Forms and Reports for Rostered Leaders

The list below provides links or PDF files to the various forms and reports needed by rostered leaders. If you cannot find a form or link, please call the synod office at 651.224.4313.

Rostered Leaders' Report to the Bishop >

Annual ministry reports to the bishop
Forms on which to complete your annual ministry report to the bishop are included here. Scroll down the page to find the form that pertains to your ministry. You may download and print this form and mail it to the synod office or complete the form online and submit it electronically to Julie Keefe.

While it may seem to you to be paperwork that clutters your desk, be assured we value the brief responses you send to us. Bishop Rogness reads them all and passes them to the staff member who works mostly closely with you and your ministry site. If you feel like writing more, feel free; if you decide that a personal visit might be more helpful, call and set one up. We’re more than receptive to such visits.

Mobility Forms>

New Information about Mobility Forms
From Sister Noreen Stevens, Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership Support

ELCA unveils new tools for the call process
The ELCA call process is unique and engages synods, congregations, rostered leaders, and church-related organizations in a thoughtful assessment and spiritual discernment of how God may be calling them together in mutual ministry “for the sake of the mission and ministry of the church.” To this end, the ELCA has been working diligently the last several years to create new tools that provide for the management of the process in each synodical context, and at the same time, encourage rostered leaders and ministry sites to focus on mission while allowing for more creativity, reflection, and initiative. These new tools are found and best explored on the ELCA web site: www.elca.org/call

New forms for rostered leaders and congregations
Rostered leaders, congregations, and church-related organizations will find new mobility forms that have been “designed and crafted to work together with a churchwide mobility database that will store the forms.” On June 1 the currently used mobility forms will be replaced by the Rostered Leader Profile (RLP) and the congregational mission profile will be replaced by a more-inclusive Ministry Site Profile (MSP.)

The Rostered Leader Profile (RLP) is designed for use by all pastors, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers, deaconesses, and First Call candidates for these rosters. The form encourages rostered leaders to reflect on their calling and gifts, be creative about sharing their passions and interests in ministry, and be discerning about their readiness for call. Please note: When working with this document, you should download the RLP and save it on your hard drive.

The Ministry Site Profile (MSP) is designed for use by church-related organizations as well as congregations. It focuses attention on the mission opportunities of that ministry site and allows for reflection on the way the ministry site perceives itself in relation to its calling and its context. The ministry site will have space to be creative in its presentation and the opportunity to write a summary description of its setting and needs. Information from the MSP will be used to create a narrative snapshot of the ministry opportunity, suitable for posting on the web. Please note: When working with this document, you should download the MSP and save it on your hard drive.

The new forms require an outside recommendation and provide for optional reflections that will allow the site or individual to enhance their profile. The RLP requires an authorization and release—also known as the signature page—and rostered leaders must submit a hard copy to the synod office for their file before the RLP can be sent out to call committees. The synod staff is available to answer your questions and work with you as you submit the required materials, however, we also encourage you to explore www.elca.org/call and become familiar with the new tools and resources.

Introducing the call process cyberhouse!
The new forms are linked together to create the “cyberhouse” for the call process (all found at the www.elca.org/call site.)One page of the site will be indispensable to rostered leaders and ministry sites alike. Ministry Opportunities is a page that publishes the key information from the Ministry Site Profiles that have been approved for posting by the synodical bishop. Far from being just a listing of openings, this page will allow rostered leaders and others to enter search criteria in order to actively seek opportunities for call, to read a snapshot of information about the opportunities they select, to learn whom to contact in order to learn more, and to express an interest in the identified position.

Synod office will continue to connect and partner
The synod will continue to be the hub for processing and sharing information formally, however, rostered leaders and ministry sites will greatly benefit from the new Mobility Data Base System as they realize its benefits:

forms invite creativity and initiative
greater transparency to the call process
energy focused on mission, calling, giftedness, and context
rostered leaders take active responsibility for their mobility
partnership of common purpose among sites, leaders and synod
leadership can be identified and encouraged
speed, accuracy, and efficiency

Although current mobility forms may continue to be used through June 1, we recommend that rostered leaders and ministry sites transfer from the old forms to the new forms as soon as possible.

Realities for those seeking call
Because of the uncertainty of the economy, the number of pastors currently serving congregations who are seeking another call has dwindled to the lowest level in years. In addition, congregations who might have been planning to add pastoral staff have retrenched because of reduced or uncertain budgets. Only five congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod are now seeking a rostered leader, and we anticipate just one or two pastoral vacancies in the upcoming months.

If you are a rostered leader seeking a call, now is the time to prayerfully discern your call to the whole church as you complete the new forms and indicate your openness to call throughout the ELCA. The synod staff is available to help and counsel you as you thoughtfully assess and spiritually discern how and where God is calling you into mutual ministry for the sake of the mission and ministry of the church.

If you have questions about using these new forms or the process, please contact Sister Noreen Stevens or call 651.224.4313.