August 2024
On Saturday, August 24, 2024, the LCMS Northern Illinois District held its inaugural Lay Leadership Summit at Walther Christian Academy in Melrose Park, Illinois.
It all began with a suggestion from a lay leader. A couple of years ago, Howard Hamilton, Chairman of the Elders at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Joliet, Illinois, said something along the lines of, “President Buss, have you ever thought of hosting a conference to bring lay leaders together from around the District?”
That idea grew and developed through discussion among District staff and then through months of further discussion and planning by a committee chaired by Reverend Kris Whitby, Assistant to the President – Mission and Ministry. The Lay Leadership Summit committee was built from a unique group of lay leaders, pastors, and District staff coming together to plan all the big and little details of the day: from the agenda, keynote speaker, workshop presenters, and much-needed requested topics to the details of the venue and what was to be served for lunch.
Pastor Whitby commented, “The initial hope and vision for the Lay Leadership Summit was to bring lay leaders from across the District together for a day which would accomplish the following: allow the attendees to receive encouragement as we worshiped together and spent time together as servants of our Savior, have the chance to network with other congregations and lay leaders so they might help each other in the ways Jesus has called us to serve, and have the opportunity to be better equipped through our workshops for their various roles in congregations, schools, and ministries.”
The Summit opened with a worship service, led by the Rev. Dr. Allan R. Buss, President of the LCMS Northern Illinois District. Attendees then had the opportunity to choose from six workshop options in each of three session times, from Sunday School and Family Ministry and Dealing with Conflict in the Congregation to Partnership Models: How We Do Ministry Together and Stewardship: What Works and How To Hande the Gifts Given, among several others. The Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, provided the group with two well-received keynote addresses. There was time for fellowship in the morning before the day began and over lunch to converse with others you had just met or with whom you had made a connection. The day ended with a brief closing, hymn, and sending prayer.
There was a sense of joy, hopefulness, and camaraderie throughout the day – from the bold and beautiful sounds of voices raised in song in the gymnasium during worship to the soft conversation overheard later in the day, “This has been a wonderful event! It’s hard to believe this is the first one they’ve held and everything has been so well done. I can’t wait to invite others from my church to come next year.”
James Meinen, from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Illinois, said, “I was asked to serve on the Lay Leadership Committee and was blessed and honored to be a part of it. Really, today, I’ve seen the fruition of some of that work. All the men and women from around the Northern Illinois District coming together and really gather under Christ. Today has been motivational and inspiring…being able to connect with other like-minded leaders and the congregations they serve in many different capacities…a lot of takeaways today: how we support each other, how to connect together as members of Christ, how we can lift other people up, how we can connect to our communities that we both serve in and worship in, and just a great day overall.”
Charles Rapp, from Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest, added, “It was great meeting all the different people from the District and learning from them. I think I learned as much from these other District members as I did from the sessions I attended. I hope that this happens for many years to come, and it is truly a blessing to this District.”
In reflecting on the day, keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler commented, “…This is what we live for…we want to see God’s people mobilized to bring the Gospel forward to the communities around us, and that is what this event is doing.”
We would encourage our lay leaders, congregations, and schools to reflect on their time together at the Lay Leadership Summit and contemplate what are next steps? Also,
- Consider joining one of the networking groups the Northern Illinois District has available. Some of the offerings include Sunday School, Communicators, Parish Administrators, and more. See the list, and sign up here.
- Stay up-to-date on what is happening throughout the Northern Illinois District by signing up to receive the twice monthly NID Newsletter via email.
- Make plans to join us for the 2nd annual Lay Leadership Summit. Invite others!
We thank Walther Christian Academy for being an amazing host, as well as the school families who volunteered to assist with set up and serving as guides throughout the day’s events. We thank our presenters for their willingness to bring their skills, knowledge, and heart for our Lord’s work to bear in the lives of others. We also thank our Recognized Service Organizations and other partners in ministry who were present to share their resources for our laity.
We pray the Lord’s blessings on each of our NID congregations and on the fruits that may grow from the interactions, learning, and conversations held at this inaugural event.
When asked how the vision might shift for next year’s Lay Leadership Summit, Pastor Whitby replied, “From early feedback, it looks like our second Summit will go further in offering a wider variety of workshops to equip lay leaders and allow more time for those workshops to go deeper in what they share. We’ll be looking for easy and strategic ways to connect attendees who have similar roles in their respective ministries as well as connecting neighboring congregations. We’ll also be planning an event that welcomes a significantly larger number of people!”
We look forward to seeing you at the 2nd annual Lay Leadership Summit as we continue to seek to further His Church’s work in the NID!
Enjoy the photos!