Reimagining Rural & Small Town Ministry

CaSTLE Project Equips Everyday Faith

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The CaSTLE Project in Nebraska

Thanks to a subgrant from Wartburg Theological Seminary’s CaSTLE Project, the Nebraska Synod ELCA has received funding for a five‑year Director for Congregational Transformation.

The CaSTLE Project (Country and Small Town Lived Ecclesiology) is a churchwide effort to nurture a new way of being church in rural and small‑town communities. Rather than measuring health only by attendance or whether there is a full‑time pastor, CaSTLE focuses on:

  • The baptismal vocation of every member
  • Everyday witness to the gospel in work, family life, and civic engagement
  • Worship and sacramental life that equips people for daily faith

In Nebraska, this means direct investment in rural and small‑town congregationsthat are asking:

  • What does faithful, sustainable ministry look like now?
  • How can we live out our baptismal calling in our communities?
  • Where is God leading us next?
Learn more about the CaSTLE Project

What This Means for Nebraska Congregations

Over the five years of this grant, congregations in the Nebraska Synod—especially in rural and small‑town contexts—can expect to see:

1. Congregational Transformation Cohorts
Opportunities for congregations to participate in guided processes of renewal, including:

  • Clarifying identity, vocation, and mission
  • Naming grief and fear honestly while discovering new hope
  • Exploring models of ministry that fit local realities

2. Stronger Support for Lay Leaders and SAMs

  • Additional formation opportunities for Synod Authorized Ministers (SAMs) and other lay leaders
  • Learning cohorts, mentoring, and peer support networks
  • Practical tools for preaching, teaching, and leading in small‑membership and multi‑point parishes

3. New and Refreshed Resources for Rural and Small‑Town Ministry

  • Worship and educational resources rooted in baptismal ecclesiology
  • Materials that connect Sunday worship to daily life in farms, small businesses, schools, and community organizations
  • Stories and practices shared across Nebraska and other CaSTLE partner synods

4. Support for Ecumenical and Shared Ministry Settings

  • Encouragement and resources for congregations who share ministry with full‑communion partners
  • Space to learn from existing ecumenical experiments in Nebraska and beyond
  • Help discerning when and how shared ministry can support long‑term flourishing

5. A Different Way of Measuring Flourishing

Alongside familiar metrics like worship attendance and finances, we will also be asking:

  • How are people’s lives being shaped by the gospel?
  • How are members witnessing to Christ in their homes, workplaces, and communities?
  • How is the congregation contributing to the flourishing of the town?

Meet Pr. Katie Gallagher

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Pastor Katie is a graduate from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and brings with her over 23 years of ministry experience, having served congregations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Southern Indiana, Iowa, and most recently Northern Illinois.  She lives bi-locationally with her husband Jamie and youngest daughter Trace.  Jamie serves as pastor at First Lutheran Church in Monmouth, Illinois and Trace is anxiously awaiting a 2027 high school graduation.  When not in Illinois, Pastor Katie lives in the charming community of Ponca, Nebraska where she takes advantage of hiking, herping and just being outdoors in general.  Pastor Katie and Pastor Jamie also have two older young adult children.  Heide is their oldest and she is in her second-year teaching Band, Choir, and General Music to middle and high school students for the Indian Creek School District in Illinois.  Nate is their middle child, and he is in his fourth year studying at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.  When not doing church work, Pastor Katie loves hiking, herping, camping, and just being outside in general. Pastor Katie is an avid animal lover, except for squirrels.  Her menagerie in Illinois includes Niko the dog, Klutz and Clam Chowder who are cats, Captain Sparklez the Lion Head rabbit, Ember the Bearded Dragon, and Jerald her adorable Eastern Fox snake.