Update: New Staff Positions and a Path Toward Calling a Deacon

As a follow-up to our May 2026 forums about potentially calling a deacon to serve at Trinity, the council would like to offer the following clarifying update to the congregation.

During 2025, Pastor Hector led conversations across our church community to discuss our needs and opportunities related to our ministry service goals. Discussions ranged from support to our church community and to the communities in which our church members live.

Church staff and council took this updated look at our community and developed the following summary:  

• Hire an additional staff person to take part of Pastor Hector's responsibilities for preaching & presiding, sacred rites, liturgical innovation, adult education & spiritual formation, diversity/equity/inclusion, pastoral care.

• Focus on youth leadership, program planning, program expansion, and coordination of overall youth spiritual development.

• Focus on expanding relationships within and outside of our church community.

• Focus on engaging visitors and new members to fill their church community relationship needs.

• Focus on leadership for pastoral care to provide pastoral care, prayer, and counseling during times of personal challenges.

In response to the 2025 meetings and conversation, and following a recent staff departure, the council engaged in a process of revising position descriptions to better address current ministry priorities at Trinity. As a result, three additional part-time staff positions were created:

• Pastoral Care Pastor

• Families, Children, and Youth Coordinator

• Relational Ministries Coordinator

The 2026 balanced budget approved by the congregation last fall includes funding for all three of these part time positions. Additionally in April the congregation approved the Call Committee for the Pastoral Care Pastor. The council has since approved search committees for the other two positions. See below for a listing of members of these teams.

The council worked with non-council members to draft a Ministry Site Profile to more deeply and thoroughly frame a potential Pastoral Care Pastor position at our church. This Ministry Site Profile has been completed.

Unrelated to the overview discussed above, over the past several years David Horton progressed through his seminary studies to obtain a Masters of Divinity and has been approved to be ordained as a Minister of Word and Service (Deacon). David recently completed his studies and is now a candidate to be called as a Deacon within the ELCA.

Given David Horton's newly obtained eligibility to become a called Deacon, it is natural for council to explore the role a full time Deacon might have within our congregation in light of the review and conversations held last year. We see significant benefits of having a Deacon walk along Pastor Hector in his Lead Pastor role at our church.

The Deacon position within the ELCA is flexible, providing congregations the opportunity to tailor the position's responsibilities to best meet the local congregation's ministry. Here are the roles the church council sees as a full time Deacon position that partners with our Lead Pastor's ministry walk:

• Word and Liturgical Leadership.

• Adult Education and Spiritual Formation.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

• Pastoral Care and Accompaniment.

The council will call a congregation meeting in the near future to approve calling a deacon to serve at Trinity and to appoint a call committee. Since David Horton is a qualified internal candidate being called to the diaconate for the first time, the Synod has advised that the call committee interview him first for the position before proceeding further.

The council hopes this update clarifies current staffing activities at Trinity. Please bring any questions to church council members.

God’s Peace,

Bill Rankin Congregation Council President

On behalf of the 2025-26 Congregation Council:

Mark Bergquist, Don Boelter (Administrator and non-voting member), Clint Buetow, Mary Denny, Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo, Judy Jacobson, Jenny Louch, Bill Rankin, Mark Reay, Mike Schultz, Edy Strand

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Pastoral Care Pastor Call Committee

(Elected by the congregation on April 19, 2026)

Dagfinn Melby; David Fox; Jayne Meyer; Marilyn Nadeau; Patty Wilder; Sarah Zabel; Ted Haase

Family, Children, and Youth Ministry Coordinator Team

(Appointed by the council)

Aaron Franco-Ross; Derek Spadaro; Laura Maier; Lori Schmidt; Maria Lunder

Relational Ministries Coordinator Team

(Appointed by the council)

Beth Cook; Kim Palmer; Peter Frerichs; Sandy Schneider; Sofia Garfias-Yi