Pivot

#151: Learning to Ask God Questions First

Scott and Timothy share how the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA is helping churches move from fixing institutional decline to discerning God's movement in their neighborhoods.

What does it take to become a missional church in today’s changing landscape? Bishop Scott Johnson and Deacon Timothy Siburg of the Nebraska Synod ELCA are helping 217 congregations discover the answer—and it starts with listening rather than fixing. In this episode, they share how churches across Nebraska are shifting from asking “How do we get people back?” to “What is God already doing in our community?” Through their Vitality Initiative and Mission Field Nebraska, they’re creating permission-giving cultures where congregations experiment boldly, learn from unexpected partners, and discover that faithfulness means joining what God is doing in the present.

Scott and Timothy offer practical wisdom for any church leader navigating change, whether in rural or urban contexts. You’ll learn how to move from church-centered to God-centered questions, why giving permission is more powerful than providing programs, and how cross-cultural partnerships can transform traditional congregations into vibrant missional churches. They don’t sugarcoat the challenges ahead—drawing on Romans 8’s image of labor pains, they acknowledge the hard work required. But they also remind us that we’re not alone in this work, and that the primary leader of the church is God, not us. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to innovate while managing traditional ministry demands, this conversation offers hope and a clearer path forward.

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Featuring

Headshot of Scott Johnson.

Scott Johnson

The Rev. Scott Alan Johnson was born and raised on a family farm near Wakefield, NE, and was elected bishop of the Nebraska Synod in 2022. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary. Prior to his election as bishop, he served as pastor in Minnesota and Iowa, as campus pastor at Iowa State University, and as Director of Campus Ministries at Midland University in Fremont, NE.

Headshot of Timothy Siburg.

Timothy Siburg

Deacon Timothy Siburg serves as the Director for Mission, Innovation and Stewardship for the Nebraska Synod. He has been a Deacon since 2016, serving on synod staff in Nebraska since May 2016. He has previously served in leadership roles for congregations, nonprofits, startups, and another synod in Minnesota and Washington. His areas of ministry interest include leadership and stewardship, mission and outreach, innovation and experimentation, vitality and transformation, and cultivating stories of ministry in action.

Meet Your Hosts

  • Faith+Lead Headshot of Dr. Alicia Granholm, Senior Director of Faith+Lead.

    Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. 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), MDiv (Bethel Seminary), and MA in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).

  • Faith+Lead Headshot of The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile, VP of Innovation, Luther Seminary.

    The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011), editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012), and co-editor (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) of The Starter's Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (Church Publishing, 2025).

    A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.