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Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#67: Exploring Pastoral Leadership Models: Rural Church

#67: Exploring Pastoral Leadership Models: Rural Church

Navigate challenges, rediscover hope, and learn effective leadership for rural churches in America with insights from Bishop Bill Tesch.

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Leading a rural church in America today? In this video, we’ll look at the challenges and opportunities of discovering faithful, effective, collaborative, and sustainable models of leadership for rural churches.

How to rediscover hope and creativity amidst change and loss in Rural America? If you lead a rural church and want to be effective as rural life changes across America, then you’ll want to watch the entire video to learn from Bishop Bill Tesch of South Dakota who has been a church planter, mission developer, and Air Force Chaplain. Discover church future trends across rural churches in America today and rediscover your hope and energy as a church leader.

Show Notes

Featuring

Bill Tesch
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Before his election to Bishop, Bill Tesch served as the Director for Evangelical Mission and Associate to the Bishop of the South Dakota Synod. Prior to that he pastored Messiah New Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD first as Mission Developer and later as the congregation’s Senior Pastor. His first call was to a two-point rural and small-town congregation (St. Paul and St. Peter in Humboldt and Orland, SD).

Bishop Tesch is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Luther-Northwestern seminary, the USAF Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, the Air Force Basic Chaplain’s Course and Officer’s Training School.

The Bishop is also a retired Air Force Chaplain, having attained the rank of Colonel before his retirement in 2021. He was a member of the South Dakota Air National Guard and served in two overseas combat deployments.

Bishop Tesch is married to Chris Tesch, who teaches Nursing at the University of South Dakota. He and Chris enjoy time with their adult children and are grateful to be discovering the joys of grandparenting.

Hosts

Terri Elton
Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

Faith+Lead Headshot of Dr. Alicia Granholm, Senior Director of Faith+Lead.
Alicia Granholm
Senior Director, Faith+Lead, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).

About Pivot Podcast

Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.

Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.

Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.

Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.

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Featuring

Bill Tesch
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Before his election to Bishop, Bill Tesch served as the Director for Evangelical Mission and Associate to the Bishop of the South Dakota Synod. Prior to that he pastored Messiah New Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD first as Mission Developer and later as the congregation’s Senior Pastor. His first call was to a two-point rural and small-town congregation (St. Paul and St. Peter in Humboldt and Orland, SD).

Bishop Tesch is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Luther-Northwestern seminary, the USAF Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, the Air Force Basic Chaplain’s Course and Officer’s Training School.

The Bishop is also a retired Air Force Chaplain, having attained the rank of Colonel before his retirement in 2021. He was a member of the South Dakota Air National Guard and served in two overseas combat deployments.

Bishop Tesch is married to Chris Tesch, who teaches Nursing at the University of South Dakota. He and Chris enjoy time with their adult children and are grateful to be discovering the joys of grandparenting.

Hosts

Terri Elton
Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

Faith+Lead Headshot of Dr. Alicia Granholm, Senior Director of Faith+Lead.
Alicia Granholm
Senior Director, Faith+Lead, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

Dr. Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), M.Div. (Bethel Seminary), and M.A. in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).