Transforming Church

At Peace Lutheran, Ron and his team:
· Grew a heritage church, almost 200 years old, to one of the largest Lutheran congregations in the United States, with 3,000 members, following a crisis of leadership involving previous staff. Skilled in conflict management and public relations, customer relations.
· Created an environment of innovation and openness to people regardless of race, gender, or preference, using post-modern understandings of emerging generations and youth culture. With specialized staff, developed a 350 member student ministry.
· Developed pilot projects in creativity and innovation for clergy and lay leaders; served as coach, mentor, trainer, and consultant to congregations and leaders nationally.
· Directed, managed and provided direction for leadership team, developed programs, budgets, and did strategic planning for parish, synod and served on national church project teams.
· Oversaw a major congregational building project to create a 1,200 seat state-of-the-art conference, media, and post-modern worship center· Provided vision and direction for award-winning programs for developmentally disabled adults (including ELCA’s Congregation of the Year Award for those ministries), ground-breaking pilot projects for ministries to the homeless, and served on leadership staff for multiple annual mission teams of 65-70 persons each, to Mexico, and 7 states in the United States with middle, junior and senior high students, college students, and adults, and for international medical mission trips to Bolivia and Haiti.

Before that, he was Senior Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church Bloomington, Illinois
· Grew a landmark Midwestern congregation from 2,200 to 3,400 members.
· Directed a major building project to provide a $7,000,000 Family Life Center.
· With specialized staff, created a large and multifaceted student ministry program for 450 students of the congregation and community.
· Lectured and mentored graduate students in a seminary environment.
· Provided the vision and leadership for a new community for those with dependency issues and addictions.
· Provided leadership for medical mission trips to Haiti and within the United States.

Before that he was a Churchwide Staff Person in the Lutheran Church in America (predecessor to the ELCA). Among other things, he
· Served as consultant throughout the United States to congregations and synods in the areas of worship, music, and the arts, finance and budget, and visioning and restructuring of congregations and institutions, and developed large congregation strategies.
· Developed programs and materials for the national church in marketing, interpretation, and finance.
· Assisted in raising more than $25,000,000 for the congregations and agencies of the Lutheran Church in America.

Contact Ron at rlee83@sprintpcs.com