Elected May 31 as bishop of the Montana Synod, Benjamin Quanbeck calls for putting the needs of congregational leadership and communities first and enabling them to do effective ministry in the places where God has called them.
Quanbeck, who has served as pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Billings, Mont., since 2013, shared with Living Lutheran about his vision of an active church motivated and fueled by the hope found in the gospel. He will take office Sept. 1 and be installed Sept. 20.
Living Lutheran: What do you see as the biggest priorities for the synod?
Quanback: In an increasingly accelerated and anxious world, I believe the most important work before the synod is to encourage and support clergy, lay leaders and communities with the resources and tools they need to thrive in ministry. Then, when congregations and leaders have high levels of trust, we can further the necessary conversations about creative and collaborative ministry throughout Montana and northern Wyoming.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I have discovered that I seek to lead by example, setting high standards of excellence and hard work for myself and my team. I am also an adaptive leader who recognizes that multiple solutions can be found to the same problem, and what worked once may no longer be effective. I deeply value teamwork and collaboration, recognizing that I don’t have all the answers but that we are always surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who help us run the race set before us (Hebrews 12).
What have you learned in your ministry that you might incorporate into your approach to leading the synod?
My wife and I have a mantra that regularly helps guide our ministry: “People over programs.” The temptation in ministry is always to push and prod people to take up a cause, meet some transformational goal, enhance a program or grow the ministry. It seems rather basic, but I have found that people need the gospel of Jesus Christ shared with them in fresh and hope-filled ways, all the time. Then, when people are set free and believe that God is working in and through them, well-organized and effectively communicated programs take care of themselves.
More than anything else, I hope that the Montana Synod is known for sharing the good news and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us into the future.
