Welcome to the Synod of the Heartland

faith A Faith That Sticks

Between 40 – 50% of High School graduates entering their freshmen year of college, who have been a part of an active church youth group, will drop out of their faith walk in the first six months of college.

This is a shocking statistic that we as youth ministers and adult youth leaders do not want hear. However, research and extensive interviews with high school students transitioning into college have come up with these facts. This study led by Dr. Kara Powel from Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), in Pasadena, CA, has caused church leaders and parents across the country to take a closer look at what is happening in these students lives and what, if anything can be done about it
.
The encouraging part of this research is that there are also several findings and influences that make this statistic less concerning, and most of those influences are attainable and accessible to each of us as parents and congregational members.

Dr. Powell, along with Brad Griffin and Chap Clark have written several articles, and provided the resources to help us as church communities, parents, and church leaders to develop a Faith that Sticks in our student’s lives. This resource is entitled Sticky Faith and is available to Youth Workers, Parents, and Church members to help build a stronger relationship with Christ that has the potential to help our students move into the next part of their life with confidence and a stronger faith in God that will be sustained into maturity.

For more information and resources about Sticky Faith check out www.stickyfaith.org or contact Bob Cleveringa, Director of Youth Ministries for the Synod of the Heartland, at synodyouth@gmail.com.

Potential Next Steps...
This is the time of year that many of The Emerging Journey groups are beginning to see that the end is in sight, and some in your groups may be wondering, “OK, what’s next?” If that’s the case, let me suggest some “next steps” for your participants and possibly your church in the bigger picture of the VP3 process. Read more

Enhanced Learning Events
• Next Webinar: “Best Practices: Local Church Leadership Development”
What can we learn regarding the work of developing Christian leaders? A panel of leaders will come together to share and swap stories and practices that they have found fruitful in their local church context. Join us for this conversation. Reserve your Webinar seat now
Thursday, April 19, 2012
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT

The Enriching Retreat

October 5-7, 2012
Green Lake WI

Through a time of shared reflection and discussion, pause and prayer we will gather around this central leadership question, "What does it look like to develop others in Jesus' name amidst the unique challenges of our setting?"Learn more

Why are some people & organizations better able to lead through difficult circumstances than others?

Why are people quick to blame vs. seek solutions?

How can I become a more effective leader and a healthier person?

Leadership, Anxiety & the System
Saturday, March 31st
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Good News Community Church
1010 Julia St.
Okoboji, IA

Registration:
Friday, March 23 - deadline
info@goodnewsokoboji.com or 712.332.5698
Cost: $55.00 (Includes lunch, refreshments and packet)

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Synod Summer Missions/Events Being Planned

Summer plans are falling into place for several opportunities for students and adults from across the Synod of the Heartland.

The Middle School Retreat with the theme of “Mystery” promises to help students face the truth that as much as we want answers to all of our questions about God, many things remain a mystery to us and we will not know the why’s here on earth. The retreat will be held on March 30 – April 1 at Camp Okoboji , located on West Okoboji shores.

The next event for the summer is HIS Work Camp being held in the Knoxville, TN area at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains from June 16-23. Working with the Chilhowee Baptist Assn. High School youth and adult leaders will work, worship, and build strong relationships with peers, homeowners, and God throughout the 8 day experience. Registration is still open and groups or individuals are encouraged to attend this exciting challenge carrying a theme of “All In”.

The Power Connection Work Camp and conference will be held July 24-27 and 27-29 respectively. This year’s work camp will happen simultaneously at two sites which will be in Omaha, NE and Kansas City, MO. The theme for the work camp is “Refuge(e)” and participants will be challenged to trust in God for every need in their life, a great challenge as they encounter people living in difficult situation everyday and sometimes not knowing where their next meal will come from.
As the work camp ends the work camp participants will travel to Maryville, MO to join with other Jr. High youth and adults for Power Connection where Bill Allison, One Time Blind and Sixteen Cities will challenge them with the theme of “Encounter”.

As you can see from the list of events and themes this summer will challenge the Synod of the Heartland students to a deeper walk and life with Jesus Christ and praying that each church will continue to disciple and encourage their young people as they return to their homes and communities. Check out all the events and connect during the events at www.synodyouth.org to keep in touch and even experience some of what the participants are experiencing.

untamed "Untamed" authors speak at Discipleship Training

On November 4 and 5 Alan and Debra Hirsch were the key note speakers at a Discipleship training event in Wyoming, MI at South Harbor Church. This was a combined event presented by Calvin Seminary, Journey out of Western Seminary and the Christian Reformed Home Missions. Alan is the director of Forge Mission Training Network and co-founder of Shapevine and has authored books such as The Forgotten Ways and co-author of ReJesus and The Shaping of Things to Come. Debra is a minister at Tribe of Los Angeles, an eclectic bunch of missional artists and vagabonds in downtown LA and serves on leadership team of a church-planting agency.
                Their focus at this event was centered around their latest book entitled, “Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship”. They explored the various topics of what does an Untamed God, Culture, Self and Mission look like in a challenging and thought-provoking way. They state in the book, “We take the missional agenda of the church with utmost seriousness. You simply cannot be a disciple without being a sent one. For way too long discipleship has been limited to issues relating to our own personal morality and worked out in the context of the four walls of the church with its privatized religion. In doing this, we have severely neglected our biblical mandate to go and “make disciples” We have narrowed the gospel message to just being about us. The fact is that you can’t be a disciple without being a missionary: no mission, no discipleship. It’s as simple as that.”
                I felt the speakers did a great job dealing with some tough issues around the areas of morality, idolatry, sexuality, money and family and how these cultural elements affect the way we do discipleship and mission in our current culture. They also challenged us through their speaking and in their book to live a life of reckless faith, a life worth telling stories about. They dared us to abandon the domestic faith of consumer “churchianity” in order to live a life of risk for the love of a Savior who left heaven to live amount the poor and marginalized people of a backward and oppressed world.
                In a few parts of the Synod there are some learning commmunities that will be viewing the Michigan podcast as it becomes available. If you would like that information and/or a study guide for the book Untamed please contact Pam Kimpson-Director of Discipleship of the Synod of the Heartland at dpkimpson@cox.net.   This content would be good information for staff or consistory teams to work through together.

	A Faith That Sticks Between 40 – 50% of High School graduates entering their freshmen year of college, who have been a part of an active church youth group, will drop out of their faith walk in the first six months of college. This is a shocking statistic that we as youth ministers and adult youth leaders do not want hear. However, research and extensive interviews with high school students transitioning into college have come up with these facts. This study led by Dr. Kara Powel from Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), in Pasadena, CA, has caused church leaders and parents across the country to take a closer look at what is happening in these students lives and what, if anything can be done about it . The encouraging part of this research is that there are also several findings and influences that make this statistic less concerning, and most of those influences are attainable and accessible to each of us as parents and congregational members. Dr. Powell, along with Brad Griffin and Chap Clark have written several articles, and provided the resources to help us as church communities, parents, and church leaders to develop a Faith that Sticks in our student’s lives. This resource is entitled Sticky Faith and is available to Youth Workers, Parents, and Church members to help build a stronger relationship with Christ that has the potential to help our students move into the next part of their life with confidence and a stronger faith in God that will be sustained into maturity. For more information and resources about Sticky Faith check out www.stickyfaith.org or contact Bob Cleveringa, Director of Youth Ministries for the Synod of the Heartland, at synodyouth@gmail.com. Register for Emerging or Equipping Facilitator Training Retreat Training Year Summer 2012 - Spring 2013 Potential Next Steps... This is the time of year that many of The Emerging Journey groups are beginning to see that the end is in sight, and some in your groups may be wondering, “OK, what’s next?” If that’s the case, let me suggest some “next steps” for your participants and possibly your church in the bigger picture of the VP3 process. Read more Enhanced Learning Events • Next Webinar: “Best Practices: Local Church Leadership Development” What can we learn regarding the work of developing Christian leaders? A panel of leaders will come together to share and swap stories and practices that they have found fruitful in their local church context. Join us for this conversation. Reserve your Webinar seat now Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT The Enriching Retreat October 5-7, 2012 Green Lake WI Through a time of shared reflection and discussion, pause and prayer we will gather around this central leadership question, "What does it look like to develop others in Jesus' name amidst the unique challenges of our setting?"Learn more Why are some people & organizations better able to lead through difficult circumstances than others? Why are people quick to blame vs. seek solutions? How can I become a more effective leader and a healthier person? Leadership, Anxiety & the System Saturday, March 31st 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Good News Community Church 1010 Julia St. Okoboji, IA Registration: Friday, March 23 - deadline info@goodnewsokoboji.com or 712.332.5698 Cost: $55.00 (Includes lunch, refreshments and packet) Synod Summer Missions/Events Being Planned Summer plans are falling into place for several opportunities for students and adults from across the Synod of the Heartland. The Middle School Retreat with the theme of “Mystery” promises to help students face the truth that as much as we want answers to all of our questions about God, many things remain a mystery to us and we will not know the why’s here on earth. The retreat will be held on March 30 – April 1 at Camp Okoboji , located on West Okoboji shores. The next event for the summer is HIS Work Camp being held in the Knoxville, TN area at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains from June 16-23. Working with the Chilhowee Baptist Assn. High School youth and adult leaders will work, worship, and build strong relationships with peers, homeowners, and God throughout the 8 day experience. Registration is still open and groups or individuals are encouraged to attend this exciting challenge carrying a theme of “All In”. The Power Connection Work Camp and conference will be held July 24-27 and 27-29 respectively. This year’s work camp will happen simultaneously at two sites which will be in Omaha, NE and Kansas City, MO. The theme for the work camp is “Refuge(e)” and participants will be challenged to trust in God for every need in their life, a great challenge as they encounter people living in difficult situation everyday and sometimes not knowing where their next meal will come from. As the work camp ends the work camp participants will travel to Maryville, MO to join with other Jr. High youth and adults for Power Connection where Bill Allison, One Time Blind and Sixteen Cities will challenge them with the theme of “Encounter”. As you can see from the list of events and themes this summer will challenge the Synod of the Heartland students to a deeper walk and life with Jesus Christ and praying that each church will continue to disciple and encourage their young people as they return to their homes and communities. Check out all the events and connect during the events at www.synodyouth.org to keep in touch and even experience some of what the participants are experiencing. "Untamed" authors speak at Discipleship Training On November 4 and 5 Alan and Debra Hirsch were the key note speakers at a Discipleship training event in Wyoming, MI at South Harbor Church. This was a combined event presented by Calvin Seminary, Journey out of Western Seminary and the Christian Reformed Home Missions. Alan is the director of Forge Mission Training Network and co-founder of Shapevine and has authored books such as The Forgotten Ways and co-author of ReJesus and The Shaping of Things to Come. Debra is a minister at Tribe of Los Angeles, an eclectic bunch of missional artists and vagabonds in downtown LA and serves on leadership team of a church-planting agency. Their focus at this event was centered around their latest book entitled, “Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship”. They explored the various topics of what does an Untamed God, Culture, Self and Mission look like in a challenging and thought-provoking way. They state in the book, “We take the missional agenda of the church with utmost seriousness. You simply cannot be a disciple without being a sent one. For way too long discipleship has been limited to issues relating to our own personal morality and worked out in the context of the four walls of the church with its privatized religion. In doing this, we have severely neglected our biblical mandate to go and “make disciples” We have narrowed the gospel message to just being about us. The fact is that you can’t be a disciple without being a missionary: no mission, no discipleship. It’s as simple as that.” I felt the speakers did a great job dealing with some tough issues around the areas of morality, idolatry, sexuality, money and family and how these cultural elements affect the way we do discipleship and mission in our current culture. They also challenged us through their speaking and in their book to live a life of reckless faith, a life worth telling stories about. They dared us to abandon the domestic faith of consumer “churchianity” in order to live a life of risk for the love of a Savior who left heaven to live amount the poor and marginalized people of a backward and oppressed world. In a few parts of the Synod there are some learning commmunities that will be viewing the Michigan podcast as it becomes available. If you would like that information and/or a study guide for the book Untamed please contact Pam Kimpson-Director of Discipleship of the Synod of the Heartland at dpkimpson@cox.net. This content would be good information for staff or consistory teams to work through together.





Synod Annual Reports President's Report Meeting and Financial Details Upcoming Events Check the Leaders for the Harvest page for upcoming retreats and events. Youth Events Check out all the Synod youth events at their special website. Click here.
		Special Dates Special Information Questions and Answers about 2nd Campus Ministries Transforming Discipleship Get more info on the Discipleship page Get the latest Transforming Discipleship Newsletter. Here are the latest compensation guidelines from the Synod of the Heartland 2012 Revised Salary Guidelines Ministers On The Move Rev. Mike Altenafrom Hope Reformed Church, Montevideo, MN, to American Reformed Church, Luverne, MN. Rev. Scott Bonestroofrom Spring Valley Reformed Church, Fulton, IL, to Alton Reformed Church, Alton, IA. Luke Baehr a recent seminary graduate to start at Silver Creek Church, Silver Creek, MN Rev. Dave Sikkemafrom American Reformed Church, Luverne, MN, to retirement in Holland, MI. Rev. Verlyn Boone from First Reformed, Hull, IA, to Bridge of Hope Ministries, Sioux Center, IA Rev. Dave Landegentfrom Central Park Reformed, Holland, MI, to Volga, SD.