Paul Linnemann looks back on his almost-15 years of ministry as District President and shares stories of Jesus' love, and reflects on the powerful influence of loving people "one person at a time.”

NOW Start Network: Pastor Albino Kong - Joy In Ministry To Sudanese Immigrants

Jan 5th, 2024 47m 37s

Mike Von Behren (NOW Start Network Cultivator) interviews Pastor Albino Kong of Anchorage, Alaska, on his journey as a refugee from Sudan to becoming an LCMS Pastor and serving the Sudanese immigrant community. Refugee immigrants can be found i

Jeremiah Drelleshak - -"From DCE To Barber, Open Wide The Doors!"

Nov 28th, 2023 45m 30s

Jeremy Lucke and Ty Schommer (NOW Start Network Cultivators) interview Jeremiah Drelleshak, DCE, about his journey serving families in a congregation to serving families as a barber in his community of Boring, Oregon. How do you know it’s time

Mission Training Center (MTC): Building The Bench For Leadership On The West Coast

Mar 24th, 2023 1h 4m

This is a recording of a presentation on MTC by Rev. Jonathan Priest, Director of Mission Training Center, at Best Practices for Ministry 2023, hosted by Christ Church, Phoenix. Mission Training Center https://missiontrainingcenter.com/ is a l

Equipping Leaders... Anywhere and Everywhere -- A New Era Dawns for Mission Training Center

Feb 13th, 2023 33m 40s

Jonathan and Dust share fun stories, a brief history of MTC, and look at the influence of MTC going forward. (An interview with the new director for MTC https://missiontrainingcenter.com/, Rev. Jonathan Priest, on "growing a leadership culture

"Sent to Love, Love to Send!" Zabdi and Elizabeth Lopez on Marriage and Ministry

Nov 28th, 2022 57m 6s

Pastor Zabdi Lopez grew up in Mexico. His wife Elizabeth grew up in the Mid-West. Their story is a mind-blowing account of God's faithfulness to them and God's "Missio Dei" -- God's sending heart. This episode captures the story of how they got

NOW Start Network: Amy Schweim, Resiliency, Community Resource Centers, Coffee Shops, and Christ

Oct 20th, 2022 45m 19s

Mike Von Behren (NOW Start Network Cultivator) interviews Amy Schweim, DCE, MSc., Director of Outreach and Connections of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Puyallup, Washington (and also a NOW Start Network Cultivator!). What happens when a DCE has a p

NOW Start Network: Gerod Bass shares "Connecting with Your Community Through the Arts and Theater"

Sep 29th, 2022 46m 10s

Mike Von Behren (NOW Start Network Cultivator) interviews Gerod Bass, DCE, Worship Arts Director of Our Savior Lutheran Church (OSLC) in Tacoma, Washington. How do the arts and having and "open door policy" for a church building serve as a bri

NOW Start Network: Mayan-Latino Pastor Ruberto Ek Yah "God Raises Up Workers for His Harvest"

Jun 7th, 2022 50m 51s

Mike Von Behren (NOW Start Network Cultivator) interviews Rev. Ruberto Ek Yah, of Trinity Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon. What happens when an Anglo congregation "gets out of their box" and practices hospitality with their Latino neighbor

CONVENTION 2022--NOW District President Invites Memories of Concordia University

Apr 28th, 2022 11m 54s

Note: critical update! President Linnemann shares a story of how Concordia University, Portland, was a blessing to him as a young man and invites memories (saved in audio format) from others to be sent into the District Office in preparation fo

CONVENTION 2022--NOW District President Highlights the NOW District Leadership Initiative (L.I.)

Apr 19th, 2022 13m 51s

Note: critical update! President Linnemann highlights the NOW L.I. and invites every ministry to bring at least one name of a brand new leader or a leader "who is doing a new thing" to the district convention. The dream is to have over 230 name

CONVENTION 2022--NOW District President Provides Update on Task Force to Study Racism

Apr 11th, 2022 11m 50s

Note: critical update! President Linnemann digs into the purpose of gathering in convention, and an appropriate mindset for followers of Jesus to have in tough conversations. Then, he provides an update on the "Speaking the Truth in Love about

CONVENTION 2022--Important Updates For NOW District Convention

Apr 11th, 2022 16m 3s

Note: critical update! President Linnemann introduces the theme for District Convention from Hebrews 13:8 and highlights key topics for convention including the Speaking Truth in Love about Racism Task Force, The NOW District Leadership Initiat

NOW Start Network: Get Inspired! "Withness" in Witness -- New Starts for Diverse Communities

Feb 17th, 2022 51m 44s

Get Inspired! The Rev. Dr. John Arthur Nunes (former CEO of Lutheran World Relief, former president of CU-New York, and author of Meant for More, and other books) joins Cultivators Todd Roeske and Mike Von Behren to give insights and encouragem

NOW Start Network: The Manna Project (Helping People Facing Food Scarcity through A New Start)

Jan 27th, 2022 49m 9s

Jeremy Lucke (NOW Start Network Cultivator) interviews Eric and Dennis of The Manna Project of Corvallis, Oregon. What happens when a pastor supports and encourages creative businessmen to launch a new way to care for the body and the soul thr

NOW Start Network: Starting New to Engage a New Community

Oct 22nd, 2021 45m 52s

An interview with Rev. Kyle Blake of Longbeach, CA. Do we exist to serve the people who worship with us -- or those who live in the community? Engaging in ministry from a new mindset often necessitates starting new: a new ministry, a new outrea

Get Looking! "I See In You" -- Implementing The NOW Leadership Initiative (3rd in a Series)

Oct 14th, 2021 13m 3s

Get Looking! President Linnemann shares his own story of someone looking at him as a leader before he ever saw leadership in himself. A conversation about who to look for -- and how to look for -- new leaders.

Get Rolling! Launching The NOW Leadership Initiative (2nd in a Series)

Oct 7th, 2021 11m 18s

Get Rolling! "Lift Your Eyes: Raising Up Leaders for God's Mission" is a new focus for the NOW District. God's focus is always outward giving His love away. President Linnemann sets the stage for implementing the toolkit with an important attit

Get Started! Introducing The NOW Leadership Initiative (1st in a Series)

Sep 24th, 2021 11m 52s

Get Started! President Paul Linnemann introduces a brand-new initiative for the NOW District: "Lift Your Eyes: Raising Up Leaders for God's Mission," a focus on identifying new leaders. Paul unpacks eye-opening results from a leadership survey

NOW Start Network: Merging Two Congregations into One--A Story of Collaborative Leadership 7-17-21

Jul 28th, 2021 50m 34s

New starts aren't always formed out of nothing -- Sometimes they are the result of two existing ministries coming together to become something different. This is the subject of the latest NOWLeading Podcast, which features audio from the NOW St

NOW Start Network Two Coffee Roasting Entrepreneur Pastors 5 - 24 - 2021

Jun 18th, 2021 30m 1s

What happens when your church helps launch an actual coffee-roasting business? This is something that Nick Larsen, pastor of Living Water Church in Clark Fork, Idaho, knows all about. A few years ago, Scotchman’s Coffee was launched as a partne

"Adaptive Leaders Start With Relationships:" Matt Cario of Our Savior L.C. on “Pivoting To People

May 17th, 2021 33m 33s

COVID-19 has challenged ministries and leaders to make adaptive changes across the board. Pastor Matt of Our Savior Lutheran in Tacoma, WA, shares thoughts on how the staff of OSLC pivoted to support people over programs, kept the target on rel

In Memoriam of Art Linnemann -- A Conversation on Mentors and Their Lasting Influence

Apr 30th, 2021 25m 5s

Paul and Dust talk about the role of mentors, Paul remembers his father's lasting influence, and they discuss how to be mentored and find a mentor. This one's good to share with anyone you know looking to grow in a particular area and not sure

NOW District Updates on District Convention June 2022 Plus A Staff Change

Apr 8th, 2021 12m 50s

President Linnemann provides an update on key changes in the calendar for the District Convention for June of 2022, and we celebrate NOW District Communication Director Vicki Knutsen's many decades of ministry leadership.

NOW Start Network: Tom and Matt of Friendship Celebration LC on Starting a New Church, Kuna, Idaho

Mar 15th, 2021 38m 10s

Tom and Matt share the values, leader behaviors, and steps to launching a new church plant. Take-aways include the need for trust between leaders, collaboration, knowing your community and its values and culture, and most of all, having a sense