We are excited to welcome Communitas to the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) network. Communitas is a young adult community, which began five years ago. Started by a group of young adults, this community meets in the home of Paul and Karen Anderson (Paul is the founder of the ARC and Director for Lutheran Renewal). At first the group met every three weeks, then every other week, and now meets every week. From the start Paul and Karen wanted to give away ministry more than doing it, so they said to the young adults, “Whatever we do you can do. You have what it takes.” Paul and Karen believed in them—and we have been doing the ministry ever since.

The young adults lead the meetings, do most of the teaching, and do the ministry. A leadership team of eight guys and gals give oversight; and an action team of twelve help with service and ministry opportunities. Communitas loves having retreats at North Heights or at the Ranch (Paul & Karen’s home). They also have a prayer meeting on Monday morning, outreaches from time to time on Friday night, and many other social and ministry events. Teams often travel with Paul & Karen to do ministry stateside and abroad.

Communitas has missionaries serving in the Twin Cities as well as in other lands, including Thailand, Tanzania and India. Many serve in ministry positions here and around the country. The vision is to raise up and release young adults into their destiny in Christ.

Paul writes, “We have enjoyed having ARC leaders speak at Communitas, including Mike Bradley, Kevin McClure, Mark Herringshaw, Robert Walter, Fred Thoni, & Dave Housholder. ARC leaders and pastors are clearly friends of Communitas, and we were friends of the ARC even before we joined. Now we are not jus friends—we are family. Our participation at ARC Gatherings has shown us that we are certainly the same DNA. We appreciate the vision and direction of the ARC and thank the leadership for including us.”

Welcome to the ARC, Communitas!

We are excited to welcome Bob Rognlien to the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Bob lives in Torrance, CA (outside of Los Angeles) with his wife of nearly 25 years, Pam. They have two sons, Bobby and Luke, both of whom are currently in college. Bob writes, “Jesus is the foundation of my life and my family is at the center of what the Spirit is building on that foundation. I serve as Lead Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, a dynamic life-changing community of multiplying disciples who are on mission together for the sake of God’s Kingdom.”

In addition to his local ministry, God has called Bob to a wider ministry of writing, speaking, and training leaders. He has published two books on Experiential Worship, spoken extensively at ministry conferences around the world, and now work with Mike Breen and 3D Ministries as the West Coast Director of Transformation Communities. Bob’s focus is training church leaders to develop a discipling culture where they can empower others to form missional communities that bring the Kingdom to the world. He is currently writing a book on living as empowered missional disciples, which is titled “A Jesus Shaped Life.”

Bob says, “I decided to join the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) as an expression of my commitment to seek the power and direction of the Holy Spirit in all I do and to recognize the many relational connections I already have with members of the ARC. I believe and have experienced that nothing I can do for God will ultimately matter unless it is done in submission to the power and presence of his Spirit. I look forward to sharing the joy of ministry with members of the ARC, receiving the many gifts this family has to strengthen me, and offering up the things God has put into my hands in the hope it will further the cause of Jesus’ Kingdom. To him be the glory and to us the joy!”

Welcome to the ARC, Bob and Pam!

We are excited to welcome Pastor Julie Samuelson into membership in the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Julie is serving as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at Lutheran Church of the Master (LCM) in Brooklyn Center, MN; a congregation whose lead pastor is Morris Vaagenes. Julie teaches confirmation, leads youth events and facilitates a young adult service called “Heart Core.” A recent graduate of The Master’s Institute (MI) Seminary, Julie and her husband Brad live in Pine City, MN and have two adult sons.

Julie writes: “ARC was my choice because I have seen the leaders in action. They are emotionally and spiritually whole people that lead with grace. They enjoy serving the God's kingdom by not taking themselves too seriously as they follow Jesus radically. ARC leaders are the ones I want to be encouraged, inspired and supported by. Thanks for welcoming me to the family!”

Welcome to the ARC, Julie. We’re excited to have you on board!

We are excited to welcome Jon Anderson as a new member of the ARC. Jon serves as pastor for Church of the Living Word in Hampton, Iowa. He and his wife, Chris, have been married for 23 years. They have three children, Joshua, 19; Rebekah, 17 and Noah, 13. Jon writes, “I am choosing to join the ARC because they are unashamed at their desperate reliance on the Holy Spirit, they put their money where their mouth is in regard to living out the gospel in practical matters of mission and ministry and I just plain like many of the guys that are already a part of the ARC.”

Church of the Living Word began on January 1, 2006 meeting in the local movie theater and enjoying the generosity of another local body of believers, using their facilities on Wednesday nights. In October of 2009, they purchased a 22K square foot facility on approximately 5 acres of land for $1 from the local school district. Since then God has been filling up the space with Bridge of Hope (a mission to single moms), a Christian pre-school that found itself homeless this fall and the alternative high school classroom for the public school. They have tried to focus on missions from the get-go, sending folks to Cambodia, Seirra Leone, Mississippi, Mexico, Botswanna, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Togo.

Jon will be attending the Midwest ARC Gathering in October. Look to meet him there and get to know him. Welcome to the ARC, Jon!

We are excited to welcome Ivan Sagal into the ARC. Ivan and his wife, Sandy, have three married daughters and four grandchildren, ages two through seven. They have shared an adventure following the Lord, which has included a variety of ministry opportunities.

They lived in a Christian community, Daystar Ministries, the first ten years of their marriage where they discipled new believers, helped the needy, which included people off the street and those in the occult. They also founded a non-denominational church in St Paul, MN, Lamb of God. Ivan and Sandy were part of Youth With a Mission, YWAM, staff two separate times. The first was in the middle to the late 1980's near Chetek, Wisconsin where they helped develop a 10-week Summer of Service outreach to Israel. The second time was from 1997 to 2008. They staffed a Leadership Training School in Trinidad, Colorado under Floyd McClung, and both taught and led YWAM Schools of Intercession, Worship, and Spiritual Warfare in the USA, Canada, and Norway. Both Sandy and Ivan have been on the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, board and Bridges for Peace board. In the late 1980's they planted a church in Hilliard, Ohio under Pastor Bob Swanger, Sr and also served on staff of the International Leadership Training Institute founded by Dr. Bob Heil.

Ivan writes, “I have been in approximately twenty-five nations helping build churches, teaching seminars for pastors, leading conferences on intercession, serving in prophetic ministry, and specific prayer assignments.
I am looking forward to fellowship with other members of the ARC as well as returning to my roots. It will be a joy for me to use my past experiences to serve in whatever capacity God leads in spreading the gospel. Sandy and I look forward to getting to know you and being part of this expression of the body of Christ.”

Welcome to the ARC, Ivan!

We are excited to welcome Joy and Richard Frenette into membership in the ARC. Joy and Richard are from Kenora, Ontario, Canada. Joy graduated from The Master’s Institute (MI)Seminary in May of this year and Richard is a graduate of MI’s School of Ministry. They moved down to St. Paul for the three years of schooling and have now moved back home to Kenora where they are excitedly awaiting a call. Joy’s passion is to see that all people would be walking in the fullness of the freedom that Christ has made possible for us. Richard is especially drawn toward Men’s Ministry and Outreach Ministry.

Richard and Joy have chosen to join ARC because of its character and standards. Joy writes, “Being part of ARC also allows for and invites genuine caring relationships that provide encouragement, support, advice and ideas, and accountability, all of which both of us hold in high regard. We appreciate the networking connections that are possible with ARC, both those that have already been made and those yet to come. We are looking forward to a long-term relationship with ARC and its membership.”

Joy and Richard join fellow Canadians, Ted Hill and Glen Carlson as recent additions to membership in the ARC.

Welcome to the ARC, Joy and Richard!

We are excited to announce that House of Praise Church in Blaine, MN has joined the ARC. Pastor Steve Gaustad, an alumnus of The Master’s Institute Seminary writes: “At House of Praise we believe the Lord has called us to be a place where people can experience the love of the Father in a real way. Our hope is that each person will encounter the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in a life changing tangible way. House of Praise desires to be a place where together, we can safely step into the fullness of all God has for each us. We're simple in the sense that it's really all about Him. Our earnest desire is to be a house of praise, a house of healing and a house of harvest that people can truly call home. We chose to join the ARC because we want to be a safe place for the dangerous kind.”

House of Praise is a small gathering of believers who will have a big influence in the ARC and for the Kingdom of God. Steve Gaustad has a passion to help others experience the realities of God’s Kingdom here and now, and he and his congregation are very blessed to now be part of the ARC. As Director of the ARC, I have no doubt they in turn will be a blessing to us. Steve, along with Brian Carroll and Tim Husnik, elders for House of Praise, are pictured in the photo with this article. Welcome to the ARC House of Praise!

We are excited to announce that Glen Carlson has joined the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Glen is pictured in the middle with friends Joe Johnson (left) and Mike Bradley (right) at the Southwest ARC Gathering. Glen is a long-time friend to many of us in the ARC. He was a pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Stony Plain, Alberta for 37 years and the leader for Lutheran Renewal – Canada

In 2002 Glen left full time congregational ministry to become a consultant in Churches in Western Canada and in Southern California, assisting David Householder over a three year period. In 2006, he accepted the contract to serve Emmaus Lutheran Church in Edmonton with the specific purpose of equipping people for ministry. As a result of this the congregation has opened a center for the homeless, helping people to believe in themselves, believe in Jesus, and raise their level of expectancy.

Glen writes, “Since 2002 my passion is to listen to Jesus through the Scriptures. This has let me to write books with the overall theme of listening to Jesus. These books are of a devotional nature that helps one to listen to the heart of Jesus. Books I have written so far are: LISTENING ( a devotional guide for the whole year); REFLECTIONS ON PSALM 23 (Looking at milestones in one’s life; PLANTING FEET (Listening to Jesus through the catechism); THE BOOK OF HEBREWS (Listening to Jesus as Prophet, Priest, King.); KINGDOM FOCUS (focus for the church in the new apostolic age.); COLOSSIANS (Bible Study on Listening to Jesus in Colossians).”

Glen is joining the ARC because of the kindred spirit he shares with us. Welcome, Glen, we’re glad to have you in the ARC.

The Alliance of Renewal Churches is happy to welcome Ted Hill from Alberta, Canada as a new member. Ted writes the following:

“My name is Ted, and I am hopelessly addicted to pastoring. I tried to get away from it various times in the last 20 years, but the grip is too strong! The pastoral talons got even more intense when I experienced renewal in the mid '90's and now I have been in full time ministry for almost 15 years.

All kidding aside - I find pastoral ministry a very difficult part of my life and also an intense joy. I serve in a small country parish in rural Alberta [I mean rural - the nearest town in is 30 minutes away]. I have been here for over 8 years and I love the people that I serve. When I first realized that I needed to be connected to the ARC I was in a Lutheran Renewal Canada meeting and Mike Bradley was speaking to us and encouraging us. He was sharing about Forgotten Ones and instantly I resonated with the ARC. Isaiah 58 has been a focal chapter of my life and ministry in the past few years and I really believe that the outflow of renewal experience is just that - outflow; outflow to the lost, the broken, the discarded, the forgotten. When I read, in the mission of the ARC, that quote from Bruce Cockburn's Lover's in a Dangerous, ‘you've got to kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight’ I knew I had found a network that speaks my language. As I have connected with the ARC I have seen a humility, an intensity and a freedom that is vibrant and filled with substance. I need to be a part of a body of believers and leaders and followers of Jesus that have teeth to their faith. So I am delighted to be part of the ARC and am excited about what the future holds for my family, my parish and this grand connection to ARC!”

Welcome to the ARC, Ted!

Sharon Franta is an adventurous follower of Jesus who believes in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through the fellowship of believers.

In 2002, she answered the Lord’s call to work at The Master’s Institute in St. Paul, MN and has been on a voyage with God ever since. A recent graduate of The Master’s Institute Seminary (’10), she is currently serving as Director for the School of Ministry; a one-year course designed to equip disciples and discover destinies. She longs to see the church strengthened, empowered and mobilized.

She and her husband Scott live in Roseville, MN and have 4 children. Much of her down time is spent her family, on the golf course or curled up with a good book.

“Joining the ARC is like coming home. I find it’s a place where the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is not only embraced, but expected. The ARC’s desire to be a genuine, united fellowship where you are encouraged and supported to be all that God has called you to be fits well with a vision to see the church strengthened. Through this, we will see God’s army take the ground that has been promised.”