For the first time in 24 years, Prince George was host to the biannual convention held by the province's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada members. Adding to the rare occasion, the event was also the election of the region's bishop.
Called the BC Synod, this collection of about 45 churches meets every two years, with every third convention held outside the Lower Mainland. The election of the bishop happens every four years. At the Prince George vote, presiding bishop Greg Mohr was reestablished for a second term in the bishop's office.
Mohr said his priorities for his next mandate were to bolster leadership within the geographically wide association of churches, and with those leaders tackle the issue that faces many church and service-based groups in the Western world: attracting and retaining people.
"We need to look at how are we the church for the 21st century?," he said. "How do we pay attention to community? How are we to be a neighbor? Churches in general tend to be set on providing answers, but how do we do more to be listeners and interpret how God is in us in our modern surroundings? Facing those challenges lies in being relevant to our community, being a gathering place for community, at the forefront of community where you are safe to hold conversations and discussions on difficult topics, where you can debate and learn from each other about the resource sector, education, the environment, the politics of the day, social conditions... It is so easy to take up positions as being on one side versus the other side, but we all know important issues are far more complex than that and I see church as being a place and a group of people where the complexities can be looked at out loud. What I do not believe is that church is a Sunday destination and that's it, that's all it's used for."
Mohr said he attended the BC Synod convention with no intention to campaign for another term as bishop. "We have some dynamite leaders, some phenomenal pastors, so I looked forward to whatever role was to result." He also wanted to spend some time in Prince George which he knew from previous trips on Lutheran business, but dating back to 1973 when he was part of a youth choir in Calgary that toured across the north all the way to Prince Rupert. He made friends on that trip that endure today.
Mohr said also that one of the bright young leaders in the 21st century in the Lutheran Church was here in this city. Pastor Fleming Blishen has been a refreshing presence for the congregation at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, showing both a respect for traditional members and a welcome for younger members or those of any age bringing news ways of thinking into the room.
The ultimate point of church refreshment, said Mohr, was to be a conduit for those intending to lead lives of service to their community. Views of God or a higher power are different from person to person, so what was critical was to believe in each other as a congregation, a neighbourhood, a town.
"We have to 'think little' more and more," he said. "How do we make changes in our own lives and neighbourhoods and have that resonate out. That often happens just organically, but it starts with the individual doing what they can. Every choice we make as individuals and small groups has an effect across the world. What am I about and what are the practices I will live by? Those are the questions we wrestle with, consciously or unconsciously, and church is a great place to explore all that."
He extolled the small contributions made by many individuals in one northern city to make this provincial event a success. The hosting skills shown by Prince George were a credit to the community at large, he said, and was happy to have made the investment in this local economy over the three days of the BC Synod.
