‘It’s been a privilege to share your stories’

After 26 years of serving the LCA, including 14 years as editor of The Lutheran, Linda Macqueen has retired. The church’s communications manager for the past dozen years, she has, across a quarter of a century, transformed the way the LCA communicates with members and how our national magazine interacts with thousands of loyal readers. She interviewed many hundreds of people in producing a magazine worthy of many awards, so now we’ve flipped the script and asked her the questions.

What have been the most fulfilling elements of your roles?

Linda: The most satisfying years were those I spent as editor of The Lutheran, and the best part was listening to people as they shared their stories – often coming from places of deep pain and unresolved faith conflicts. It was always an incredible privilege that people would tell me their stories, and so it was important that the way I wrote their story honoured them and the trust they’d put in me. I hope those people know how much their vulnerability helped many brothers and sisters in Christ.

What were some of the most challenging aspects?

Initially, it was really difficult to persuade people to share their stories. They would say things like, ‘But it’s not resolved yet; my prayers haven’t been answered yet’, or ‘I’m still not sure if I trust in God enough for my story to be of any help to anybody else’. Of course, these are the stories I really wanted people to hear and read – the realness and rawness of life and faith. Eventually, people got the idea that being vulnerable isn’t merely okay, it’s actually a critical part of growing in the love and redemption of Jesus. And they started telling their stories as they really are, not how they would like them to be.

Who or what helped you through those times?

It was hard going at the beginning with all the changes I was making to the beloved magazine of the church. But I had a mighty team of supporters with me, including the Board of Publications and National Magazine Committee, presidents and other leaders. They all had my back and were there when it mattered. And along with them, literally hundreds of readers wrote to encourage me. Often, a letter or email would arrive at a time I was at my very lowest and was about to throw in the towel. I cannot thank all these people enough for the way they responded to the Holy Spirit’s nudging and wrote or called at the precise time I needed to hear God’s voice.

What impact, if any, has your service with the church had on your faith?

I’ve interviewed a lot of people in deep crisis, and I’ve always been astounded by how their faith carries them and sustains them through the worst of times. All those people have, without their knowing, carried and sustained me by their witness during my own worst of times. I’ve also had opportunities to see the worst in people, and to recognise that all of us in the church are broken and wounded, along with everyone else, and that is why Jesus died – because we’re all in need of rescuing and redemption, every single day of our lives.

How has the way the church communicates with its members changed?

When I started, The Lutheran was the only communication tool the LCA used. Over time, we’ve added websites, direct targeted emails (eNews), videos, podcasts, and of course, social media – which I sometimes love and sometimes loathe. It’s a real challenge keeping up with ever-changing media technology, especially when the church has limited resources. And of course, the next big thing is AI. That’s up there with the internet in terms of its impact on the information and communications landscape.

You had served the church as a youth worker, but weren’t an experienced communications professional when you applied to be the editor of The Lutheran. Why did you apply?

Twice in my life I have received an unequivocal call from God to change my career path and take on a role in the church. Both times I didn’t want to follow God’s call and tried to escape. The job as a youth worker with Lutheran Youth of Queensland was the first time this happened. The job with The Lutheran was the second time.

Why do you think God led you to do that?

Who knows what God was thinking? I kept telling him he’d made a mistake. But, on reflection, God seems to have a history of calling people who are least qualified for a role. People who think they can do a job aren’t depending on God every second of every day – they are relying on their own wisdom and strength. God’s better off calling somebody he knows will be hanging onto him for their life. That was certainly the case for me in the early days. Still is.

What were your goals for The Lutheran when you began as editor?

The Lutheran was (and still is) the ‘national magazine of the church’. In my view, the church is the people, not just those who sit on boards and committees. So, I wanted to move it away from the official or sanitised stories of the church and make it ‘real’, more personal and relatable. I wanted people to see themselves in the stories and see that it’s normal to be wobbly in your faith, or wrestling with an addiction, or struggling with some doubt or grief. And if you’re like that, you have a place here with us other broken and wounded people. I wanted people to see that God does his best work through our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Do you think those goals were realised?

I think so. I pray so. I have a big fat lever-arch folder of letters from people who said a story in The Lutheran hit the spot. Those letters gave me great joy and encouragement, since it’s rather special to be an agent of the Holy Spirit in bringing God’s love and healing into people’s lives.

In 2011, The Lutheran – and you as editor – were awarded the prestigious Gutenberg Award, the premier accolade of the Australasian Religious Press Association. What did that recognition mean to you?

It was all rather weird, making my acceptance speech as the least qualified person in the room. Probably, I was the only person there who didn’t have a degree in journalism or media or anything. I think it was only then that the penny finally dropped – that God had done what he’d promised me he would do, way back when I accepted his call – that he would give me whatever I needed to do the job. And he was true to his word.

How has the role of the church’s magazine changed over the past 26 years?

When I took over as editor, The Lutheran was the place to publish official statements and opinions of the LCA; it wasn’t a place to offer alternative or nuanced views. One of the first things I did was open up a conversation about the ordination of women. To my mind, it was bizarre that we weren’t talking about things like this in the magazine of the church. So, the conversation got going – and there was a bit of fur flying because this was new and different – but people got used to it, and now it’s normal to talk about the issues before the church and society in The Lutheran and other church communications.

What are your hopes for the church’s communications ministry?

It’s anybody’s guess what church communications will look like in 10 years. But one thing will hold firm. God will continue to communicate with his people. He will never stop searching for the lost sheep and will use whatever methods are available. I hope the church will embrace the best communications tools we can, but more importantly, hold fast to the reason we’re communicating in the first place – that Jesus Christ came to save us and everyone else in the world, too. Any Christian can point to Jesus through their words and actions, and in that sense, everyone is involved in communications ministry. So, my hope and prayer as I leave my formal job as a communicator in the LCANZ is that every person in our church will recognise their role in communicating the greatest story ever told.

What are some of your main plans for your retirement years?

I could work on projects around the home and garden full-time for at least two years – things that I simply haven’t had time to do until now. My husband Mark has retired now, too. I have put his list of jobs on the fridge, and I noticed yesterday that he has put a list of jobs for me on the freezer – touché. There will also be plenty to keep both of us occupied in our congregation (Grace, Bridgewater, SA) and in our community. So many things to do! I feel like a nap. 😊