Kristie Rutledge is a certified LPA (Lay Pastoral Associate). The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America) has an LPA program. The truth is, she has wanted to be an LPA since high school. Her mentor is PR Megan Howeisch from First Lutheran in Havre. The Big Sandy Christ Lutheran has two LPAs, Dan Leader and Kristie Rutledge. Havre is a good support system with Marilyn Henry, Mary Stevens (music and no preaching), Lynn Steinmetz, and Josh Gomez. The Hi-Line has another LPA, Judy Vosen. These seven have been important in their support of serving the church.
Kristie said, "Lynn Steinmetz and I were commissioned during the Montana Senate Assembly on June 1, which means we're licensed as LPs. So we can now sign LPA after our names." This means she can do almost everything except marry people. However, in Montana, anyone can marry a couple.
Kristie said, "I wanted to do it my whole life, but I figured it was after kids were gone or maybe after I retired. This would be almost a progression because I have done Sunday School youth group for 25 years or more, so it seemed like a natural progression. In my church in Malta, we had LPAs. I knew Dan Leader was an LPA. He has served in our church a lot, too. So, in the back of my mind, I had always known that was something I would pursue."
Josh Gomez is an LPA. He belongs to First Lutheran, but he also serves the Big Sandy Church in that capacity. He's in seminary.
Kristie said, "I don't know that we're in a position to call a full-time pastor for several reasons. Number one, numbers are down, and until our churches decide that we would have the capacity and financial resources to see a full-time pastor, that wouldn't be possible. And there are not that many pastors answering calls. There are more needs and openings than there are people to fill. That's the truth.
Kristie said, "I love that Mountaineer let us put in service times. I think that's great. So people are aware. A community member said they had never been to a Good Friday service. They knew they wouldn't be around to attend anybody's Sunday service, so they were super excited to come and see what we did on a Good Friday. I think just getting the word out can let people know. COVID didn't do any favors for the local churches, and people are used to just skipping it all together and looking online. But we need to be an active living, thriving church, which means we need to be involved, right? I've never been a four-walls kind of gal. I don't believe that the church is these four walls, and you know people sometimes get into, for lack of a better term, pissin matches-- again, you're this denomination, or you're that denomination. We are all one in Christ. What is the Holy Spirit? We are sisters in Christ. We are not the color of our hair or our skin we are not the church we attend. It's what's in our hearts. When Jesus is in our heart, we are all one together in Him, and He is our Lord and Savior, period."
She's been doing office visits one Friday a month. "I've been trying to do pastoral care. I did a baptism, and that was such a huge blessing. It was so cool."
During the school year, she is a school psychologist. In the summer, she has a few opportunities to teach teachers.
Kristie said, "I have been really blessed through this journey. It has forced me to get into the Bible, obviously. It's been a huge blessing."
