Does St. Peter's Need a New Governance?

I have had the immense joy and privilege of serving St. Peter’s as your Transitional Interim Sr. Pastor for thirteen months tomorrow! I’ve gotten to know many members of the congregation and members of the staff quite well. On many facets, St. Peter’s is the healthiest congregation I’ve seen in a very long time. You have talented and faithful leaders, staff and those in the pews. You have a wonderful Preschool and Day School, as well as many other spiritual ministries that involve hundreds and hundreds of souls of all ages.

When I arrived, I was told there were some ‘problems’ at St. Peter’s, and several people quickly pointed out what they thought the problems were. So, I listened and asked uncomfortable questions and poked around. I conducted 118 interviews and counseling sessions with individuals and groups of members. I discovered that almost every conflict had a single source: your governance. Your By-Laws were designed for a small congregation, and they had been amended and augmented and patched several times, so that it resembled a bowl of spaghetti. You had attempted to change them a time or two before, but the idea ran out of steam.

Your present governance resembles a vehicle with a chassis from a 1933 Ford supporting a front end and engine from a 1974 Dodge, and the rear end from a 2006 Chevy truck. Nothing fits together. It pits staff against one another, overlapping them with the same responsibilities and authority, and leaves large gaps where you can see the concrete road through the floor. Our Day School’s NLSA review red-flagged our governance’s organizational chart as a weak point that must be straightened out because it doesn’t work on paper…or with people. This jalopy of a governance cannot be patched again and again, causing confusion and conflict, and interfering with the health and growth of the congregation.

Churches our size in the Fort Wayne area and around the synod are successfully using a governance model designed for large congregations with schools, including Concordia, Holy Cross, and St. Michael’s-just recently. St. Peter’s Board of Directors has spent countless hours researching and talking with the best church-governance experts in the LCMS, and want to share with the congregation a workable solution at several “town hall” meetings scheduled soon. I strongly encourage you to attend one of these meetings, listen to the presentation, ask lots of questions, and kick the tires of this new vehicle designed to eliminate problems and to facilitate ministry.

Town hall Meeting Schedule:

• Sunday, March 16th, 2025 - 9:00 AM (Following the 8:00 Service)
• Sunday, March 16th, 2025 - 12:00 (Following the 10:30 Service)
• Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 - 5:45 pm (Prior to Wednesday Lenten Service)
• Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 6:00 pm (Following the 5:00 Service)
• Other town hall meetings may be scheduled between now and the May Voter’s meeting.