Known for her work helping struggling congregations revitalize and grow, Katrina Foster brings her message of community-building and financial stewardship to her new role as bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod, to which she was elected May 3.
Foster, who has served as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in New York City since 2015, shared with Living Lutheran her vision for a transforming faith that impacts churches and the communities they serve. She will be installed as bishop this fall.
Living Lutheran: What do you see as the biggest priorities for the synod?
Foster: We will focus on evangelism, discipleship and financial stewardship so that we can become even more effective Jesus-following, neighbor-serving communities of faith.
How did you feel when you were elected?
I felt as though they were talking about someone else!
What experiences in your ministry do you feel have best prepared you to serve as bishop, and how might you incorporate those lessons learned?
I have served in the Bronx, the Hamptons and Brooklyn. Serving in such diverse settings, I learned how to be a community organizer, how to build affordable housing and how to reach a much younger community of seekers. Responding to the concrete needs of our neighbors, utilizing the gifts of the community beyond the church and sharing the life-changing, transformative power of Jesus with all will, in turn, transform this synod.
Is there a message you’d like to share with the synod and the wider church?
God has trusted us with the gifts, talents and financial resources to do all we are called to do. As Easter people, we are called to trust Jesus enough to share these with our neighbors so that we can follow Jesus and serve our neighbors. We can move from fear to faith, from scarcity to abundance, from isolation to community and from despair to determination!
