Nebraska Synod ELCA

As a preacher, there’s a very real sense in which I make my living with words. Yet there are times when words aren’t quite enough. As I am trying to express myself in this letter, I’m finding this is one of those times.

I’m not sure I can do any better than to quote Saint Paul: “I thank my God every time I remember you”  [Philippians 1:3]

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a letter to a community he loved dearly, and it shows in his language throughout the epistle. I can relate to his affection and gratitude for that community and it seems appropriate to be quoting from that book in this last letter to you as Bishop. Midnight on September 1 will bring to a close 10 full years of life in this office. It has been an extraordinary privilege, and I cannot adequately express my thanks.

For a decade you have treated me as your partner in ministry and welcomed me into your congregations, your ministries and your lives.

Together we have witnessed deadly tornadoes, devastating floods and dangerous snowstorms. I have watched as you have pulled together and by your hard work and great generosity helped others who suffered from these and other disasters.

Together we have witnessed social upheaval, pain, anger, confusion and shame in the wake of the inhuman treatment and tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many others. I watched and listened as you studied and prayed, engaged difficult conversations and committed to growing awareness of and response to racism in our nation and in our church.

Together we have watched the shortage of ministers grow tenfold, from 100 to 1000 in less than a decade. I watched as efforts expanded to recruit and prepare new pastors, deacons and PMAs, and as so many lay people stepped up in their congregations to provide leadership and service, including preaching and conducting worship.

Together we have endured the burden of COVID-19, along with the fatigue it engendered and—far too often—the division it fomented in congregations. And I got to watch as congregations, leaders and members got creative and effective in adapting ministry to previously unknown situations.

Through it all, God has been faithful and the church has carried on. The Good News of life in Jesus Christ has been proclaimed, the sacraments celebrated, beloved saints have been commended to God and new saints have been welcomed into the Body of Christ. People have been served, needs have been met, transitions have been completed, the faith has been handed on and lives have been transformed.

I’ve often said that the best part of this role is seeing this church—you—in action; and that the hardest part of it is trying to express all that this church is and does. It’s truly awe-inspiring. Getting to see so much is part of what makes this one of the best calls in the ELCA. It’s not only the opportunity to see the church in action; it’s the privilege of serving a synod that is strong, healthy and well-connected; that’s tied closely to Serving Arms ministries that see themselves truly as extensions of the church; and that is blessed with abundant resources and faithful, generous members (truly—if you have to be a synod bishop, pick Nebraska!).

For the honor and blessing of getting to fill this role, I am deeply grateful.

But no one does this work alone. I am also deeply thankful to and thankful for a staff of exceptional individuals who are faithful and deeply committed to the ministries and members of this church. They do what they do so well, and with deep conviction. It has been a joy to work with the entire Nebraska Synod staff, and to be able to call them not only colleagues but friends. They are a blessing to the church.

I am also richly blessed to have had the love and support—and grace—of Debbie and my family. The transition from parish ministry to the bishop’s office was a radical one, and the work of this office has been unlike any other I’ve done. Through it all, Debbie has been a great listener, cherished adviser and beloved partner. I am indebted and deeply thankful to her and to my whole family.

Even as I look forward to the ministry to which I am now called, I continue to look forward to the ever-unfolding ministry of the Nebraska Synod. I pray you will support Bishop Scott Johnson as you have supported me, and that you will grant him the same grace I enjoyed as he lives into his new role. He will serve faithfully and well and I wish him every blessing in this office.

I suppose only a preacher would say he doesn’t have words to express something, and then write so many to explain why. It’s an occupational hazard. My apologies.

In the end, maybe just six words will have to do: Thank you and God bless you.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Brian Maas