Meet Pr. Debra Johnston, appointed as a Clergy at-large member of the Synod Council:

My name is Debra Johnston and I am currently the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Starbuck.  I came to Starbuck in 2018 from Ontario.  Most of my ministry experience prior to coming to the MNO Synod was in the Eastern Synod.

I began full time parish ministry as a member of the ELCA Deaconess community.  I was invested as a sister of that community in 1987.  I served as a Parish Deaconess from that time until I was ordained to the Office of Word and Sacrament on July 7, 2000.  During the last 37 years I have served two Congregations as a Parish Deaconess and five congregations as the Parish Pastor.  For five and a half of those years I also served under special call with the Sisters of St. John the Divine, an Anglican monastic community in Toronto.  There I was able to serve with a combination of my Diaconal and Pastoral heart.

I believe that it is a privilege to serve the church wherever and whenever that call comes.  All parts of our Lutheran church, working together help to inform our collective ministry practices and mission statement.  For me, a good way to truly understand the different roles and responsibilities of those various parts of the church is to serve as a collaborative member on the committees and councils when asked.

I have been especially interested and appreciative of the direction our MNO Synod council has taken as it pertains to the support of our congregational ministries, congregational leadership and Rostered ministers.  Effort has been given in more frequent communication between and among each group.  Opportunities for church councils and committees to get together with the Synod leadership and council for further learning, sharing and support sessions has resulted in greater openness and transparency between us.  A vision I have for our Synod is more of this.  This synod has many gifts to offer.  Among those gifts is a genuine desire to work together collaboratively and cooperatively.  I am interested in supporting stronger understanding and information sharing between our urban and rural congregations so that we will have a greater appreciation of both our differences, our similarities and our giftedness.