In March, Reformation Lutheran Church of Las Vegas became the first congregation to participate in an intentional Peer Ministry Review. Ministry reviews have been done for other congregations, but usually at the request of Synod or Churchwide leadership. Pr. Miguel Gomez-Acosta, Director for Evangelical Mission in the Grand Canyon Synod, began inviting established congregations to consider a peer ministry review as part of the Grand Canyon Synod’s Congregational Vitality Strategy. Pr. Jason Adams volunteered Reformation to be the first congregation to pilot the process.

The peer ministry review uses the same interviewing process as those requested by Synod bishops and Churchwide staff. The big difference is that the ministry review team is made of the DEM and two local conference pastors who know the ministry context and can give an outsiders perspective. The team interviews ministry partners, congregation members, and the pastoral staff to celebrate the successes and ascertain areas that might need more attention. For this peer ministry review Pr. Ben Bergren (Community) and Pr. Scott Hove (Good Samaritan) were invited to be on the review team. At the end of the day a list of affirmations and recommendations were drafted to give to Pr. Jason Adams and his leadership team.

A big thank you to Pr. Jason Adams for the invitation to conduct this insightful process and to the review team for their diligent work and recommendations. If you want more information about a peer ministry review and how it can be a useful tool for your congregation please contact Pr. Miguel Gomez-Acosta at miguel.gomez-acosta@elca.org or 480-297-3341.