Sonlight
A newsletter from Bethel
Galesville-Arcadia, Wisconsin
September 2016
online @ www.bethelwels.org
This blog posting deals with the subject of how discipleship is about relationship not only tasks.
It offers insight that can be useful to us as we prepare to call a second pastor.
The Lost Art of Discipleship
by Pastor James Hein of Resurrection Lutheran of Rochester, MN
I’ve been at the congregation I currently serve for about 1/2 a year. One of the first tasks on my plate when
I arrived was to assemble positions for a pastoral team. We knew we needed more manpower, but we
didn’t yet know exactly what qualifications and skill sets would best serve the needs of our healthy-sized
church and very large school.
As I studied and prayed, I began putting together a detailed grid of pastoral roles that I believed might best
serve our needs. And by God’s grace, one of our vacancies has recently been filled. We now have on staff a
Dr. and a Prof. and a Skipper/Senior Pastor, which I suppose makes me…that’s right, Mary Ann.
Our hope/prayer is that by early 2017 we’ll be able to add another pastor. One of the questions I’ve been
most frequently asked by those who know I’ve been involved in forming the roles grid is “What would that
pastor do?” It’s a perfectly legitimate question and one that I myself have considered while in the process
of laying out the responsibilities. But within the question lies a problem. The pastoral position is being
perceived primarily as a series of tasks to accomplish rather than a relational role to fill.
There’s an important principle that’s been discovered, mostly popularized in the business world, referred
to as the Dunbar Rule. In short, the Dunbar rule is named after an Oxford anthropologist named Robin
Dunbar, who stated that a human being cannot maintain more than 150 meaningful social relationships.
Technically, the range is from 100-250, but the typical number used is 150. Dunbar’s findings have been
considered essential to the development of things like social media.
If Dunbar is correct, then this is a hard and fast rule of human capacity. None of us, no matter how
talented, can adequately maintain more than a few hundred relationships at most. This has to be seen as
the max potential for a human. While anthropology and psychology are often considered soft science, they
are still data driven, and human relationships have to be considered somewhat scientifically. So consider
relationships like this: Usain Bolt, the fastest human alive and can run at a max speed of approximately 28
mph. You absolutely cannot expect humans to run at 50 mph. Similarly, if the person with the highest
relational aptitude possible can manage 250 meaningful relationships (more likely 150), you simply cannot
expect a single man to pastor 500 members effectively for a prolonged period of time.
Sonlight 1
The Lost Art of Discipleship – continued from page 1
This has massive implications for churches, many of which have been woefully understaffed for ages –
partially due to unrealistic congregational expectations and poor stewardship, partially due to ministerial
arrogance. This as much as any other factor has led to the insane ministry burnout rate (the average
pastorate in the US has dropped to about 4 years, far faster than most other professions).
A lesson on ministerial size dynamics needs to be learned. The common New Testament word used for
“church” is the Greek word ecclesia. It is NOT a building (Acts 17:24); it’s a body of believers gathered
around Word and Sacraments (Eph. 2:20-22). As a group of people rather than an inanimate structure, a
minister’s work must be understood not merely in performing tasks, but in fostering relationships, of which
we now know there is a numeric ceiling.
Consider the analogy the Bible offers of pastors as shepherds. Did you know the max number of sheep a
shepherd is capable of overseeing himself is recognized to be around 400? In fact, there’s a fairly
sophisticated counting system developed long ago by English shepherds, called Yan Yan Tethera, in which
they can keep track of their sheep, up to 399, by counting on their fingers. Occasionally a shepherd can
handle a few more sheep, but even this number can only be accomplished through an extensive support
system of sheep dogs.
Point being, even 400 SHEEP are difficult to account for by one man, let alone humans who have
significantly more independent (and rebellious) wills. If overseers are truly called by God to shepherd a
flock, a congregation had better be mindful of numbers, and furthermore have a number of other welltrained sheep dogs incorporated into a system of accountability.
What does this all mean? It means churches have to get smarter about human relational dynamics. Since
every active member seeks some sort of relationship with a pastor, you cannot reasonably anticipate a
pastor to shepherd more than 200 people. If that’s the expectation, you will almost invariably, over time,
struggle for survival. So you have to decide whether you’re staffing to expand, maintain, or survive.
Similarly, in the same way that every human can only have so many “meaningful relationships”, every
human can also only have so many “close” personal relationships as well. Consequently, a larger church’s
goal should not be that every single person in the congregation knows everyone else. But everyone should
know somebody. In other words, no one in The Body will know everybody, but everyone in The Body
should know, serve, and be accountable to somebody.
Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek outside of Chicago, the massive church American churches were
aspiring to be, notoriously admitted in 2007 to Christianity Today that “We made a mistake” by being
overly dependent on programs at the expense of “age-old spiritual practices of prayer, Bible reading, and
relationships.” The church needs more discipleship.
In a world of fragile egos, driven by numeric likes, views, and hit counts, churches developed consumercatering, bigger and better programs and lost the art of discipleship. Numbers aren’t evil. They’re necessary
and helpful. But there is not a direct correlation to ministry success. The greatest attendance boon in
recent U.S. history for American churches were the two Sundays following 9/11. Logically then, by
measuring success in terms of numbers, the best “attractional program” for your church would be an
Islamic terrorist attack.
Sonlight 2
The Lost Art of Discipleship – continued from page 2
Obviously, numbers cannot be the endgame. If healthy discipleship leads to increased numbers, then
praise be to God. But inflated numbers that exist apart from actual relationships are a disservice to the
Church in the long run.
The ultimate relational inspiration for the Church naturally is Christ himself. To properly minister to us, an
infinite God became a man of self-restricting finitude in the person of Christ. Jesus spent the three years of
his ministry pouring himself quite intentionally into 12 young men. This is not to say that he didn’t ever
minister to others, but counting his twelve disciples, his converted brothers, his female followers, etc.,
Jesus’ church numbered about 120 members shortly after his resurrection. The Holy Spirit moved these
trained leaders to ministry action and then on the day of Pentecost 3000 were converted. By the way,
guess what 3000 divided by 12 is? ANSWER: 250. Granted, they were about to scatter throughout the
Mediterranean world, but they were still accounted for. The early church continued to add to their
numbers daily (Acts 4:4 says there were now 5000) and by Acts 6 we see the number dynamics coming to a
head. Some of the widows were being overlooked. So, they decided to add 7 more men as laborers. By the
way, guess what 5000 divided by 19 (i.e. 12 +7) is? ANSWER: 263.
Human relational numbers are perhaps soft science, but they’re quantitative and real nonetheless. I’m
convinced Jesus and the early Christians understood this long before Robin Dunbar.
Jesus “discipled” and began the Christian Church with a congregation of about 120. If you’re a pastor and
you think you can handle considerably more than 150, you may very well have an ego issue. If you’re a
church member and think your pastor should be able to handle considerably more than 150, you may have
unrealistic expectations – like a “we want our pastor to have more meaningful relationships than Jesus did”
level of unrealistic expectations. Jesus poured himself into the lives of a specific group, and the lasting
result was that he brought salvation into the world and provided a firm foundation for his Church.
For churches that have had unrealistic expectations, the solution is not merely to learn and try harder, but
to repent and become new. Jesus offers both forgiveness and guidance. And by commissioning us to “make
disciples” he encourages us to pour ourselves into the lives of a few who are eager to learn and minister
themselves, and likewise, place ourselves under the leadership of someone else we can learn from.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Sonlight 3
Bethel Elders’ Meeting Minutes
August 16th, 2016
Arcadia Campus
The meeting was called to order by Fred Lintelmann at 6:03 PM
Opening Devotion was presented by Pastor Cox based upon Psalm 73: One need not be envious of
non-believers (1st portion of the psalm); God provides an eternal portion (2nd portion of psalm).
Elders present:
Martin Knudsen
Mike Gilbert
Fred Lintelmann
Fred Mann
Keith Witte
Copies of the Secretary’s Report from our 6/21/2016 meeting have been previously distributed and
published in the July, 2016 Sonlight.
Pastor’s Report/Care Group Updates:
 Pastor’s Report to the July 20th Annual Meeting and subsequent action by the voting members
are part of the annual meeting agenda and minutes (not repeated here).
 A care list (Galesville) will be emailed to Mike Gilbert.
Old Business:
 Review Elder’s Program Plans for fall:
Paul Koch has accepted the chair position of the Board of Education. Student and Adult
Education activities will be starting in September.
 “Brothers and Sisters in Christ” (Obtaining baptismal dates and updating/verifying member
contact information): Ongoing effort.
 Elder position vacancy: Mike Gilbert has stepped up to fill Galesville position; Arcadia
Position vacant yet. Two additional names were put forward for consideration.
New Business:
 Ministerial Staff Position:
Given that it’s an approved budget item, and will take some time to accomplish,
consensus among Elders is to recommend to Bethel Council to contact our District
President to initiate the call process.
At the same time, Marty and Keith will make inquiries among parties with “rental
housing” as to potential housing available in Arcadia area. (Initial housing
expectation is “married couple; no children at home” -- two bedroom minimum.)
 Worship Music: New software for music is available. Gradual introduction / utilization
anticipated.
Our next meeting will be at 6 PM on Monday, October 24th (Galesville campus).
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM with prayer.
Sonlight 4
Galesville Fellowship Treat Schedule
We will have fellowship treats each Sunday from 10:00 – 10:30. Listed below is a schedule of ladies to
bring treats each Sunday from September through May. If you are unable to serve treats on your
designated day, please switch your day with someone else. The treats should be ready to serve no later
than 10:00 AM each Sunday. Each person should provide about 3 dozen bars, cookies, fruit, etc. Finger
foods are best as they don’t require a plate or fork and are usually less messy. There are some people in
the congregation that are allergic to nuts, so please consider this when planning your treats. Please
provide a beverage for the children and coffee can be made with the church supplies. Clean-up can be
started before the church service and continued after the service. If you have any questions, please
contact Julie Haessig at 507-450-3214 or email at [email protected]. Thank you!!!!!
Sept. 11 LaVonne Wier & Esther Peterson
Oct. 9 Wendy Dobbs & Tami Yehle
Sept. 18 Carol Sacia & Mary Gilbert
Oct. 16 Marlene Cadmus & Judy Howell
Sept. 25 Angie Ames & Dawn Bender
Oct.23 Deb Barkeim & Doreen Cox
Oct. 2
Oct. 30 Tracy Weber & Donna Wilber
Kathryn Mann & Deb Smieja
Bible Study Opportunity for Women
A women’s Small Group Bible Study will begin on September 7th in Arcadia. The group will meet on the
1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at 6 pm. Our first study will be using the book Twelve
Extraordinary Women written by John Macarthur to learn about how God shaped women of the Bible.
This is for all the women of Bethel Lutheran Church. Please contact Karla Johnson at (608) 863-2428 or
email [email protected] for more information.
Bethel Little Lamb Preschool Wish List
With the school year fast upon us, it is that time of year to get the school supplies needed. Many stores
have “Back to School” sales happening now. Prices are reduced to help shoppers with their budgets.
Little Lamb Preschool is in need of some basic supplies for the classroom.
anti-bacterial liquid soap,
colored paper,
glitter,
glue in bottles,
glue sticks,
stickers
tempera paint (not in gallon jugs), and
tissues,
are some of the basics that get used up fast. Donations can be dropped off in the Preschool room any
time. The children will greatly appreciate your generosity.
Wish
List
Sonlight 5
Augu
BIRTHDAYS IN SEPTEMBER
Sept. 4 – Fred Lintelmann
Sept. 4 – Keith Witte
Sept. 6 – Sherri Christenson
Sept. 7 – Chris Hamilton
Sept. 7 – Fred Mann
Sept. 9 – Colton Schneider
Sept. 11 – Austin Ames
Sept. 11 – Gary Putz
Sept. 14 – Ben Loging
Sept. 17 – Ted Kosmo
Sept. 19 – Alissa Geske
Sept. 20 – Olivia Radatz
Sept. 22 – Garrett Knudsen
Sept. 26 – Henry Karow
Sept. 27 – Amy Thorn
Sept. 29 – Abby Rotering
Sept. 29 – Lindsay Schober
Sept. 29 – Kevin Baumbach
Sept. 30 – Carla Mehner
ANNIVERSARIES IN SEPTEMBER
Sept. 1 – Rick & Laurie Krause
Sept. 3 – Rick & Deb Scholl
Sept. 10 – Fred & Kathryn Mann
Sept. 10 – Gary & Kelly Adank
Sept. 10 – Charles & Karla Johnson
Sept. 12 – Wayne & Tina Rothering
Sept. 19 – Matt & Tina Evenson
Sept. 20 – Tim & Danielle Bakeberg
Sept. 20 – Abby & Greg Rotering
Sept. 25 – David & Eileen Hanson
Sunday School & Bible Class
begin on Sunday, September 11th.
Sunday Bible Class will be led by member volunteers again this
year instead of the video presentations. Make sure to thank
them for being willing to serve.
The first course this Fall is entitled, “Biblical Prophecy”. It is
arranged in five chapters:
Principles of Prophecy,
Prophecy fulfilled before Christ,
Prophecy Already Fulfilled by Christ,
Prophecy Being Fulfilled Today, and
Prophecy to Be Fulfilled at Christ’s Return
This course offers clear explanations and many Biblical examples
from both Old and New Testaments. It will help everyone better
understand the purpose and valuable meaning of the promises
that God has made. Please plan to attend.
Ushers, Greeters & Acolytes
for the Month of September
Arcadia
Sept. 4
Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Sept. 25
Ushers
Greeters
Dan Thorn
Dennis Sampson
Ken Thorn
Paul Koch
Chuck Johnson
Chuck Johnson
Karla Johnson
Howard Munson David Hanson
Dave Kiral
Eileen Hanson
Brian Steinlicht Martin Knudsen
Michael Steinlicht Janice Knudsen
Galesville
Ushers:
Greeters:
Acolyte:
Acolyte
Jonathan Thorn
Olivia Mooney
Hank Munson
Kaci Kahler
Rollin Barkeim & Dave Evenson
Deb Barkeim & Kay Evenson
Reid Bakeberg
Galesville Church Cleaning Schedule for September
September 3 – Adam & Angie Ames
Craig & Tami Yehle
September 10 – Jeff & Kris McNamer
September 17 – Dave & Kay Evenson
Rick & Laurie Krause
September 24 – Carol Sacia
Judy Howell
Sonlight 6
September 2016
Sunday
Sunday
Worship
A – 8:30 AM
G – 10:30 AM
4
Worship
With Communion
11 Worship
Monday
Tuesday
A = Arcadia
G= Galesville
Bible Class
G – 9 AM
A – 10 AM
Sunday School
G – 9 AM
A – 9:40 AM
5 Labor Day
12
BC/SS
G – Ladies Meeting
11:45 AM
Worship
with Communion
BC/SS
18
19
Blair Cheese Fest Parade
Parade - 1:00 PM
25
26
Worship
BC/SS
Wednesday
Thursday
1
Friday
2
Saturday
3
A – Youth Group
meeting & Lock-In
6:00 PM
6
G – Midweek
Bible Class 1:15
G – Choir
6:30 PM
7
A – Confirmation 4 PM
13
G – Midweek
Bible Class 1:15
G – Choir
6:30 PM
14
15
A – Confirmation 4 PM
G- Confirmation 6 PM
G – Midweek
Worship with
Communion
6PM
20
G – Midweek
Bible Class 1:15
G – Choir
6:30 PM
21
22
A – Confirmation 4 PM
G- Confirmation 6 PM
A –Small Group Bible
Study 6 PM
G – Midweek
Worship 6PM
27
G – Midweek
Bible Class 1:15
G – Choir
6:30 PM
28
A – WOW meeting 4:45PM
G- Confirmation 6 PM
A – Small Group Bible
Study 6 PM
A – Confirmation 4 PM
G- Confirmation 6 PM
Sonlight 7
8
9
10
16
17
23
24
G – Midweek
Worship 6PM
29
G – Midweek
Worship with
Communion 6PM
30