On May 31st, Pastor Suelzle will retire, with his last worship service as our pastor being June 4th. We thank the Lord for his ministry and for being our shepherd the last 14+ years!
Due to the retirement of Pastor Suelzle, our congregation will enter into vacancy, meaning that we will not have a called pastor. During this vacancy, the congregation will go through the Call Process, which ultimately results in the congregation issuing a divine call to a pastor or seminary candidate to serve as the next pastor here at Grace. The process can be long and tedious. However, it is important to diligently complete all parts of the process. It is important to also remember that the Lord has already picked our next pastor! We simply need to go through the process to determine His will for our congregation.
Due to the retirement of Pastor Suelzle, our congregation will enter into vacancy, meaning that we will not have a called pastor. During this vacancy, the congregation will go through the Call Process, which ultimately results in the congregation issuing a divine call to a pastor or seminary candidate to serve as the next pastor here at Grace. The process can be long and tedious. However, it is important to diligently complete all parts of the process. It is important to also remember that the Lord has already picked our next pastor! We simply need to go through the process to determine His will for our congregation.
Vacancy Information
Vacancies can be stressful for congregations because many things which are familiar to us may need to change and, as with many people, change is scary and difficult. However, because we will not have a pastor, we will need to make certain changes to accomdate those who will be assisting us through the process. Below are some of the changes that will take place during our vancancy. Please remember that these are subject to change based on varying needs.
During our vacancy, the pastors from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Fargo will be serving as vacancy pastor, with Pastor Steve Schulz serving as our main vacancy pastor. Again, it is important to understand that these pastors are already serving a full-time call to their congregation, Immanuel, and must prioritize any needs they have. We are thankful that they have agreed to step in to help us!
During our vacancy, the pastors from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Fargo will be serving as vacancy pastor, with Pastor Steve Schulz serving as our main vacancy pastor. Again, it is important to understand that these pastors are already serving a full-time call to their congregation, Immanuel, and must prioritize any needs they have. We are thankful that they have agreed to step in to help us!
- Due to scheduling conflicts, our Wednesday evening worship services will now be on Tuesdays at 7 PM, starting on June 6th! The midweek service will be the same as the previous Sunday.
- To accomodate the vacancy pastor's and Immanuel Lutheran's worship schedule, Sunday morning worship services will be moved to 9:30 AM, starting on June 11th. Immanuel Lutheran's worship times are 8 AM and 11 AM.
- When Pastors Schulz and Worral from Immanuel are unable to conduct worship, Pastor Suelzle will fill in. If all three are unavailable, DCM Jon Smelser will fill in.
- Starting on June 11th, the Sunday morning Bible Class will be led by DCM Jon Smelser. During the summer, the class will meet following worship in the basement. The class will start 15-20 minutes after worship.
- If we are still vacant, 6th grade confirmation will be taught by DCM Jon Smelser at Grace. Class times to be determined. 8th grade will join the 8th grade class at Immanuel, which meets from 6:45 - 8:15 PM on Wednesdays. (there are no 7th grade students next year).
- Shut-in personal communion visits will be made by Pastor Schulz upon request, either by the individual shut-in, a member of their family, or an elder. To request as visit, please call the church office (701-232-1516). The office will relay the request to Pastor Schulz.
- Hospital calls will be made by either Pastor Schulz or Pastor Worral of Immanuel, assisted by DCM Jon Smelser if they are not available.
- Funerals will be ordinarily conducted by Pastor Schulz. Pastor Suelzle is available to conduct at the request of the vacancy pastors.
- Sunday school/Sunday bible study times will be determined closer to fall.
Call Process
Congregation Self-Study
The process to call a new pastor involves several steps. First, a congregational self-study is conducted. This study helps us to examine ourselves, "take stock," and to determine what we are looking for in our next pastor. The self-study includes questions about congregation demographics, practices, and a section regarding how our congregation feels about it's current direction, as well as questions regarding our next pastor. While many of the questions will be answered by various administrative boards, there is a section meant for all members of the congregation. It is crucial for all members to provide feedback.
Packets for congregation input will be available in the narthex starting April 16th. Please pick up a copy, fill out the answers, and return to the office no later than April 30th at noon!
Included in the self-study process is a bible study, looking at what the scriptures say regarding the church, ministry, the Office of the Holy Ministry, and the role of the Church in the world. This bible study is meant to guide you as you consider these important questions. The bible study was sent out by our secretary, Ruth. We will also provide three sessions to go through this bible study, led by Director of Church Ministries, Jon Smelser. Here are the times offered:
Sunday, April 16th @ 2 PM at the Church.
Thursday, April 20th @ 6:30 PM on Microsoft Teams (link will be sent out).
Monday, April 24th @ 6:30 PM at the Church.
On May 2nd, the Executive Board will tabulate the responses to the congregational self-study, combining them into a single, encompassing answer. Please note that the answer you gave may not be completely represented in the final answer.
On may 21st, after worship, the results of the self-study will be shared with the congregation in a special informational voters meeting. No official actions will be taken at that meeting.
Packets for congregation input will be available in the narthex starting April 16th. Please pick up a copy, fill out the answers, and return to the office no later than April 30th at noon!
Included in the self-study process is a bible study, looking at what the scriptures say regarding the church, ministry, the Office of the Holy Ministry, and the role of the Church in the world. This bible study is meant to guide you as you consider these important questions. The bible study was sent out by our secretary, Ruth. We will also provide three sessions to go through this bible study, led by Director of Church Ministries, Jon Smelser. Here are the times offered:
Sunday, April 16th @ 2 PM at the Church.
Thursday, April 20th @ 6:30 PM on Microsoft Teams (link will be sent out).
Monday, April 24th @ 6:30 PM at the Church.
On May 2nd, the Executive Board will tabulate the responses to the congregational self-study, combining them into a single, encompassing answer. Please note that the answer you gave may not be completely represented in the final answer.
On may 21st, after worship, the results of the self-study will be shared with the congregation in a special informational voters meeting. No official actions will be taken at that meeting.
Call Timeline
Below is a general timeline we will follow for issuing our fist call. Please note that all of this is subject to change.
- Sunday, April 16th - Distribute congregational questionnaires for Self Study Items VI “Pastoral Expectations” and VII. “Congregational Expectations and Goals.” The questionnaires will only be available in the narthex.
- Sunday, April 16th @ 2 PM – 1st Session of Self-Study Bible study led by DCM Jon Smelser. This session will be at the church. This is to assist congregation in answering to self-study.
- Thursday, April 20th at 6:30 PM - 2nd Session of Self-Study Bible study, offered over Microsoft Teams and let by DCM Jon Smelser. This is to assist congregation in answering to self-study.
- Sunday, April 23rd after worship - regular voter’s meeting. This is the last opportunity for congregation members to become voting members in order vote in the call meetings.
- Monday, April 24th @ 6:30 PM - 3rd and last session of the Self-Study bible study. This session will be at the church. This is to assist congregation in answering to self-study.
- Sunday, April 30th – congregational questionnaires are due to Office.
- Call Committee Self-Study assignments items I-V and VIII are due to Ruth for compiling.
- Call Committee Members (Executive Board) to pick up responses, compile, and summarize essay responses and ratings. Call Committee members to provide Word format back to Ruth so she can have completed by May 2nd.
- Tuesday, May 2nd at 6:30 PM Call committee work on self-study
- Wednesday, May 10th at 5:30 PM Call committee work on self-study
- Tuesday, May 17th at 6:30 PM at Grace Lutheran Church – Call Committee members to meet and review compiled responses. Call committee will finalize and approve for release to District.
- Sunday, May 21st - Special meeting following worship for informational purposes, sharing self-study with congregation. Jon Smelser, DCM volunteered to be President pro-tempore in leading meeting.
- Sunday, June 4th - Pre-call meeting after worship with North Dakota District LCMS president, Rev. Arie Bertsch. At this meeting, President Bertsch will call for nominations for our next pastor. All communicant members of the congregation are able to nominate. The screening committee, made up of the Board of Elders and the President of the Congregation will go through all nominations and create a smaller list of candidates.
- Sunday, June 18th - Call list and PIFs and SETs will be made available to the Call Committee.
- Sunday, July 9th - 1st Call meeting. During this meeting, voting members of the congregation will vote on which candidate to issue a call to. The result of the meeting will be the first call issued.