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By Joel Erickson, For the Tribune

It was a big decision to make on Jan. 29, 2023, for two independent congregations after sustaining decades of ministry.

Concordia Pickerel Lake Lutheran and Redeemer Lutheran voted on the same day whether to extend a call to the Rev. Kristi Mitchell. No one was sure of the outcome.

What if one congregation voted no and the other voted yes? Or both voted no?

But, for the cause of joining hands, good news prevailed on that day, as both congregations voted yes to a legal parish agreement for three years.

On that day they joined hands by voting to extend a call to Mitchell to serve these two congregations under the parish umbrella.

In February of 2022 at a congregation meeting before their morning worship, the people of Concordia Pickerel Lake entertained the idea of sharing a pastor with Redeemer.

At the time Concordia Pickerel Lake was without a pastor and Mitchell had been serving Redeemer for several years.

For the first time in the life of the Concordia Pickerel Lake congregation, there was question whether they had the funds to sustain a full-time pastor.

Plus they faced diminished availability of pastoral candidates. For over 150 years, the congregation experienced a vibrant ministry where they experienced “joy in worship, deep-rooted practices of caring for the neighbor and a focus on education,” as it states on their Facebook page. The issues of financial sustainability and availability of pastors were just as prominent for the members of Redeemer, a congregation in existence since 1968.

How long could they support a full-time pastor?

Both congregations took a faith step on Jan. 29, 2023, to join in sharing a pastor. Concordia Pickerel Lake members voted to extend a call to Mitchell as pastor for the Concordia Pickerel Lake/Redeemer Lutheran parish. Then the Redeemer Lutheran Church extended the call to Mitchell to serve on behalf of this new parish agreement.

This was no small step.

Prior to this vote the congregations in 2021 entertained the idea of what was called a “holy experiment,” with a proposal from the Rev. Matt Larson from the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. The experiment went six months beginning in March, and because it went well they voted to go another six months.

After being immersed in this “holy experiment,” the Concordia Pickerel Lake/Redeemer Lutheran parish became official on Jan. 29, 2023. And since then it has been going very well, Mitchell said, with an engaging and lively smile.

She said the congregations are only nine miles apart. Most of the children of these congregations know each other as they go to the same school, except some who go to the Albert Lea schools.

Members from both congregations also know each other well. In fact, presently the council presidents of the congregations are brothers, Josh and Chris Sorenson.

It has become quite common for other congregations to join together to create a parish where each congregation functions independently but joins hands with the other to call a pastor to serve both congregations described as a parish.

For many years Hayward Lutheran and Trondhjem Lutheran have functioned as a parish yet remain as independent congregations. Their common bond is that of sharing a pastor, Joshua Enderson, for the sake of a viable ministry. Bear Lake Concordia Lutheran and St. Paul Lutheran in Conger also have enjoyed the ministry of serving together with the leadership of the Rev. Lucas Peters.

Of course this kind of arrangement is not limited to rural congregations. Salem Lutheran and Ascension Lutheran of Albert Lea also share a pastor, Mark Boorsma. First Lutheran in Glenville and Trinity Lutheran in Albert Lea are cooperating in sharing in the pastoral leadership of the Rev. Eileen Woyen.