In the wake of three ministers’ resignations, the members of First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea have hired an interim minister to help them find new direction.

Wednesday, March 07, 2001

In the wake of three ministers’ resignations, the members of First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea have hired an interim minister to help them find new direction.

&uot;I go to churches that have faced some struggles,&uot; said the Rev. Steve Delzer, interim senior pastor at the church. &uot;I try to help them work through that and, in the process, help them try to get a full-time regular pastor.&uot;

First Lutheran’s 2,900 members are still recovering from the resignations of most of their program staff: the Rev. Donald Rose, senior pastor, the Rev. Roger Hanson, associate pastor, and music minister Bob Tewes resigned within a month of each other late last year.

&uot;It’s been very tough, very difficult,&uot; said church council Vice President Gordon Aas. &uot;But because of getting Delzer, we will get through this transition period.&uot;

Delzer is a interim minister trained in conflict resolution, and has been a pastor for 26 years. His first task at First Lutheran is to help the congregation grieve for the loss of their long-time senior pastor.

&uot;Probably number one is simply to let some healing happen because people are sad over the loss of Pastor Rose,&uot; Delzer said. &uot;He was a dearly loved pastor.&uot;

Phil and Marilyn Peters, interim associate pastors, will take care of most home and hospital visitation while Delzer works with an interim steering committee and performs administrative tasks.

Delzer and the steering committee will survey the congregation and conduct personal interviews to determine problems and possible directions for the church.

When problems are identified, a number of congregational meetings will be held to collect member input and direction, he said. Only after they have correctly addressed problems and needs they will begin to search for a new minister.

&uot;This is a good chance for some significant changes,&uot; Delzer said.&uot;On the other hand, the church has a fantastic tradition, so it’s not like we’re going to just dump all that.&uot;