St James - Glen Carbon
Initial Meeting
In August of 2017 we met with the chairman and head elder of St. James, Glen Carbon, a sister church of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. They are very concerned that they may soon have to disband. Their youngest member is seventy years old, and one more funeral could mean they could no longer continue. They are seeking a part-time pastor who can help them grow by especially focusing on evangelism in their community. They hope that in the future they will be able to afford a full-time pastor.
Good Shepherd's Plan
Good Shepherd is in a unique position to help out. In 2015 Pastor Aaron Mueller was installed as a part-time pastor at Good Shepherd. Pastor Mueller has been serving at Good Shepherd and working on his doctor of philosophy degree at Concordia Seminary. Our goal was for Pastor Mueller to complete his degree and eventually serve full-time in the ministry at Good Shepherd or at another church that might need his help. As we considered the situation with St. James, we realized that this might be a special opportunity for Pastor Mueller to work toward a full-time position and help a sister church in need.
The plan so far would be for Pastor Mueller to begin preaching and teaching adult Bible study each Sunday starting in January. He would also begin making evangelism calls in the community. St. James has agreed to move their service time to 9:00 a.m. so that Pastor Mueller will still be able to preach once a month at Good Shepherd (as he currently does). Pastor Mueller's salary would be funded by Good Shepherd and by St. James. Our goal would be to continue this arrangement for two years. We would have regular evaluation meetings every six months.
This arrangement has been approved by the members of St. James and by the members of Good Shepherd at their Voter's Assembly on November 26, 2017.
January 2018 Bulletin Announcement
Last August, leaders from Good Shepherd and St. James in Glen Carbon met to consider how we might help St. James. St. James has been unable to afford a full-time pastor for some time and was gradually declining. Good Shepherd agreed to send Pastor Mueller to help revitalize the congregation so that they will be able to call a full-time pastor eventually. Good Shepherd continues to support Pastor Mueller, and he will continue to preach once a month at Good Shepherd and continue some teaching here. We are also helping St. James with additional material support. We are also working with the Southern Illinois District of the LCMS to find additional support for St. James. Please pray for God’s kingdom to grow through these efforts.
Sixth Month Review
On May 22, 2018 the leaders of Good Shepherd and St. James met to discuss the revitalization efforts. Attendance at St. James rose immediately in January from 30-40 to 100-120. As of September 2018 they have 81 communicant members and 115 baptized members. Thirteen families from Good Shepherd have begun worshiping there. Families are also coming from Trinity, Edwardsville and Zion, Bethalto. Good Shepherd and St. James agreed to lower the amount Good Shepherd was contributing for the pastor's salary while St. James would increase. St. James is restructuring their leadership and making preparatings for a call process. They indicated that they need some time to understand their new situation. It will be important for St. James to follow a good call process that considers all possibilities regarding the new pastor.
The leaders from both churches plan to meet again in August of 2018.
October 2018 Meeting
We met again with the chairman and head elder of St. James on October 30, 2018. Things are going very well for St. James. Their attendance is strong, and their budget will now allow them to call a full time pastor. St. James has completed their self-evaluation and is assembling a call committee. They are currrently gathering names. Then they will go over the information on the possible pastoral candidates. They hope to extend a call in January of 2019.
February 10, 2019 Installation
St. James met on Monday, January 27, 2019 and voted to extend a divine call to Pastor Aaron Mueller. Pastor Mueller has accepted the call and will be installed on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. After a year and a half, God has helped us reach the goal of revitalizing St. James. With thousands of churches closing each year, we are glad that St. James has been renewed, and we pray that God will continue to extend His kingdom through St. James and all the churches that have helped in this effort.
Left to Right: Ben Ball, Scott Adle, Aaron Mueller, Michael Walther, Brad Thomas, Bob Weise