Two new faces to join synod’s “FACES” initiative in 2025

HEADLINE: Two new faces to join Synod’s “FACES” initiative in 2025

By Pastor Devlyn Brooks

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Two new experienced coaches will be joining the Northwest Minnesota Synod’s “FACES of Leadership” team in 2025, completing our roster of leaders committed to growing and equipping faithful people across our synod with the skills necessary to be Christ-following leaders in a time of great need.

Pastor Matthew Williams of Climax Lutheran Parish in Climax, Minn., officially joined the FACES team late last year, but will officially begin his role this year. Pastor Matt will lead the “A” portion of this collaborative leadership team, also known as “adaptive leadership.”

And Pastor Meggie Bjertness of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Moorhead will be joining the FACES team later this year after coming back from parental leave. She will lead the “C” portion of the team, also known as “coaching.”

The synod’s “FACES of Leadership” initiative is entering its fourth year, and demonstrates the syond’s commitment to supporting faithful people of all walks of life -- rostered and lay people -- to grow into resilient and adaptive leaders so that everyone may experience the abundant life that Jesus promises us.

FACES -- which is an acronym -- includes an “F” for faith practices, an “A” for adaptive leadership, a “C” for coachability, an “E” for emotional intelligence and an “S” for storytelling.

In 2024, the FACES team began a project to coordinate the lessons developed in each of these five skill areas into an online, course-like structure that will resemble a strategic learning program that could be used for clergy continuing education. That project will launch early this year.

Other returning members of the team include Pastor Tiffany Jeske Sundeen, the chaplain at Oak Grove Lutheran Schools, and who is the “E” and coaches emotional intelligence; Brother Jeff Brown, who is pastoring First Lutheran Church in Stephen, Minn., and who is the “F” and teaches faith practices; and Pastor Devlyn Brooks of Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., who coaches storytelling.

Pastor Matt serves as a part-time interim pastor at Climax Lutheran Parish, and he also works full-time as a partner sales director at WEX, a payment processing and information management services company.

Matt was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

During summers in college Matt worked in various leadership roles for Lutheran Lakeside Camp, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and Camp Onomia, in Onamia, Minn. After graduating, Matt went to work as a youth director in the Twin Cities which led him to Luther Seminary. After graduating from Luther Seminary, Matt served congregations in Kansas and Minnesota.

During his last full-time call, Matt earned his master’s in business administration from the University of Northwestern - St Paul. While working on his MBA, Matt found that much of what he was learning could be applied to his leadership role as pastor in a congregation.

After 10 years in full-time parish ministry, Matt transitioned to the business world, working for Discovery Benefits in Fargo, N.D., Altru Health Systems, and WEX. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see Matt rolling into Hector International Airport flying across the Midwest to open new markets for his role at WEX.

During the past nine years in the business world, Matt kept his connection to the church, serving three different interim roles to help congregations transition and adapt to the times and circumstances to best serve their communities with the resources available.

“I have found value applying what I’ve learned in the business world to my congregational leadership,” Matt says.

Matt and his wife, Shana, have been married for 21 years, first meeting while they were in seminary at Luther in St. Paul. Shana is a rostered deacon and currently teaches special education in the Fisher, Minn., school district. They have one daughter, Siri (named before Apple took that name!) who is a sophomore and is active in speech, drama, art club and golf. Matt enjoys working outside, exercise, going to the lake, going to movies with his family, and traveling.  

“I am passionate about leadership in the parish for pastors, staff, and volunteers,” says Pastor Matt. “I am excited to work with congregations and leaders to help them discover ways in which they can apply adaptive leadership principles in their context.”

Pastor Meggie, who has leadership experience as the program director for Green Lake Bible Camp and as a youth minister in the Fargo-Moorhead area, said she is excited to engage with the synod’s leaders.

“I have always enjoyed watching leaders grow,” she said. “Now as a pastor, I still enjoy identifying leaders and helping them grow. I especially enjoy encouraging people to try new things and discover gifts they never knew they had!”

Meggie is currently an associate pastor at Good Shepherd church in Moorhead. She was ordained in May 2022, and has served in various ministry settings since the summer of 2014. She lives in Moorhead with her husband, Ben, and their new son, Rowan.

Meggie loves spending time outdoors with her family, playing games with friends, and going for walks with her basset hound, Buford.

“I believe all my clients are resourceful, intelligent, whole, and creative children of God. As such, they possess within themselves the solutions to the problems they are facing,” Pastor Meggis said about her role on the FACES team. “My job as a coach is to create a safe space for my clients to discern and identify action steps so they can get unstuck, process their leadership struggles, transform, grow, and/or start something new. I love working with people to help them move to the next level in their leadership!”

For more information about the synod’s “FACES of Leadership” initiative visit their page here: https://www.nwmnsynod.org/pages/faces-of-leadership. Or you can email FACES coordinator Pastor Devlyn Brooks at devlynbrooks@cord.edu.