02/06/25

The Muellers communicated with Timothy’s staff and leadership that they will visit Timothy on February 24 and 25, arriving late on the 23rd and leaving mid-day on the 25th. They will meet with church and school staff, Elected Elders, Executive Board, and School Board representatives.

02/03/25

A Special Voters’ Assembly Meeting was held on Sunday, February 2, 2025, with 128 voters in attendance. The congregation was informed that one of the two pastors from the list of final candidates was no longer available to accept a call. Call Committee Chair Tary Krahenbuhl reminded the congregation the Call Committee felt strongly that any of the three candidates would serve Timothy well as its next Shepherd. After discussion, the assembly voted unanimously to extend a call to Pastor William Mueller of Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, IN, and instructed leadership to continue the process by sending the necessary paperwork and arranging for a visit by the Muellers.

01/22/25

Timothy’s Call Committee met on January 21 to discuss next steps to call a second candidate for Timothy’s next Senior Pastor. The committee voted to call a Special Voters’ Assembly Meeting for Sunday, February 2, 2025, immediately after the second worship service, to extend a divine call to one of the two pastors from the list of final candidates.

12/30/2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you know, we have been engaged in a search for a new senior pastor. We extended a call to Pastor Grimm, and he graciously visited our congregation and met with various groups and staff.

Yesterday at the end of both worship services, Call Committee Chair, Tary Krahenbuhl, updated the congregation about Timothy’s divine call to Pastor Keith Grimm of Family of Christ Lutheran Church in Ham Lake, MN, to serve as Timothy’s next Senior Pastor.

After careful prayer and discernment, Pastor Grimm has respectfully declined our call. He feels led by God to continue his fruitful ministry within his current congregation.

While we are saddened by this news, we understand and respect Pastor Grimm’s decision. We are grateful for the time he spent with us and for his positive and insightful observations about our congregation.

We remain confident in God’s guidance and provision in the Divine Call Process as we continue our search for a pastor who will lead us in fulfilling God’s mission of transforming lives through Christ.

Please join us in prayer as we seek God’s will for our congregation.

In Christ,

The Board of Elders and Timothy’s Call Committee

12/06/2024

Timothy welcomed Pastor Keith Grimm and his wife Rachel earlier this week. They visited with the Board of Elected Elders Sunday evening; church & school staff and School Board reps on Monday; and Executive Board and Call Committee Monday evening. Please keep Pastor Grimm and his family in your prayers as he deliberates over the divine calls to his current church, Family of Christ Lutheran in Ham Lake, MN, and Timothy. May God’s Will be done!

11/07/2024

Timothy Lutheran Ministries Special Voters’ Assembly Meeting Minutes

I. Call Meeting to Order — Diane Mayfield, Congregational President

Diane called the meeting to order at 11:58 a.m. in the auditorium. The meeting and its sole purpose were properly pre-announced and followed the provisions outlined in bylaw B-2-B. Charles Johnson, Congregational Secretary, verified the registration of 162 eligible voting members and certified the ballot count. A quorum of at least forty members was present, as required in bylaw B-2-D for calling a Senior Pastor by a simple majority vote. Pastor Ryan led the Assembly in prayer.

II. Presentation of Candidates’ Bios by Tary Krahenbuhl, Call Committee Chair

• Tary emphasized the significance of selecting the next senior pastor for Timothy Lutheran Church and introduced the three candidates based on their bios.

• In his remarks, acknowledged and thanked the Call Committee members for their dedication over the past seven to eight months in the search.

• In his explanation of the call process, stressed the confidentiality of the candidates to protect their identities, families, and home congregations.

• Highlighted the congregation’s earlier involvement in June 2024, noting that a survey had received responses from 180 members, which guided the selection process. The survey highlights were attached to the three bios.

• Stressed that the final decision rested with the congregation, who will vote on the candidates. Also mentioned that if the top choice declines the call, the next two candidates would be considered in a future Special Voter’s meeting.

• Concluded with a members’ questions-and-answers session.

III. Call Committee Recommendation—Tary The Call Committee recommended a divine call to Pastor Keith Grimm.

IV. Secret Ballot Voting—Tary

Tary announced the results after the ballots were cast by the Assembly members, then collected and counted: Pastor Keith Grimm received 119 votes, Pastor Kurt Klaus received 22 votes, and Pastor Bill Mueller (Miller) received 21 votes (162 votes).

V. Motion to Issue a Divine Call to Pastor Keith Grimm—Tary

MOTION: Tary moved to issue a divine call to Pastor Keith Grimm as the next Senior Pastor of Timothy Lutheran Ministries. Mitch Leakey seconded the motion, and the motion carried by a simple majority of ballot votes.

MOTION: (Diane) In unity and in cooperation for what God’s plan is, the Executive Board moves to accept Pastor Keith Grimm to be the next Senior Pastor of Timothy Lutheran Ministries by a unanimous show of hands. Christine Smith seconded the motion, and the motion unanimously carried.

VI. Adjournment With no other business before the Voters’ Assembly, the meeting adjourned at 12:34 p.m. with a closing prayer by Pastor Ryan. The paper bios were collected upon exiting the auditorium.

11/05/2024

Special Voters’ Assembly Meeting

Please plan to attend the Special Voters’ Meeting on Nov. 17, at 11:45am in the Auditorium, for the sole purpose of extending a divine call for Timothy’s next senior pastor. Biographies of three very qualified candidates will be presented to the Assembly. Per MO District President, Rev. Lee Hagan, no information in any form may be disseminated about any of the candidates prior to the meeting, and voters must be present to vote. A quorum of 40 voting members is required, and the Assembly will vote to call by simple majority on a secret ballot. Votes will be tabulated and results shared before adjournment.

Your Call Committee has devoted many hours of prayer, interviews, and discussions to the divine call process, and we all continue to pray for God’s Will to discern Timothy’s next Shepherd. Thank you for participating in this process. To God Be the Glory!

10/25/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee has been praying diligently for God’s guidance in the divine call process, studying candidates’ profiles, interviewing candidates, and discussing for hours and hours to discern the gentleman He has already chosen as Timothy’s next senior pastor. The committee requests your continued, fervent prayers as the process enters its final stages to present candidates for Voters’ Assembly approval within the coming weeks. To God be the glory, and may His will be done. Thank you!

10/04/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee continues through the call process. Round one interviews are complete, with second round interviews to be scheduled during the first three weeks of October, depending upon candidates’ availability. Due to circumstances we also have a pastor who was just able to schedule his first interview. This will be scheduled in such a way that it will not slow down our process as we will continue with second interviews. Please continue to keep this divine call process in your prayers as we discern God’s Will in finding the man He has already chosen as Timothy’s next senior pastor.

09/26/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee continues through the call process. Round one interviews are complete, with second round interviews to be scheduled during the first three weeks of October, depending upon candidates’ availability. Please continue to keep this divine call process in your prayers as we discern God’s Will in finding the man He has already chosen as Timothy’s next senior pastor.

09/03/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee met on Sept. 3 to finalize the list of initial interview questions. The committee continues to work through the details of the divine call process and appreciates the congregation’s prayers. Thank you!

08/28/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee met on Aug. 27. The final draft of the new Senior Pastor position description was approved and referred to the Executive Board for its review and to the Board of Executive Elders for its approval. Prior to the meeting, Call Committee members individually ranked the 15 candidates and submitted their rankings for a composite score of all rankings. From that process, the Committee selected its top six candidates to interview soon, based on solidarity and clear choice to meet Timothy’s needs. Virtual interviews are scheduled to start the week of Sept. 9, depending upon candidates’ availability. The next Call Committee meeting will be Sept. 3 to summarize and organize interview questions to meet Timothy’s needs as derived from the recent congregational survey as well as the candidates’ experiences and qualifications.

Please continue to keep the Call Committee and call process in your prayers as we seek to find the man God has already chosen as Timothy’s next senior pastor. Thank you!

07/24/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee met on July 23, after individually spending the previous two weeks analyzing the congregational survey results in preparation for creating a new position description for Timothy’s next Senior Pastor. A few highlights of the survey results include the following:

• 275 surveys (171 female, 102 male, 2 no response) were submitted, of which the 65-74 age group submitted the most (71) and the 19-24 age group submitted the least (2). The committee noted the 25-34 age group (19) needs further study

• 147 respondents have attended Timothy 20 or more years; 68 have attended 11-19 years

• Respondents listed the most important tasks for Timothy’s Senior Pastor, in addition to preaching, as: 1) Vision & Leadership; 2) Administration; 3) Worship Planning; 4) Counseling; 5) Teaching; 6) Supporting Lutheran Education.

• Respondents listed the desired Senior Pastor personality traits as: 1) Leadership; 2) People Skills; 3) Cooperation; 4) Initiative; 5) Innovation; 6) Creativity.

• Based upon the survey, Timothy’s greatest strengths are 1) School Ministry; 2) Dedicated volunteers 3)Traditional worship 4) Children’s Ministry 5) Contemporary Worship 6) Welcoming & Inviting 7) Bible Study 8) Lay Leadership 9) Music Ministry

• Based upon the survey, Timothy needs the most improvement in 1) Unity & Harmony 2) Facilities 3) Financial Generosity 4) Welcoming & Inviting 5) Outreach 6) Young Adult Ministry

7) Bible Study 8) Youth Ministry 9) Evangelism

• Based upon the survey, Timothy should most focus on, in addition to worship: 1) Meeting the Needs of Members; 2) Equipping Christians to Share Their Faith; 3) Creating disciples; 4) Church Fellowship Activities; 5) Support for Families; 6) Community Service.

• The optional write-in questions yielded the most comments in the following areas: 1) What do you most appreciate about Timothy? The people, pastors (specifically Pastor Ryan), pastors, the school, teaches LCMS doctrine, what is being taught, and sermons. 2) What’s one thing that could make Timothy better? Build a sanctuary, a Senior Pastor, financial stability, and more volunteers. 3) Is there anything else you would like for the Call Committee to consider during the call process? Want a people person, want the pastor to be a good leader, want someone to complement Pastor Ryan, want good sermons, want someone with solid knowledge of Lutheran doctrine.

If you would like to see detailed results of the entire survey, please contact the church office.

The Call Committee created a first draft of the Senior Pastor position description, based upon the survey results, which will be further reviewed between now and the next meeting on Aug. 14, if not before. The MO District Office is also currently creating a list of candidates for Timothy’s consideration, based on the survey results and knowledge of Timothy’s needs.

Please continue to keep this divine call process and Timothy’s Call Committee in your prayers as we move forward to discern God’s Will in sending the man he’s already chosen to serve as Timothy’s next Senior Pastor. Thank you!

06/10/2024

The Senior Pastor Congregational Survey is LIVE, and the Call Committee urges all members, ages 14 & up, to complete it before 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 30. Your voice matters! Responses are anonymous. The MO District gathers and tabulates the data which will be important in creating a new Senior Pastor position description as well as valuable information for prospective candidates to learn about Timothy.

Completing the survey electronically is preferred, but paper copies can be picked up at church and returned to the Senior Pastor Survey Collection Box for Call Committee members to input manually before June 30. Call Committee members will help worshipers complete the survey online on Sunday mornings by using tablets at the table in the lobby. Other methods include clicking on the QR code found on the worship bulletin insert each Sunday in June. The survey is also available on the church website (www.timothylutheran.com) under the About Us link (Church Manuals and Reports).

05/29/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee met on May 28 to review the rough draft of the Senior Pastor Congregational Survey. After suggested revisions are incorporated by the MO District personnel, the survey will be available for the congregation to complete between 12:01 am Sunday, June 9, and 11:59 pm Sunday, June 30, 2024.

The congregation is urged to complete the congregational survey online for ease and timeliness of recording of data. If anyone requests help with this process, Call Committee members will be available at a table in the lobby at church on June 9, 16, 23, & 30 for that purpose. A limited number of hard copies will also be available at the Call Committee table which must be returned by June 30 for Call Committee members to manually input the responses online, a collection box for which will be on the Call Committee table in the lobby on Sundays or on the round table at the entrance to Auditorium during the week. The MO District will use Survey Monkey to gather and record data from the congregational surveys. All responses will be anonymous.

05/21/2024

Timothy’s Call Committee is currently preparing the Senior Pastor Congregational Survey. After final draft is prepared by the MO District personnel, this survey will be available for the congregation to complete, either online or print copy, from June 9 – 30. Thank you for continuing to keep the Call Committee and the entire call process in your prayers.

05/10/2024

President Hagan directed the committee’s attention to a one-page overview of the divine call process steps in calling a senior pastor. Before leading extensive discussion and answering follow-up questions concerning these steps, he outlined three options for the committee’s focus: 1) calling a current Timothy associate pastor; 2) not calling a current Timothy associate pastor; and 3) calling a pastor from outside the congregation.

A preliminary approximate timeline for the total process was considered, the focus of which will be clearer after the committee’s visit with Pastor Peter Kirby on Thursday, May 16, when the committee will be guided through the development of a congregational survey. A concerted effort will be followed to “hear every voice” at Timothy.

05/02/2024

The Call Committee will be commissioned this Sunday, at the end of the 9 am service and at the beginning of the 10:30 service. MO District President Hagan will meet with the committee on May 9th. The Call Committee will meet also on May, 16th to learn about creating the congregational survey. The congregation is encouraged to check Timothy’s website regularly for updates as well as in Timothy Connects and on Sundays, as time allows.

Please keep the Call Committee and the call process in your prayers, that His will be done to find the next man to serve as Timothy’s Senior Pastor.

04/24/2024

The Senior Pastor Call Committee met on April 23 for organizational purposes, introducing the members and reviewing the steps in the divine call process. Any voting members interested in serving as the chair or secretary of this committee will contact Tary Krahenbuhl by today, April 26. On April 24th, the committee learned that MO District President Hagan will meet with the committee on May 9th. The congregation is encouraged to check Timothy’s website regularly for updates as well as in Timothy Connects and on Sundays, as time allows.

Please continue to keep the Call Committee and the call process in your prayers, that His will be done to find the next man to serve as Timothy’s Senior Pastor.

04/11/2024

After much prayer and discussion, the Board of Elders has approved the Senior Pastor Call Committee roster to begin the divine call process of following God’s direction to find the man He has already chosen as Timothy’s next Senior Pastor. While every effort was made to follow MO District President Hagan’s recommendation to keep the committee from seven to nine members, a stronger consideration to provide a broad demographic representation brought the total to ten voting members with four additional members serving as non-voting advisors/consultants.

The voting committee members are Charlie Bock, Charlie Cronkhite, Sam Downs, Mel Falk, Rachel Honig, Tary Krahenbuhl, Kate Kuecker, Diane Mayfield, Rachel Pierce, and Tyler Shaffer. Non-voting committee advisors/consultants are Pastor Ryan, Pastor Rod, Nancy Nowiszewski, and Steve Schild. Circuit Pastor Gary Stolle will assist the committee as a representative from the MO District.

Next steps include an initial meeting of Timothy’s Call Committee within the next two weeks, followed by a meeting with President Hagan. Congregational input will be essential throughout the entire process. Please keep this process and the Call Committee in your prayers as we seek God’s will to be done.