Having served as director for evangelical mission and assistant to the bishop in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod since 2017, Melissa L. Stoller sees the Spirit calling the church to reimagine how it ministers to an ever-changing world fraught with division.
Elected bishop of the synod on June 13, she shared with Living Lutheran about how she believes the church can embrace transformation to build meaningful relationships and further the body of Christ. She will be installed on Oct. 18 at Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh.
Living Lutheran: What do you see as the biggest priorities for the synod?
Stoller: Times of transition are an opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit move in new ways. The landscape of ministry in our congregations is shifting as membership and funding sources decline. Our church needs to find a way to revitalize the multitude of vocations in the body of Christ, empowering the laity in new ways and reframing the roles of pastor and deacon in a wider network of ministry gifts. The ministry of the baptized is to love, serve and listen to our neighbors so that we may build real and true relationships that can withstand societal and political divisions.
How did you feel when you were elected?
I was filled with a spirit of gratitude, balanced with the enormity of the call I was just offered by the voting members at the synod assembly.
What experiences in your ministry do you feel have best prepared you to serve as bishop?
At my core I am a pastor. I deeply love God’s people and the world God made. I lead through collaboration, inviting others into decision-making processes that build relationships and invite curiosity and exploration.
I have worked for over eight years in the synod office, engaging in the day-to-day administrative work and the difficulties that come with the ministry of adjudication and conflict resolution. This ministry can be difficult, but the relational investment is imperative to the way we are church together. I have experienced ministry in a wide variety of contexts, serving as vicar and pastor in rural, suburban, urban and international ministry sites.
Each of these places of grace gave me the opportunity to learn and grow, which is a lifelong value for me. For we are indeed one body with many members, and if we can love one another in this beautiful diversity, we can learn the heart of God.
