Nebraska Synod ELCA
Following in the footsteps of Jesus who was always asking questions and teaching through them, the Nebraska Synod Vitality Initiative for Congregations is centered on three big questions: Who are you? Who are your neighbors? Where is God calling you?
These questions, the subsequent learning and wonderings are the marks of Christian discipleship. It is interesting to note that this method of teaching may be contrary to normal congregational practice where we spend more time looking for answers instead of pondering the questions. This shift in thinking is in fact a lifestyle shift with vocation at the center. Making the shift is a process and that is precisely the intention of the Nebraska Synod Vitality Initiative (VIC). It is not a how to program, it is a guided journey grounded in asking questions and listening.
In a cohort of congregations together, the congregations (and shared ministries) participating in this initiative will discern answers and direction based on:
This initiative is geared toward helping congregations discern their vocation and to thrive with an outward orientation. Congregations will be invited to dare to live into their vocation and reflect vitality by cultivating missional imagination.
VIC aims to Equip disciples and congregations with tools and a refreshed focus on the basics. Some of this we may all know as disciples, but in the midst of everyday life, perhaps we have lost sight of them or at least of their importance. Through asking questions like who are we? And who are our neighbors? We invite congregations to listen and name partnerships within and outside of their congregation’s walls.
With this intention, God’s people are Engaged. They will find themselves actively engaging each other, through listening and wondering, without giving into the temptation to necessarily fix something or to just provide answers.
Throughout the journey, God’s people are Empowered through an emphasis on the freedom to experiment, acts of experimentation, and a growing sense of permission giving, in that we have what we need as God entrusts it, and we have permission to respond and do something with what God entrusts and provides. By entering into this vitality journey, we are calling people into a new mindset that is a place of imagination, observation, deep listening, and a willingness to learn and grow. Any congregation and shared ministry that is willing to make these investments would be changed through this vitality journey. Based on our experience, a thriving congregation may be a multi-point parish, a shared ministry, or a single site; and could be in any context from rural to suburban to big city, with a history that is 150 years old or just 10 years old. Every congregation experiences vitality differently, because each is a unique body in a specific context – and this truth is the key to vitality. In congregations, as in individuals, God grants the gifts, the relationships, the moments and the tasks – the mission – of vocation.
An added note, at its heart, the vitality experience is a congregational investment and learning opportunity. The pastoral leader will want to be involved as a part of the team, but they are not nor should they be, in charge of the team. All God’s people are called to serve. VIC provides a strong learning experience for laity, pastors, deacons, and parish ministry associates.
The Initiative is a twelve-month intense adventure of discovery, learning, listening and discernment with monthly cohort learning sessions online with a series of practices to be completed before the next session. Each cohort session will be a 90-minute meeting online via Zoom. They will be recorded in case a member of the team misses a session and needs to review what was learned and discussed. The goal of each cohort session is to equip, and then from that session, to work with your congregation team’s coach to explore how the principles are reflected and come to life in the congregation. There will be regular practices and activities to engage the larger congregation with throughout the twelve-month process. And there will be activities that will integrate the learning in the larger congregation.
A trained ELCA coach will walk with each congregation in this journey for the 12 months and will accompany them for an additional six months as they live into their discoveries. Prayer and spiritual practices will be woven into all phases of this work as together we listen for and to the Holy Spirit.
This vitality process is about culture change, and that sometimes proves hard to measure. Growth and change will be reflected in the congregation’s healthy risk-taking, experimentation and progressive learning experiences.
There is no planned destination. This is reflected in the design of the logo of the Vitality Initiative seen above. It reflects freedom and movement. This journey, unlike a road trip with a map or GPS, is not a set path, which means it has no one set destination or ending point, but is a constant process of growing, living, wondering, and becoming.
Each congregation will be expected to form a Vitality Team of 6-8 individuals who are able to commit to the full twelve-month process, as well as an additional 6 months following of discernment with their coach. More information about who should be part of this team will be provided at the introductory leader meeting on June 4, 2026.
The Vitality Initiative is subsidized by the Nebraska Synod through your congregation’s Mission Share and the support of the Maas Leadership Fund and Immanuel Vision Foundation. The fee per congregation, parish, or ministry to participate is $950.00 with payment due to the Nebraska Synod by August 1, 2026. If the cost is a barrier for participation, please contact Deacon Timothy Siburg.
The registration form is to be completed by the congregation’s pastoral leader(s) in conversation with other key congregational leaders. If the congregation currently has no pastoral leader in place, the registration form should be completed by a key congregational leader or leaders. Deadline for submission is May 22, 2026. The 2026 cohort will be publicly announced during Bishop Scott Johnson’s report at Synod Assembly in Kearney, and all registered and accepted congregations and ministries will be notified by email of their acceptance and inclusion.
The first cohort session will be Sunday September 20, 2026, at 1:30pm CDT/12:30pm MDT. Prior to the first cohort session there will be a pastoral leaders and coaches orientation meeting on Thursday June 4, 2026, at 10:00am CDT/9:00am MDT and/or 7:30pm CDT/6:30pm MDT.
Cohort meetings will be 90 minutes long and occur online via Zoom on Sunday afternoons at 1:30pm CT/12:30pm MT, unless otherwise noted. Prior to the official start of the cohort in September, all pastoral leaders of congregations and ministries participating in this initiative and their coaches will have an introductory meeting on June 4, 2026.
Vitality Initiative for Congregations- Cohort 4- Session Dates (subject to change)
*All sessions will run from 1:30-3pm CT/12:30-2pm MT, unless otherwise noted.
2026:
September 20
October 11
November 8
December 6
2027:
January 10
February 7
March 7
April 11
May 2
June 13
August 15
Cohort Celebration on September 19
There may be additional gatherings with pastoral leaders, coaches, or council chairs. These are yet to be scheduled.
The Nebraska Synod’s Vitality Initiative for Congregations was developed by a group of disciples dedicated to helping congregations discover their own sense of vitality: Rev. Dr. Sarah Cordray, Spiritual Director Lisa Kramme, Rev. Brian Maas, Deacon Sunni Richardson, Deacon Timothy Siburg, and Rev. Dr. Adam White. The Nebraska Synod is grateful for these leaders and their investments, and for all congregations, ministries, and coaches who have invested through being part of the journey of the Vitality Initiative.
VIC is currently led by Deacon Sunni Richardson and Deacon Timothy Siburg. The synod staff contact is Deacon Timothy Siburg.
Next Steps