Local Mission Annual Appeal
Young leaders - our hope and joy
YOUR DONATION HELPS OUR YOUNG ADULTS GROW IN FAITH AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
Everyone can see that there are not as many young people in our congregations as there used to be. Does that trouble you? Probably.
Today we are bringing you some hope – and some joy.
There are still many young people in our church who are passionate about Jesus and eager to serve him.
Living in a world that challenges, even attacks, Christian faith in ways that their parents and grandparents never experienced, these young people are growing up strong and resilient. Some of these amazing young people have chosen to grow into leaders in the LCANZ.
And you are helping them!
The Grow Leadership team actively looks for young people across the LCANZ who are keen to grow in their faith and leadership skills. Grow Leadership take the seed that God has planted and waters it. And you are helping us do that!
Listen to Joel's and Elsa's stories about Grow Leadership and how it changed their lives.
Grow Leadership allowed me to discern and evaluate my life in light of my faith. By doing this, I was able to change direction in my life and follow what God was calling me to do ... and for me, that was the pastoral office.
Joel Grieger
Pastor, Bordertown SA
As a young man in his 20s, Joel was comfortable working in retail and making his way up the management ladder. He had no serious aspirations to do or be anything else, and he didn’t think he had any special gifts to offer the church. But his insightful pastor and elders changed all that when they encouraged Joel to apply for Grow Leadership.
During the Grow Leadership program, Joel started to see how God was leading him to serve the church and he felt the Holy Spirit nudging him out of his comfort zone. After completing Grow Leadership, Joel took a great leap of faith and signed up for the pastoral ministry stream at Australian Lutheran College.
Joel was ordained as a pastor last year. He was assigned to the Bordertown parish in rural South Australia (almost in Victoria), and he is thriving.
The biggest result of my Grow Leadership experience was exposure to the different ways that I could serve as a leader within the LCANZ. Grow Leadership clarified the space for youth within the decision-making bodies of our LCANZ.
Elsa Matthias
LCANZ young adult ambassador with Lutheran World Federation
Member, LCANZ Committee for International Mission
For Elsa, Grow Leadership opened up a world of new opportunities to serve. First up, she joined the LCANZ Committee for International Mission. Next, she was endorsed as one of two LCANZ participants in Global Young Reformers, a program of Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In this role she has helped to organise global worship events and to develop and lead regional programs.
In LWF Assembly conferences, Elsa has participated in governance discussions each year to shape the strategic plan of the LWF Asian region, with a focus on increasing youth leadership in local congregations, building intergenerational relationships and projects,
and developing ways for young adults to be involved in decision-making bodies.
As well as being an ambassador for the LCANZ on the international scene, Elsa has been developing her leadership skills in her local congregation. She leads confirmation classes, the youth band and young adult programs.
Promotional materials
Please promote this appeal in your congregations and communities, using these bulletin inserts, PowerPoint slides and other resources. Hover over an image and then click to download.
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