FAQ - Pastor of Formation Hire

Who is Rev Alicia and why was she selected to join our staff team as Pastor of Formation?

Rev. Alicia is one of several BIPOC pastors who were reached out to consider filling this gap on our staff to care for youth, families, and discipleship for all ages. She brings over 15 years of pastoral experience as an associate pastor, youth pastor, teaching middle schoolers at a private Christian school, coaching women in leadership, and being a speaker for youth and adults around faith, identity, justice, and leadership development. She’s biracial and has a deep understanding of the “both/and” needs of youth in this season around topics like identity, race, sexuality, immigration, belonging, faith and doubt, etc. She loves kids and has experience in creative online ministry, in person events and teaching, and one- on-one mentoring. Rev Liz has known her as a family friend for several years and has watched her ministry career with excitement – after feeling the press in prayer to let Alicia know about this position, God kept speaking again and again to confirm this fit for her and for us at LSC. She’s authentic, warm, gifted, faithful, kind-hearted, and committed to justice. She will complement our team and our congregation’s needs around families, youth, and formation for all ages so well!

What was the process for hiring Rev Alicia?

The Elder Board and Property and Finance Committee were part of a several conversations around staff needs and budget starting in July. Then in August the interview committee (consisting of Rev Liz, Rev Randall, and Dave Metz as a rep from the Elder Board), zoom interviewed her, prayed over our conversations with her, and discussed her and other names suggested. The wider pastoral team and our staff were also given space to pray over and speak into this position and hire. Ultimately, the committee was unanimous in choosing Rev. Alicia to be the perfect fit as our new Associate Pastor of Formation.

How will Pastor Julie’s role change/not change as she moves to Director of Outreach & Advocacy?

Pastor Julie has been faithful in covering many areas of ministry, especially throughout COVID. The bulk of her time, however, has already shifted away from youth to run our weekly outreach ministries, pastor volunteers from the neighborhood who come to volunteer at Breaking Bread and Senior Market each week, and help oversee TLF building staff. Alongside our other LSC staff who have partial hours dedicated to helping run TLF/Cornerstone, Pastor Julie’s role will focus on the outreach, hands-on, advocacy work that’s already happening out of our doors, as a key part of our commitment to the city to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. A portion of her role will also remain directly focusing on the church side of ministry as she assists with youth and training in Rev Alicia, continues to serve around communion and hospitality, and takes over and expands the Prayer Ministry from Pam’s former role.

Why do we need a Director of Outreach and Advocacy?

The current outreach work that most of us are very proud of happening (Breaking Bread, Senior Market, etc.) needs oversight, management, coordination, and leadership – especially as we’re a commuter church without regular mid-week engagement of the majority of our members throughout the week. This role also lets us move some of the work that has been overfilling other staff’s time around to better balance workloads and add some additional capacity to grow and fund our outreach priorities - including space to move into more fundraising/grant writing, developing our ministry partnerships, and expanding our global and advocacy ministries. Pastor Julie’s role will also now have the time to better create discipleship pathways for our church to engage in outreach, justice, and advocacy as part of our core

worship. Her deep gifts in event planning, caring well for people, hospitality, intercessory prayer, creativity, and implementing ministries will all be on full display as she expands into this new leadership role and I am excited to see what God does with a focused position overseeing these ministries!

How do we afford another staff role?

The P&F team, Treasurer, and Elders have been in conversation around this with Rev Liz for several months and are confident that our current budget can support these role shifts. This is due to the fact that we’re in the midst of several staff changes/retirements, we learned we’re eligible to receive the Employee Retention Credit as a non-profit post COVID (a grant worth roughly 200k), and we have a high investment both in TLF funds and in our theology of robust community ministries continuing. How these dollar amounts specifically fit together will be shared in detail when we present the 2024 Budget. This first, Phase 1 part of our staff refresh, is the most timely step to accomplish two things: help build up youth and families given the fall timetable of back to school realties for families and students, and to honor and make more visible the ongoing outreach and advocacy ministry that’s already happening. It will not require additional funds for our 2023 Approved Budget.

When will we get to meet Rev Alicia? And hear more about Pastor Julie’s new work?

We will be highlighting both of these ministry areas throughout the fall, starting with time to say hi during a meet-n-greet for Rev Alicia on Oct 8th, a Banquet Sunday and the day of the Chicago Marathon (note worship starts later, at 11:30 am.) We will be highlighting Pastor Julie’s new ministry area on Oct. 22nd, a Serve Sunday where we’ll focus on ways to serve the church, including through outreach ministries. Both of these priority areas – family/youth and neighborhood outreach – will be part of the priorities we talk centering in this season at LaSalle throughout November during our budgeting season.

If I have further questions, where can I go?

You can reach out to any of our leaders – Rev.Doc. Liz, Exec. Pastor Randall, Mod. Kari – or the Elders would be happy to share more on this as well. We welcome talking more about this and also want to name that more shifts to staff roles, titles, and budgets will be happening throughout this season as we keep walking into this season of identity, resetting the table, and supporting/organizing our staff team.

If I want to give financially to support this season, how do I do that?

To give financially, go to our website under the GIVE tab and give toward our General Fund. You’ll hear more in November about this year’s tithing and pledge campaign focusing us on giving toward the identity and future of LaSalle (marked by these areas of youth and families, neighborhood outreach and advocacy, multiethnic worship, expansive faith formation, and investing in God’s justice at all levels.)

If I want to support through prayer this season, how do I do that?

Lift up our new pastor Rev Alicia and her husband, Jed, as they prepare to transition to Chicago from Minnesota; lift up LaSalle’s families and students; lift up Pastor Julie and all the volunteers, community members, and church folk she leads; lift up your wider Elder Board and staff as we listen for the Holy Spirit together; lift up all of LaSalle Street Church as we continue to ask God, what is our God-sized legacy and identity meant to be, and how can we each help build that?