MISSION
As I was thinking through what our mission would be, I wrote out several different “mission statements” that captured our desire to be a worshipping community and a missional community. The two stories that shape our ministry are the Prodigal Son (we want to be a prodigal hugging church) and the Good Samaritan (we want to actively love our neighbors as we love ourselves). I had what I thought was a pretty good mission statement until I met David Murrow.
David had released a new book around the time Grace started called, Why Men Hate Going to Church. David’s book is filled with lots of research on the loss of men to the Christian church and the many reasons for it.
One of my take-a-ways was that men want action. Much of church life is relational (and men are certainly not opposed to that). But a lot of men want to roll up their sleeves and get something done. (I learned from my friend, Dr. Michael Gurian, that this is a biological imperative rooted in testosterone.)
So I started re-envisioning ways to make our mission statement more action-oriented than relational. That led to:
FOLLOWING JESUS ON THE BOLD, RECKLESS ADVENTURE
OF BRINGING GRACE TO THE WORLD.
It stuck. And it has captured our heart and mission.
In addition to building a worshipping community that engages and welcomes all people, focusing on making Jesus accessible to people not all that familiar with him and his Church, we wanted to live out the Gospel missionally by impacting the world God loves.
As stated earlier, we made a commitment to give away at least 10% of our income, including building income. We’ve averaged around 12% each year which includes special designated offerings for missional initiatives.
One of the early on-going outside ministries grew out of our relationship with Zuni Hills Elementary. As we were leaving to move to our campus, we asked the staff at Zuni how we could continue to serve. They mentioned a group of students, about a mile from the church, living in an at-risk mobile home park. For many years we offered weekly tutoring and programming activities, and grace. Each summer we do a backpack drive for the kids. We’ve done Halloween and Christmas parties and have provided food for Thanksgiving. COVID interrupted our weekly events, but we continue to serve that neighborhood throughout the year.
We have had an on-going partnership with the Lutheran Church in Rwanda since we started the church. In addition to helping with construction costs for various projects, we’ve helped students with tuition, pastors with training, provided medical supplies, and supported a Christian school.
Feed My Starving Children has been a yearly food-packing event on our campus for years. Not only do we pack at least 100,000 meals per event, we also raise all the money for the food.
Supporting educators has been a high priority for our congregation. Over the years we have paid to have Dr. Michael Gurian do teacher training events, we’ve funded scholarships for continuing ed, and we give our educators a gift card every August to use to buy supplies for their classrooms.
We also support the ELCA and various other organizations who do the kind of good work we can’t do as a congregation.
COVID
In March of 2019, we launched a one-year campaign to raise $250,000. 10% would go to mission, the rest to pay off a house the church bought early on for office space. Our plan was to burn the mortgage on our 15th Anniversary on March 24, 2020, then sell the house and pay down part of the church’s mortgage.
On March 11, 2020, the NBA canceled their first game due to COVID. We planned on going ahead with worship that following weekend; but then, on March 13, we sent out an email shutting down in-house worship. Thankfully we had been live-streaming worship so we had the platform to pivot immediately to online.
On March 14, we began what would be several months of online worship only (because we had a Saturday service at that time, the service premiered at 5 pm on Saturdays and was available on-demand after that). We burned the mortgage on March 29. We celebrated Easter online. On Easter evening, we did a special Light a Candle event encouraging people to join us online, indoors or outdoors, to light a candle.
For the first time in over 30 years of ministry, I had Sundays off. I came to appreciate why some people find it hard to get to church on Sunday!
We did make the most of our online ministry, from streaming Bible studies to doing fun kids videos. We also made a lot of music videos for the worship services.
One of our discoveries is that online worship is radically different than in-house worship. What works in-house doesn’t translate online. So we’ve tweaked our online, getting it down to about 30 minutes, starting right off with the message. One of the more controversial decisions (which we made without hesitation) was to offer communion online. For some in our denomination, communion is meant to be a Body of Christ event—in physical communion with our fellow believers. Obviously that doesn’t happen online, but I figured we’re still united in Christ at that meal even if done in our homes.
We did a slow re-open on Saturday night. We took reservations to ensure we had adequate social distancing and mandated masks. But then, we shut it all down again when another COVID outbreak hit.
For the first time in my ministry, I was not in church leading Christmas Eve services. They were online. It was a strange experience.
While we were one of the first congregations in the area to close (along with CCV), we were probably a bit slow on the reopen, as many of the more evangelical churches opened up sooner, with less restrictions. But we finally did reopen, this time on Sunday rather than Saturday (because Saturday attendance was hovering around 20-40).
Like over 80% of all churches in the US, we took a huge hit in terms of attendance. Some left and went to churches that opened sooner. Some left, angry that we had bought into the whole “COVID thing” to begin with. Others found life moved on without church. And we lost some for whom Saturday night was the only night they could worship.
Thankfully, our giving held pretty well. We made some adjustments to ensure we lived within our means but the congregation stepped up as they always do.
By fall of 2023 we were at about 60% of our pre-covid attendance. At the same time, however, our online attendance has held at a pretty high rate compared to other churches.
It has been heart-breaking to lose so many people, often for politicized reasons. But, we also began to reach new families and new individuals.
As of 2024 our attendance has rebounded a bit more to where we are close to pre-COVID levels.
COVID also sped up what has been happening in the US for decades—the decline of church attendance. COVID has forced—and is forcing—us to rethink what the church will look like in the future.
SUCCESSION
In 2016, a year before my 60th birthday, we began the process of finding the next Pastor of Grace. The normal process is for a long-term pastor like myself to retire. The Synod then brings in an interim pastor for a year or two, during which time the congregation searches for a new Senior Pastor.
However, this usually means a huge loss of momentum, and is often done because congregations need the time to regroup and figure out who they are going to be.
Lots of good research out there says that the best way to keep a ministry going after a long pastorate is to bring in a successor—someone who can be mentored by the Senior Pastor and then eased into the job of Senior Pastor down the line. That’s the direction we’ve decided to go.
Prior to beginning the pastoral search, we went through a mission-clarification process. Grace has been laser clear on our mission/calling/DNA. But in 2014, we opted to go through a nine-month process with a consultant to fine tune our mission and values, with the intention of then creating a Pastor Profile to match our mission/values/DNA. A small group of lay and staff worked with Auxano. The work was extremely rewarding and helped us get on paper who we are.
We also met around that same time with the Vanderbloemen group, an organization that helps congregations find successors. They worked with us to create an initial profile of the Associate Pastor we were looking for.
In 2017, we connected with Jerry Houston, a Lutheran by faith, a “head hunter” by vocation. His company uses a tool called the TriMetrix, which helps give us a deep dive into the skills, emotional quotient, and values of a candidate. It has a 97% match rate when you use them to create a profile. So while the Vanderblomen group gave us a narrative pastoral profile, Jerry helped us move that narrative to specific benchmarks. Each candidate to be interviewed would take that TriMetrix as one tool to help us ensure a good match. Jerry also helped us create the interview guides for me and for the call committee.
We put together a call committee. We connected with our Synod. We’d done all the background work. We were ready to start interviews.
The process looked something like this: I did an initial interview. If I felt good about the person, we administered the TriMetrix. I then did an official interview with Jerry Houston listening in. If all still felt good, the call committee had an initial zoom meeting. If that went well, then a face-to-face interview.
The Synod sent us several names. I interviewed every candidate and sent most of them to the call committee for an initial interview. Some fared better than others in terms of the TriMetrix benchmarks, but out of the 10-12 candidates—all great pastors—none was a good fit.
By April of 2018, we decided to take a break. Rather than looking for my successor, we turned our attention to finding an Associate Pastor who could help fill in some gaps in the ministry.
On my radar was Kathleen Lotz. She was interning at Lord of Life Lutheran in Sun City West. We had a few conversations and felt like she would be a great addition to our church staff.
Kathleen was extended the call in the summer of 2018, and joined the staff in the fall. A few weeks later, she took maternity leave, and slowly re-engaged at Christmas.
In March of 2019, I had a bicycling accident and blew out my right shoulder. For the next eight weeks, Kathleen had to be the public face of Grace, even though I was still able to work from home. She did a fantastic job, considering being a new mom (their second son) and a new pastor.
In 2021, Kathleen took a call to Iowa. Since we were still in the throes of COVID, we put our succession plan on hold.
In 2022, we began the process of jump-starting the process. The Synod passed on a few names to us, but no one quite fit our unique DNA.
Then, in March of 2023, I received a call from the Synod office that we might have a genuine possibility. Someone who not only felt a call to a mission like this, but who already had the DNA that matches ours. Unlike others who had no experience with contemporary forms of worship, Josh was all in. He’d been a part of various churches who had used these styles in Lutheran settings. And his understanding of God’s grace was a great fit.
I interviewed Josh Pontious for a couple of hours. He then scored extremely high on our TriMetrix. Jerry and I spent a few hours with him and continued to be impressed. As was the call committee.
On Sunday, September 10, 2023, about nine years after beginning the process with the mission-clarifying experience, Josh Pontious was called to Community of Grace Lutheran Church as our Associate Pastor.
FEBRUARY 2024
Hey, Friends,
This past weekend (February 11) I talked about the adventure we’re on as we transition to my eventual retirement and to Pastor Josh’s eventual role as our next Senior Pastor.
I want to get this in writing so we all know where we’re headed as we follow Jesus into this new God-moment.
My official retirement date will be March 30, 2025. That day we will celebrate our 20th Anniversary as a congregation.
Here’s what you can expect over these next 13 months:
- I’m not going anywhere soon. My job over these next 13 months is to work with Josh as he prepares to be our Senior Pastor and to work with you as we move to his leadership. But I will be easing back on my hours. I mentioned on Sunday that my wife, Jan, will be back on chemo therapy for two weeks a month for the next 12 months, so cutting back on my hours will give me more time to support her. You won’t notice the difference in terms of my public presence. Since January I’ve been at 3/4 time, and starting in April, I’ll move to part time.
- Pastor Josh is, not surprisingly, already way ahead of the curve. It’s been a delight to work with him these last several months and I’m looking forward to the months we have ahead as we dream together, with you, about the on-going mission of Grace. Josh will be doing, as he already is, the bulk of the preaching. He will increasingly take on leadership roles and I will continue to mentor him as he does.
- Pastor Josh will take on the role of Senior Pastor in September of this year, and I will transition to Founding Pastor (not floundering, but Founding!). This will happen in an official meeting of the congregation, date to be determined.
- We will continue to do important mission together in the months ahead. While pastors obviously play an important role in the congregation, our mission is to follow Jesus as he leads us on the adventure of Grace.
The next several months will be filled with lots to celebrate and many opportunities to bring grace to the world:
As I said on Sunday, we have not been through this experience before as a church as I’ve been the only pastor. I’ve not been through this before as I’ve never retired before. So we’re on exciting adventure together where our best hope is to follow Jesus into the new thing he has for Community of Grace.
Jan and I pray for you and our mission together every night before bed. I pray for you every morning on my old-man bike rides.
I’m excited to be a part of this next storyline Jesus is writing for us and through us.
Pastor Tim
MARCH 2024
March 3—We celebrated my 40th Anniversary of Ordination at both services. It was a wonder-filled worship experience filled with outstanding music, some memories, and a short message from me.
March 9: Two days after the 40th celebration Alycia and I flew out to Rwanda. We had the chance to visit a few of the Lutheran churches out in the villages. But our main reason for the trip was the Grand Opening of the new church building at Nyamata that we helped build. The celebration took place on Saturday. It lasted a few hours and was an amazing service of joy and music. We also paid for the catering of a community buffet. What an honor and privilege to be there.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Michelle Halonen’s additional notes
One morning in early December, 2004, Tim came into my office at Joy, closed the door, and I could tell something was up. I think my response was, “Oh no, what happened?” And that’s when he said not to worry, that everything was good, and that God was calling him to plant a new church. He asked me to pray about joining his team. Even though I had been sure that I would be on staff at Joy as the Missions Director forever (or until I retired), I knew in an instant that God was releasing me from my call as Missions Director at Joy, and was calling Joe and me to this bold, adventurous new ministry.
Original staff:
Tim Wright – Pastor
Jeff Wright – Director of Church Operations
Michelle Halonen – Director of Administration
Diane Wright – Media Director
Danny Wright – Recording Studio Engineer and Grace Tech
Cory Miller – Worship Director
Terey Summers – Worship Team
Jan Wright – Volunteer Worship Team
Steve Hontz – IT Extraordinaire
Community Church of Joy allowed us to use their recording studio as our office space, and allowed us to set up Grace’s database on their Shelby church management software. We started having staff meetings every week at The Beanery, a coffee shop located on the northwest corner of Beardsley and Lake Pleasant Parkway.
In May 2007, Community of Grace purchased the house and land at 22215 N 89 Ave in Peoria as Grace’s World Headquarters and our recording studio. It was a great place for staff meetings, Board meetings, youth group, worship team rehearsals and other ministry opportunities.
The year after our first trip to Rwanda, Tim & Jan Wright, Alycia Wright, Jeff & Diane Wright, and Michelle & Joe Halonen returned to Rwanda to put on a pastor’s conference for Lutheran Church of Rwanda. The Lutheran pastors and their wives from throughout Rwanda joined us for this two-day event at the Novotel Hotel in Kigali. Most of them had never stayed at a hotel before, or eaten in a restaurant, so this was such a joy-filled experience for us all. One of the gifts that we brought for them were seeds that had been donated by Seed & Light Ministries, and they were so excited to pick out the seeds that worked best in their communities. Our ongoing partnership with LCR continues to be a blessing to us and to them.
To help our folks feel connected to each other and to Grace’s ministry, Pastor Tim developed a ministry of huddles and clusters to grow in relationship with each other and with God. I headed up the Missions Cluster, and as a group, we did regular outreach projects with Habitat for Humanity, feeding the homeless in downtown Phoenix, gleaning citrus for the Westside Food Bank, picking up litter at parks and walking trails, preparing meals for a juvenile shelter, helping with Angel Tree deliveries, etc. Each quarter, Grace would have a Make A Difference Day to involve the whole congregation in special projects such as cleaning the grounds at Zuni Hills Elementary, partnering with the City of Peoria for neighborhood renovation projects, painting over graffiti in the parks, writing out the delivery cards for Angel Tree, setting up the Angel Tree warehouse, and any other projects that we might receive requests for.
We also took junior high and high school students on weekend mission trips to the Orfanatorio Casa de Elizabet in Imuris, Mexico. There, we would help with painting and cleaning projects, and then spend time playing with the kids in our free time, which was always the highlight for our teens. In 2007, Community of Grace sent money ahead of time so the orphanage could purchase 100 fruit trees. The following weekend, our team of 11 teens and adults brought shovels, pick-axes and an auger with us so that we could create an orchard on the orphanage’s property and plant all those trees.
Refugee Resettlement
In response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Grand Canyon Synod called on congregations to help provide refuge to those who had lost everything. Even though we were still such a young congregation, Community of Grace rallied to sponsor the Walker Family from New Orleans, who arrived in Phoenix with nothing but the clothes on their backs. We were able to give them housing, furniture, clothing, food, and ongoing support for several months as they prepared to return to New Orleans to rebuild their lives.
Several years later, Grace sponsored our first refugee family from Burma. Again, this meant gathering everything this family would need as they resettled into a strange new world. We had a team that helped to set up an apartment for them with furniture, household goods, clothing and food. This team then spent time with the family each week, helping them learn how to use public transportation, brought them to the grocery store, helped enroll their kids in school, and brought them to job interviews and appointments. They also spent time with them as they practiced learning the English language. That set the stage for us to support several more families from Burma over the next few years.
Then, after the fall of Afghanistan, Grace had a dedicated team that worked with Lutheran Social Services to sponsor an Afghan family. Once again, it meant providing food, clothing, household items and ongoing support for the next few months. This team went above and beyond to help the Sikander Family (Mom, Dad and 10 kids) to enroll the kids in school, get to doctor appointments, get to job interviews, set them up with donated iPads and laptops for the kids’ schoolwork, and brought them on some fun adventures to explore the Phoenix area. The family was being housed in an apartment on the campus of Faith Lutheran Church. Faith Lutheran did not charge us for rent or utilities, so instead, we provided the funds for them to transform a bathroom into a laundry room, which made a difference not only for the Sikander family, but for future refugee families that will be housed there.
Feed My Starving Children
In February 2009, Community of Grace and Peace Lutheran Church co-hosted our first FMSC event. Barb Talmage (Bishop Steve Talmage’s wife) helped coordinate Peace Lutheran’s facility needs, and I created the online sign-up opportunities through our ServiceU ticketing process. I handled all the registrations and advertising in the community, and Community of Grace provided 360 volunteers for this three-day packing project at Peace Lutheran, where we packed 227,488 meals. We were able to help raise $41,494 to cover the cost of these meals, so we used the excess from that to help underwrite Desert Cross Lutheran’s packing project, which had a significant shortfall in funding. A fun fact is that we got this response from FMSC about our online registration process: “I’ve already been in contact with Michelle regarding registration. I wanted to publicly commend you on your registration process. I looked at your church website and the link for registration, and it is one of the best we’ve seen!!! Great job on that. I also love the tips for fundraising, and the Q&A. I was showing it to some of our other staff here, and everyone was very impressed!!!” FMSC had not ever had an online process prior to that; everything had been done via email and signup sheets, so our process launched them into a new world of online registrations.
In November 2009, Community of Grace and Peace Lutheran again combined forces to work together with Janine and Dennis Skinner to be part of A Million Meal Packing Event. This undertaking was instrumental in FMSC deciding to establish a permanent packing warehouse in Mesa, Arizona. Again, Peace Lutheran hosted the event at their church, but Community of Grace did the majority of the work for the registration and advertising. At our event at Peace Lutheran, we packed over 200,000 meals of the 1,021,464 meals that were packed at the “One weekend, 5,000 volunteers, One Million Meals!” weekend. The other churches that hosted packing events that weekend were: Esperanza Lutheran in Ahwatukee, La Casa de Cristo Lutheran in Scottsdale and Love of Christ Lutheran in Mesa.
Because of this Million Meal project, CCV (Christ’s Church of the Valley) contacted us to get more information about doing their own Million Meal Packing Event, which they hosted in 2010. Also, we partnered with Hope Church in their historic “storefront” packing event in March 2010 to help pack 156,816 meals at The Shops at Norterra. They hosted and sponsored this event, but Gracer’s helped with providing volunteers for this two-day event.
It was such a fantastic blessing when we were able to begin hosting FMSC packing events on our new church campus. Our first one was in November, 2011, and we’ve turned our worship center into a FMSC packing warehouse each spring (almost every year) since then.
Prodigal’s Home
Another bold “Grace step” in 2009 was to form an LLC for A Prodigal’s Home. Working with A Prodigal’s Home founder, Mike Ricker, we decided to combine our efforts with Mike to help that ministry continue to reach out to the homeless and urban poor. By taking them under Grace’s umbrella, it allowed A Prodigal’s Home to purchase a building in the Sunnyslope area where they could provide meals, showers, laundry facilities, job placement, meetings and spiritual guidance to all those that came to them.
When we first moved on to our new campus, we hired some of the Prodigal’s Home men as janitors, and they also helped cook the meals for some of our BBQ’s and pancake breakfasts.
Lake Pleasant Estates Mobile Home Park
Alycia Wright headed up the work that Grace did with the kids at the mobile home park. She worked with a team of dedicated volunteers to create a weekly tutoring program, a running program, set up backpack drives to get the kids ready for the new school year each August, set up food drives for Thanksgiving food boxes, and worked with the most vulnerable families in that community.