Pastoral Transition

December 2024 Update:

The committee met again December 5th and continues our discernment of the candidates based on their profiles, first round interviews and other information. We have narrowed our pool of candidates and started second round interviews. We have now paused our activities in celebration of Advent and Christmas and will resume our activities in early 2025.

November 2024 Update:

The call committee met with Bishop Lull on November 12. On behalf of the synod, she provided us with the names and profiles of three qualified candidates. We started first round interviews November 18 and completed first round interviews on November 25th.

Call Candidate Nominations Due

The call committee is accepting nominations for lead pastor candidates from RLC members now through Sunday, October 20th.

When visiting other congregations or talking with friends or relatives, you may have learned of a pastor who might be a good fit to lead RLC in pursuit of our mission and vision. If so, submit your nominee using the online form, or print out and complete this PDF form and drop it by the RLC office or at the Welcome Desk in a sealed envelope to the attention of the Call Committee.

Click here to nominate a candidate by Oct. 20.

Confidentiality is critical throughout the call process. Please do not contact your nominee. All nominations will be shared with and vetted by our synod staff. Thank you for your support of the call process.

Call Committee Formed

Roseville Lutheran Church Council has selected the following six persons to serve on our Senior Pastor Call Committee:

Kris Olsen
Janet Riesinger
Joe Ziegler
Janelle Olsen
Jack Souvignier
Heather Awad

Thank you to everyone who agreed to be nominated for this committee. We had eleven people nominated. Each one brought a positive characteristic to the table for consideration. The choice was not easy. Now, the six persons mentioned above, will meet with Bishop Lull for their orientation as we move into the third stage of the call process. This stage selects, interviews and identifies a preferred candidate to be approved at a congregational meeting as the next Senior Pastor.

Archive Posts

Below is older information to give context to this process. Above is information regarding the current Call Committee efforts.

Call Committee
Nominations Closed June 30

The pastoral call process is God’s activity, but God works through the congregation, church council, pastors, and synod staff to call a pastor to serve Roseville Lutheran Congregation. The decision to call a pastor belongs to the congregation.

The transition team is actively working to prepare the Ministry Site Profile, in collaboration with the congregation and the church council. The profile provides an assessment of the congregation’s needs and priorities as related to the position of Senior Pastor. The profile is used by the synod to match potential candidates with Roseville Lutheran. As the transition team completes their work, the council is seeking members who might be interested in serving on the Call Committee.

The role of the Call Committee is to canvas, interview and assess pastoral candidates that are recommended by the synod. The congregation will also be given a chance to recommend the names of potential candidates. These candidates will be contacted by the synod to determine if they wish to be interviewed by the Call Committee.

The council’s intent is that the call committee will represent the breadth and diversity of the congregation. The committee will consist of six voting members, as required by the constitution. We expect that there will be significant interest in the committee, and the council will not be able to honor all of those expressing interest.

The Call Committee is responsible for recommending a preferred candidate to the Congregation Council. The council then votes to present the preferred candidate to the congregation for a final vote..

Transition Team

Work Begins on Ministry Site Profile

As we gear up to the process to welcome a new senior pastor, our transition team has formed and is working to lay the groundwork before forming a call committee. Our main focus is updating the ministry site profile to send off to the Synod. This document captures information about our congregation for potential candidates to review. To make sure it truly reflects who we are, we're reaching out to you, the congregation, through three surveys (see above) during the month of May. We're asking you to identify characteristics of RLC as well as key skills and gifts we're looking for in our next senior pastor. Your input is important, so please take a moment to share your thoughts! You can find the survey links in the paragraph above, or pick up a paper version from the Welcome Desk. We'll also gather more informal feedback during the Block Party and one Sunday morning in May. Once we've gathered all the data, we'll put together the profile and then share the findings with you all in some informative sessions. Stay tuned for updates!

Transition Update

Val Velde, RLC Council President

I’m excited to announce that Council has selected a Transition Team that will complete the Ministry Site Profile. This team will complete a document that will be visible for all candidates that will consider RLC. Trupti Storlie, Andrew Olson, Joe Ziegler, Kevin Miller, and Sara Mohn will work with Interim Pastor Eric to complete this document and submit it to the ELCA. This is a talented team that will represent RLC well in completing this documenting and getting it submitted on our behalf. Each of these candidates bring assets to the team. Kevin Miller was part of the last MSP Transition team so can help the group leverage the documentation used when Pastor Marty was hired. Sara Mohn is a Past President of RLC so has deep history of RLC. Joe is also a Past President and is also a professional editor which will come in handy on this project. Andrew Olson is currently serving on Council so will serve on the committee but also keep Council up to date on the progress of this team’s work. Tripti led RIC work here at RLC and is currently heavily involved in website development. It will be key that how we present ourselves to the Roseville matches how we represent ourselves to our new potential senior pastor.

Now that Pastor Eric is here and onboard, he will schedule a meeting to get this great team together and they will start their work. Thank you in advance, to all these lay leaders.

April 7 - Meet and Greet

Our Interim Senior Pastor, Eric Lesher, will be starting after Easter, and his first Sunday with us will be April 7. Please plan on being at RLC to welcome him! There will be a time of Meet and Greet following both worship services on Sunday, April 7. We are thankful for his time with us as we continue the work of our congregation. More information about Pastor Eric Lesher, his interim pastorate, and the coming Ministry Site Profile and eventual Call Committee can be found on this page.

Interim Pastor Eric Lesher

I’m excited to share that Roseville Lutheran Church has new Interim Senior Pastor. Eric Lesher has formally accepted the role. Saturday February 24, 2024, six members of Council had the opportunity to sit down and interview with Eric and were impressed with the guidance he could provide RLC during our transition. Exec then spent the following few days speaking with all the references he provided which further solidified our comfort in his fit for our congregation. Eric came highly recommended by Bishop Patricia Lull. He has formally accepted our offer and will start immediately after Easter.

You may send comments and inquiries to .

- Val Velde, RLC Council President

Meet Pastor Eric Lesher:

Rev. Lesher is a native of Iowa. He is a 1979 graduate of Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. A 1983 graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. A 1987 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He has been married to his wife Julene (Jepsen) for 34 years. She is a native of Bowbells, North Dakota and a graduate of Minot State University with a degree in nursing. They have two adult sons named Steven and Joshua. They are grandparents to Charlotte Lesher.

Steven is married to Amber. They are graduates of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Steven is an engineering manager for Bourns, Inc. and lives in Jurupa Valley, California. Joshua is a graduate of the Digital Bootcamp certification program at Kansas State. He is now a field service engineer for ScriptPro and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Rev. Lesher served as an Associate Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran in Iowa City, Iowa from 1987-1992. He served as Pastor of Central Lutheran in Des Moines, Iowa from 1992-2000. He served as Senior Pastor at Living Lord Lutheran in Bartlett, Illinois from 2000-2007. He served as Senior Pastor at First Lutheran in Kearney, Nebraska from 2007-2015. He served as Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran in Lincoln, Nebraska from 2015-2022.

Rev. Lesher has built trust, faith, hope, love, and purpose in all the congregations he has served. In Iowa City he created stability in a previously conflicted staff, he was active in the ecumenical ministry in Iowa City and served on several Synod committees. In Des Moines he helped launch the consolidation of Central Lutheran and First Lutheran churches. These churches are now Capitol Hill Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Iowa. He also launched a Vietnamese ministry which led to a cross-cultural ministry that continues to thrive at Capitol Hill Lutheran. While serving at Living Lord he was active in the local conference ministry and he helped create a culture of change, launched NCD, a men’s ministry, a contemporary worship service, created a unified staff and led the congregation in a visioning campaign that still impacts Living Lord today. He served as the President of the Kearney Ministerial Association, an NCD coach, built a strong staff and led a successful capital campaign. While pastor at Grace, he transformed a culture of conflict into a culture of cooperation, started a jazz service, created an online presence, and kept the congregation vital during the pandemic.

Rev. Lesher’s hobbies include gym workouts, walking, hiking, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and family. His passions are helping congregations grow in their mission and helping people grow in their faith. His skills include preaching, teaching, administration, and relational ministry.

Rev. Lesher has recently moved into the St. Paul Synod as he follows his wife who has accepted a new job working for her brother as he expands his business. Rev. Lesher is now serving as an Interim Pastor in the St. Paul Synod.

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) during a time of Pastoral Transition

1) What are our next steps?

The Executive Council is in communication with Bishop Patricia Lull, St. Paul Area Synod (SPAS). Bishop Lull will be our contact person throughout this transition and interim period. While timetables for each of the following steps are fluid, we anticipate the following to take place:

Interim Senior Pastor

An Interim Senior Pastor will be appointed by the church council in consultation with the St. Paul Area Synod. This time of interim may be 6 months - 1 year in length. The Interim Senior Pastor will work alongside the staff, lay leadership, and members during this time of transition. A job description is in preparation for the interim.

Why an interim?

Click here to read Interim Pastors in the ELCA

Transition Task Force

The Transition Task Force will be designated by the church council and will be tasked with preparing the Ministry Site Profile (MSP). The MSP is an ELCA document that provides the opportunity to explain the mission and ministry of RLC to potential pastoral candidates.

Call Committee

Following the work of the Transition Task Force, a Senior Pastor Call Committee will be appointed by the church council and will interview pastoral candidates. Names will be provided by the SPAS. Congregational members will also be invited to provide names of potential candidates.

Transition and Call Information from the Saint Paul Synod

Call Process - Saint Paul Area Synod

2) Are the other Pastor’s calls coterminous?

Coterminous pastoral calls indicate that all pastors are required to submit their resignations upon the resignation or retirement of the Senior Pastor.

RLC’s Church Constitution does not require coterminous calls, and the congregational calls to members of our pastoral team are not coterminous.

3) Will any of the pastors be considered for the Interim Senior Pastor position, or the called Senior Pastor position?

In consultation with the SPAS, we have been given guidance on this issue and understand that the answer is “no.”

4) How can someone express an interest in serving on the Transition Task Force or the Call Committee?

Please let us know by sending an email and an indication of interest to:

5) Will the congregation have a chance to meet the candidates prior to a call decision?

Due to the sensitive and private nature of pastoral calls, RLC will follow the prescribed practice of trusting the working of the Holy Spirit and the Call Committee in bringing a name forward to RLC’s Church Council. The church council will then vote to approve the candidate. The candidate's name will become known to the congregation at a called congregational meeting and will bring their name forward at that time. It is the congregation who votes to extend a Letter of Call to a pastoral candidate.

6) How can I help?

If interested in serving on the call committee, send a message to the transition email address above. How about the transition Team?
During this time of transition, the usual church business must go on. Please look for volunteer opportunities and join in where you can. Especially consider:
- Faithful Hospitality which will need lots of volunteers in February and March.
- pRAISE RLC annual appeal (April 28 - May 2) will be very important this year. Consider your financial support and watch announcements for volunteer opportunities.

Context

On Sunday, January 28, 2024, Pastor Lauren J. Wrightsman informed the congregation of Roseville Lutheran that she was accepting another call (read her letter here) with her last Sunday as Pastor at RLC on March 3, 2024. The RLC Executive Committee also communicated with the congregation (read their letter here) and both of these letters were mailed to the congregation on Monday, January 29. This page is a place for more information to be shared in the coming weeks and months. The RLC Executive Committee, our other Pastors and the St. Paul Area Synod Bishop are working together on the coming transition, interim lead pastor, and the future call committee process.