What's Inside?

Enroll to discover...

    1. Called to Lead: Course Introduction

    2. "Called to Lead" by Rev. Paul Baglyos

    3. Reflection Assignment #1

    4. Journal Time in God's Word

    1. Called to Read :)

    2. Baptism F.A.Q.

    3. Vocation of the Baptized-Part One

    4. Reflection Assignment #2

    5. Vocation of the Baptized--Part Two

    6. Journal Time in God's Word

    1. Called to Read :)

    2. Vocation of Rostered Ministers--Part One

    3. Reflection Assignment#3

    4. Vocation of Rostered Ministers--Part Two

    5. Journal Time in God's Word

    1. Called to Read :)

    2. Vocation of Candidates--Part One

    3. Reflection Assignment #4

    4. Vocation of Candidates Part Two

    5. Journal Time in God's Word

    1. Called to Read :)

    2. Journal Time in God's Word

    3. Vocation of Pastors and Deacons

    4. Reflection Assignment #5

    5. Praying the Wholeness Wheel

About this course

  • Grab your bible and a personal writing journal--this is a journey of discovery, with God at the center of your story.
  • This course is a companion resource to the ELCA's guide, "Called to Lead" written by Rev. Paul Baglyos
  • This course is linked to a dedicated community with Synod Staff and others who are in discernment. You are not alone!

"Called to Lead"

Together, On the Journey

Rev. Paul Baglyos

Resource Author

Ordained in 1984, Paul Baglyos has served in parish ministry in Pennsylvania and Illinois, and since July 2021 at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, Maryland. Additionally, he served as campus pastor at ELCA-affiliated Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania and as director of the Center for Theology and Land at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. While at Thiel, Pastor Baglyos served on the candidacy committee of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, and while at Wartburg he served on the candidacy committee of the Western Iowa Synod. From 2009 to 2021 he served as deployed staff of the ELCA, with responsibilities for candidacy in all the synods of Regions 3, 4, 7, and 8. Paul earned a Ph. D. in the History of Christianity from the University of Chicago in 1997 and has taught and written in the areas of pastoral ministry, the Lutheran Confessions, and American religious history. Currently he teaches a course in Lutheranism in the United States for the Lutheran concentration program at Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Paul is married to the Rev. Sharon Baglyos. They are parents of a daughter and a son, both now living in California.

Rev. Kari Webb

Director of Digital Community and Learning

Former educator and lifelong learner, Kari bears witness to the persistence of God's call to church ministry. Kari took the "long path" toward ordination. But God doesn't pay much attention to age, career or timelines. Kari is drawn to the story of Nicodemus in John's gospel. He asks Jesus "How can anyone be born after having grown old?" and Jesus spins a tale about wind and water and Spirit. Pastor Webb is beyond joyful that the wind of God's Spirit has brought her into service in the South Dakota Synod where, like Nicodemus, she continues to ask with wonder, "How can these things be?"

Rev. Renee Splichal-Larson

Associate to the Bishop for Candidacy, Congregation, and Rostered Minister Accompaniment

Pastor Splichal Larson is a 2010 graduate of Wartburg Seminary and currently serves as the Associate to the Bishop for Candidacy, Congregation, and Rostered Minister Accompaniment in the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Prior to being called to the South Dakota Synod in 2019, Pastor Splichal Larson served as pastor of Heart River Lutheran Church in Mandan, North Dakota. While at Heart River, Pastor Splichal Larson served as a mission developer, creating a re-entry ministry and support network for youth at the North Dakota Youth Correctional Center called Heart River Bridges of Hope.