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Fretheim Nominated to Lead Northwest Conference
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 16, 2003) - Jim Fretheim has been nominated by the
Northwest Conference Board to replace to retiring Supt. Paul Erickson,
Covenant News Service has learned.
Fretheim, the lead pastor of First Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, will be voted on by delegates to the Northwest Conference
Annual Meeting in April. Erickson will serve until the end of summer,
according to conference board Chair Brian Schanil. If elected, Fretheim
will begin his new duties September 1.
"Jim (Fretheim) is a seasoned pastor, a leader with vision and a heart for
pastors and churches alike," said Schanil in a letter recently sent to
conference churches. Several desired qualifications were part of the
selection process, Schanil said, including:
- Ability to bring leadership and staff into the visioning process
- Experience in leading a multi-person staff
- Experience in team building
- Communication skills - connecting congregations to the conference
- Ability to understand the different contexts of the 130-plus churches
in the conference, placing equal value on the diversity of rural, urban,
ethnic and suburban churches in the Northwest Conference
- Commitment to conference priorities of church planting and issues of
justice and
mercy, ethnic and gender diversity
A graduate of North Park Theological Seminary and an ordained Evangelical
Covenant Church (ECC) pastor, Fretheim served 16 years as senior pastor at
Bloomington Covenant Church in the Twin Cities prior to becoming pastor of
the Grand Rapids congregation of 500. He has also served congregations at
Kingsburg Evangelical Covenant Church in central California and Bemidji
Covenant Church in Bemidji, Minnesota, and has participated on numerous
Northwest Conference boards.
Fretheim currently is a member of the ECC Executive Board - his term
expires at the conclusion of this year's Annual Meeting in Chicago. He
previously served on the Board of the Ordered Ministry.
"Jim's experience in conference leadership and denominational leadership
were important (considerations), as well as his ministry experience in a
variety of contexts and involvement in both urban and rural ministry,"
Schanil said. "He has demonstrated leadership and vision and a desire to
develop, position and enable staff to carry out the mission and vision of
the conference.
"Jim will bring maturity, wisdom, experience and compassion to the position
of superintendent in a good balance between professional 'directiveness'
and 'Lake Wobegon friendliness,'" Schanil continued. "He is as comfortable
in the board room as he is in the barn or the boundary waters."
Fretheim is the son of the late Arthur Fretheim, a longtime Covenant pastor
and church planter. He and his wife, Kathleen, have two grown daughters.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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