Nina Sveinson

2025 Capital Campaign Feasibility Study

January 8, 2025 by Nina Sveinson

As we begin the new year, we are excited to explore the possibility of launching a capital campaign to enhance and improve our building.

To ensure this campaign reflects the needs and priorities of our congregation, we are starting the process of gathering input from you. With the support of GSB Consultants, we are conducting a feasibility study to help us determine which projects are most meaningful and achievable for our church community, and we need your participation. This feasibility study aligns with our ongoing strategic planning process, both part of a broader effort to advance Prince of Peace.

The leadership team at Prince of Peace has identified several potential capital projects, which are outlined in the Capital Campaign Feasibility Study 2025 Prospectus document found below. These projects include essential updates to maintain our building, as well as initiatives designed to expand our reach and impact through ministry.

We invite you to review the prospectus and then share your feedback by completing the congregational survey. Your input will play a crucial role in helping us decide whether to move forward with a capital campaign and which projects we should prioritize. The survey will close on Sunday, January 26.

Additionally, on Sunday, January 26, one of our GSB Consultants will be at Prince of Peace to lead a listening session where we can hear directly from you about which projects you are most excited about and why. An invitation and RSVP email with the details will be sent in the coming week. All are welcome to attend.

We encourage you to share your feedback through the congregational survey and listening session to help shape the church’s future direction. Thank you for joining us in this important process as we seek God’s guidance for 2025 and beyond.

Please click the buttons below to access the documents for this project.

Prospectus: Capital Campaign Feasibility Study

Congregational Survey: Capital Campaign Feasibility Study

Strategic Plan: General Process Overview

December 12, 2024 by Nina Sveinson

Below is an outline of the process and timeline for our strategic planning initiative. This document is fluid but gives individuals an idea of the timeframe for this process.

Part 1: Formation and Listening (September and October, 2024)

Strategy Task Force is built.
Strategy calendar is built for guiding process.
Congregational survey is deployed, results collated and curated and shared with Strategy Team and other core stakeholders.
FaithX Neighborhood Insights Report is obtained and debrief held between the Strategy Team, GSB consultant and Mary Frances of FaithX.
Neighborhood Survey Teams are deployed to engage local neighbors and businesses.
Digital assessment of Prince of Peace’s digital presence made using EVOKE Engagement Experts with a report out of findings.

Part 2: Identity Reflection (November and December 2024)

Identity Advance is held (usually in-person, day-long retreat) to review and reground current (or build whole cloth new) mission, vision and values statements and to perform a congregational SWOTT or SOAR analysis with leaders. Strategic priorities will begin to emerge at this retreat as well.
Identity pieces – mission, vision and values – are built or revised as needed through several working group sessions.

Part 3: Strategy Design and Deployment (January and February 2025)

A Strategy Advance is held, and strategic priorities are identified as an outgrowth of the Listening work and the Identity work. Champions are identified to lead initiatives, and some basic team design and empowerment is begun.
Task Forces finish building their teams.
Strategic Initiative Teams take strategic initiatives, and then design goals for each initiative, and actions to support execution of the goals. All of these are married to timelines and accountable parties.

All of that work is curated into two documents:

A tracking spreadsheet that allows for easy updating of each task force’s work, for insight into progress and for accountability.
A forward-facing document that will be professionally designed that attractively communicates the identity pieces and the strategic planning pieces. The document will come in several formats for page display as attachment to digital communications, a bleed out version for professional printing and a version for internal printing and use.

Part 4: Execution (March 2025 and Beyond… )

Various communication strategies are used to communicate strategic initiatives to the congregation and larger community.
Task Forces begin to work at their particular initiatives.
Coaching Support meeting held with Nathan at month 4.
Coaching Support meeting held with Nathan at month 12.

Congregational Survey for Strategic Planning Process

October 13, 2024 by Nina Sveinson

October 13, 2024

Dear Prince of Peace,

Like most communities of faith that move through a major leadership transition, we find ourselves at an inflection point. Our community certainly remains healthy and vibrant, and as we can clearly see, we are growing. Worshiping rhythms, discipleship rhythms, and volunteerism are all changing around us. As we move into an even more vital future, we need to discern our next best steps.

To help us in that process, we have enlisted the help of Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold, a professional coach and consultant with GSB Fundraising (www.gsbfundraising.com) to work us through a process that helps us reground in the what, who, and how of our lives together. The process will ultimately leave us with a strategic plan to focus and harness our efforts over the next several years so that we can powerfully show up shoulder to shoulder with Jesus in the mission we share. In addition, the work of the strategic planning process will inform and support the capital campaign needs we believe we need to address as well.

We are building a Strategic Planning Team to oversee and guide this process with the help of Pastor Nathan. The people on the team will be: Paul Dean, Kienan Mick, Julie Gorvin, Iver Johnson, Marilyn Tubbs, Erin Bennis and Mike Zick.

We will provide periodic updates. The process began in September. Here in October we will share a congregational survey with you all and would love it if you would respond. The survey is an opportunity to share your sense of the mission of Prince of Peace! It is a privilege you will not want to miss! We will share those results with you in a way that is manageable and digestible after the survey is complete.

We anticipate that by late winter 2025 we will have strategic priorities built based upon this process, and teams built to shepherd our clarified priorities.

What can you do? Participate in the pieces you may be asked to engage in, and pray for our congregation and the process. God continues to work powerfully through Prince of Peace. Pray for our work, for our focus, and for the ministry that is ahead of us.

For more information, please contact Kienan Mick at [email protected] who is involved in this process.

Thank you,

Prince of Peace Leadership

Congregational Survey: Click Here

Prince of Peace Welcomes Pastor Sarah Fike

August 26, 2024 by Nina Sveinson

Welcome, Pastor Sarah Fike!

We are pleased to announce that the Prince of Peace congregation overwhelmingly voted to call Sarah Fike as associate pastor of spiritual formation in a special congregational meeting during all worship services on August 24 and 25. The meeting resulted in 411 voting yes, 0 voting no and 19 abstained.

Thank you to the Call Committee – Donna Cushing, Mike Heidemann, Mike McClure, Jessica Scholl, Nancy Papatola Smith and Diane Sonnenberg – for their faithful commitment and diligence in this call process.

Pastor Sarah will join us in early September and a service of installation will be scheduled this fall. Please join us in welcoming Pastor Sarah and her family to Prince of Peace!

Pastor Sarah Fike Bio:

Pastor Sarah grew up in Northern Iowa and went to college at Wartburg. She then moved to the Twin Cities and worked at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis as the children, youth, and family director. During that time, she felt a pull to ordained ministry and started at Luther Seminary. Her first call was in Hibbing, Minnesota on the Iron Range at First Lutheran Church. Following her first call, she moved back to the Twin Cities to serve at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, in Eden Prairie, as the pastor of children, youth, and family ministry. Pastor Sarah enjoys sharing the good news of God’s creating power through love, forgiveness and grace.

Pastor Sarah is married to Edward, and they live in Bloomington. They have a two year old daughter and three dogs. You could say they have their hands full! She enjoys being outside, spending time with family, hiking, traveling and living out her passion in ministry. She can’t wait to meet everyone at Prince of Peace and is so grateful that we are being called into ministry together!

Special Congregational Meeting (8/24 & 8/25): Letter of Call for Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation

August 13, 2024 by Nina Sveinson

Dear Prince of Peace,

I am happy to announce that the Prince of Peace Board of Directors held a special meeting on Sunday, August 11 to discuss the recommendation made by the Spiritual Formation Call Committee to call Sarah Fike as associate pastor of spiritual formation.

“She is committed to fostering a trusting community and connecting with people of all ages,” stated the Call Committee. “Pastor Sarah is looking forward to helping revitalize small groups at Prince of Peace, connecting with young adults to increase attendance and participation, and keeping the Gospel at the center of our worship and ministry.”

The Board voted to recommend the Congregation extend a Letter of Call to Pastor Sarah Fike.

A special congregational meeting will be held during all worship services the weekend of August 24-25 (5:30 pm Saturday|9:00 am and 10:30 am Sunday) to vote on calling Pastor Sarah to our congregation. All votes must be made in person.

All members are encouraged to attend and participate in this exciting next step for the future of Prince of Peace.

Please find more information about Pastor Sarah below.

In addition, I would like to thank the following members on the Spiritual Formation Call Committee for their commitment and diligence during this process: Donna Cushing, Mike Heidemann, Mike McClure, Jessica Scholl, Nancy Papatola Smith, Diane Sonnenberg.

Peace,

Paul Dean
Lead Pastor

Pastor Sarah Fike Bio:

Prince of Peace Welcomes Adam Giebner as Choir Director

July 25, 2024 by Nina Sveinson

Dear Prince of Peace,

We are excited to announce the hiring of Adam Giebner as our new choir director. Adam will start in this part-time role on Monday, August 5, just in time to bring our choir and ensembles back from the summer break.

Adam’s extensive choral background in various schools and churches will be a valuable addition to the congregation. We are excited for his collaboration with our worship arts director and music ministry leaders to further enhance the worship experience at Prince of Peace.

Please join us in welcoming Adam, and his wife Rachel, to Prince of Peace. You can learn more about his background and family below.

Peace,

Paul Dean
Lead Pastor

About Adam Giebner

Adam Giebner is new to the metro area, joining Eagan High School as a member of the Vocal Music Department and Prince of Peace as choir director. Originally hailing from North Dakota, Adam grew up in Grand Forks. After graduation, he moved to Duluth and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in K-12 Vocal Music Education. After college, Adam lived in Grand Rapids, MN, where he taught choir at Grand Rapids High School, served as the artistic director for the Itasca Choral Society, and music directed various staged productions.

Adam started his faith journey through music as a high schooler, playing piano for his youth group’s worship team. While living in Duluth, he was very involved in the church community, serving as a cantor for Our Lady of the Rosary and choir director at First Covenant Church. After arriving in Grand Rapids, he was appointed choir director and accompanist at Zion Lutheran Church.

Adam and his wife Rachel moved to Eagan last month with their cat, Lepi. They are excited to welcome their first child this fall and join the Prince of Peace family!