God is moving in Burke, Herrick, and Gregory, South Dakota. Three United Methodist congregations that have been in decline are seeing new life and growth. 

Rev. Thanael Certa-Werner arrived in July of 2023 in Burke, South Dakota, to serve two congregations—Burke and Herrick UMCs. The congregations welcomed him with a combined worship and a fellowship gathering with of course, food.

“The two congregations were very welcoming. I felt joy and a sense of thanksgiving,” said Pastor Thanael.

He soon realized that the two churches faced a decline in the number of people in worship and giving.

“They were anxious and hopeful,” said Pastor Thanael. “No one realized that a neighboring congregation, Gregory UMC, was facing the same anxiousness.”

Gregory United Methodist Church in South Dakota. Photos by Bruce Blumer.

In August, Rev. Dan Bader visited with Gregory UMC. He learned that the congregation was facing a decline in membership and finances. Rev. Royal Archer asked to serve Gregory UMC, where he had previously served, part-time.

God was up to something. Pastor Thanael had been driven by Gregory UMC on the first day of his new appointment.

“I went to the retirement home in Gregory for a 101 birthday celebration for a lady who attended Burke UMC. On my way home, I drove by the United Methodist Church in Gregory and prayed. For some reason, that image and prayer just stayed with me,” Pastor Thanael recalled.

Rev. Dan Bader approached the leadership teams of the congregations, Pastors Thanael and Royal, for ideas about how the three congregations might work together.

“I told Dan and others at that meeting, ‘I have been thinking and praying about Gregory since I moved here,’” Pastor Thanael shared. “Clearly, God put this in motion.”

Bishop Lanette Plambeck, resident bishop for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area, inquired about how far apart the congregations were. Bader told her that Gregory was eight miles from Burke, and Herrick was eight miles from Burke. She recalled the scripture Mark 8:1-9, which talks about feeding 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.

“It is amazing because there are 4,000 people in Gregory County where these three communities are, and the towns are eight miles apart,” said Pastor Thanael. “It truly was a God moment.”

As Pastor Thanael began working with the leadership from each of the congregations, a theme developed from Mark 8:1-9: people of abundance ready to feed God’s people.

Burke United Methodist Church in South Dakota.

“When we look at the congregations, we found that alone there were challenges of not having enough people or money. Clearly, God was at work to bring us together. As we look at the scripture, it is a story of abundance,” said Pastor Thanael. “Jesus took this meager gift and made abundance. As we look at ourselves alone, we are meager, but together we form abundance with the help of God.”

The abundant culture is beginning to take shape for this newly formed Abundance Parish. Herrick and Burke had previously seen 10-15 people in worship. Now, Herrick is seeing 40-45 people in worship. Burke is seeing 50-55 people in worship each work. There are 75-90 people in worship each week at Gregory; previously, there were about 20-25.

A parish broad council called the Covenant Council, has been formed to map out an administration structure and vision. The council has members from each congregation and will take on the duties of the administrative board. A Board of Trustees and Staff Parish Relations Committee also functions parish-wide.

There were a lot of concerns and challenges to deal with, including the pastor’s time at each church, management of communication, and finances. The biggest was changing the times of worship for each of the congregations. Worship is at 8:30 a.m. in Herrick, at 10 a.m. in Burke, and at 11:15 a.m. in Gregory.

“Before worship, times were 9 a.m. in Herrick, 10:30 a.m. in Burke, and Gregory was at 10:30 a.m. Everyone had to change their times to accommodate this,” Pastor Thanael explained. “What was so cool is that everyone said they were willing to change, support each other, step up, and support their fellow United Methodists. Everyone was willing to make a sacrifice.”

There are 18 students in the confirmation class now. There were no confirmation classes for two years at Burke and Herrick and even longer at Gregory. All three churches have students in confirmation, and the classes rotate each month to one of the churches.

“It is fun. We have supper followed by a lesson. There is energy. The students know each other from school,” describes Pastor Thanael. “It is great to see, especially the guys, showing up, singing, and wanting to live out their faith. It is one of our successes.”

Herrick UMC.

The Dakotas Conference has supported forming the Abundance Parish by providing leadership from the district superintendent, Rev. Dan Bader. Al Roll, director of the Dakotas Connection Initiative, facilitates thinking about administrative structure. Julie Stoll, a lay leader who leads scripture circles, has provided prayer and services for healing and connecting.

Next on the horizon, small group Bible studies are forming. Five small groups are offered so people can choose the time, location, and topic. Abundance Parish is also seeking a grant from the Dakotas Connection Initiative to centralize staffing and records.

“We hope to have a full-time staff person coordinating communication, records, and finances,” said Pastor Thanael. “All together, we are worshipping 150-170. That is a fairly good-sized church. A pastor serving three churches cannot do it all and be everywhere. It is important to have an office administrator. We look forward to what God has in store for us.”

View photos of the Abundance Parish in action.