Test Driving Theology

On July 12 at 11:45am, Trinity will hold a special congregational meeting to vote on a recommendation from our call committee and our congregational council to call Pastor Amanda Weinkauf as our new Associate Pastor.  Pastor Amanda’s bio:

The Call Committee and Congregational Council of Trinity Lutheran Church are excited to recommend Pastor Amanda Weinkauf for our position of Associate Pastor.

Pastor Amanda currently serves as Associate Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa.

Pastor Amanda grew up in the Denver, Colorado area.  She attended college at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where she studied marine biology.  After she graduated, she worked first in environmental education, and then as a consultant, assessing the environmental impact of development near marine habitats.

While she was doing this work, she was an active part of the ministry in an ELCA congregation in St. Petersburg.  It was in her connection to that community that she began to discern her sense of call to serve as a pastor.  Pastor Amanda attended the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and graduated with her Master of Divinity degree in 2013.  As a part of her seminary experience, she interned in a congregation in Emerson, Nebraska.

After graduating seminary, Pastor Amanda applied for and was accepted into a Lily Pastoral Residency program.  The Lily program places first-call pastors into congregations of excellence for a two year period as “Pastoral Residents,” working in different areas of a congregation’s ministry.  While at St. Paul, Pastor Amanda worked to develop a new ministry with young adults, coordinated large events, preached, presided over the sacraments, did funerals and weddings and worked to strengthen the congregation’s ministries.

Words that Pastor Amanda’s references have used to describe her include:  “Good energy,” “Friendly,” “Gets things done,” “vivacious and full of life,” “creative,” “flexible” and “contagious energy.”

Trinity’s Call Committee has met with Pastor Amanda twice.  In addition, she has spent time with Pastors Todd and Dean, Steve LaCount, our congregational president, and has met with our staff in small groups.

On June 15, our Call Committee voted unanimously to recommend Pastor Amanda to serve as our Associate Pastor.  On June 18, our congregational council met to receive that recommendation and voted to recommend Pastor Amanda to the congregation.

On July 12, at 11:45am, Trinity will hold a special congregational meeting to vote on this recommendation to issue a call to Pastor Amanda Weinkauf.

In addition, we will be voting on a recommendation to edit Trinity’s bylaws in order to put our new congregational structure into place.  More information about this change will be available in the July issue of The Messenger and on Pastor Todd’s blog.