team provides overall guidance for the transition period, ensures coordination among all congregation leaders, and leads the congregation-wide visioning activities. The team includes Gail Frost (Congregation Council President), Troy Koch (Call Committee Chair), Mark Ledogar (leader of the Process Facilitation Team) and Deaconess Debbie Speer (staff representative).

More information about participation on the Call Committee and Process Facilitation Team will be available starting May 1. In the meantime, please contact Gail, Troy, Debbie, or Mark with questions.

Initial conversations with the Synod’s interim ministry team are signaling the likely placement of an interim minister after June 1. Pastor Kerstin and Lynn Railsback (Chair of the Worship, Music and the Arts Committee) are maintaining a worship leadership plan and have scheduled clergy to lead worship through June. Additional ministry leadership roles provided by Pastor Kathy have been documented and leadership of these various functions has been identified and engaged.

All transitions – including pastoral leadership transitions – can be very emotional, stressful, and scary. But times of transition are also an opportunity to recast a vision, reenergize hope and reengage the community. Please join one another in prayer-filled embrace of all of these emotions and opportunities, with the assurance that “God’s got us” and we’ve got one another in this time, and for the time that lies ahead.

February/March Update

Pastor Kathy announced her intention to leave Good Shepherd and move to the ELCA Metro Chicago Synod. To read her letter to the congregation, click here. To read Council President, Gail Frost’s letter to the congregation, click here.