A personal story of thanks by Brady Laib, KINDLE: Recent Graduate …

Greetings! My name is Brady Laib and I currently serve as a Director of Christian Education (DCE) at First Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska. I spend much of my time with youth ministry, but oversee children and family ministries as well. My wife Anne and I have been in Papillion for a few years now and are delighted to welcome our first child to our family next year.

My initial exposure to KINDLE: Recent Graduates occurred during my time at Concordia University Nebraska. I didn’t know what KINDLE was exactly, but I heard over and over from professors and older students, “You’ve got to do it!” The same words came as I began my internship, though I still didn’t quite understand why I should be a part of it. A few months into internship, I started to realize that despite all the great notes I took during those college DCE classes, real-world ministry requires much more hands-on learning. I was overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know.

As I entered my official call following internship, I received
encouragement to attend KINDLE: Recent Graduates, not only
from a nice brochure in the mail, but also via a personal Facebook
message from a fellow DCE. Again came the now familiar call, “You’ve got to do it!” With the blessing from my pastor and congregation, I signed up for the event in September of 2018.

At Recent Graduates, I experienced a community of fellow servant
leaders in the same position as me: A few years into ministry and
starting to figure some things out, but still left with a host of
questions and uncertainties. At the learning event, opportunities
abounded to make connections with fellow recent graduates and seasoned second chair ministry leaders, and to worship and pray without the busyness of normal Sunday mornings.

I was able to learn and ask the questions nagging in my mind since beginning professional ministry. The conversations, learning sessions, and resources all seemed to directly target where I needed guidance.

Perhaps the greatest impact of KINDLE is that it doesn’t end after leaving the learning event. Over a year after completing the initiative, I meet weekly with my Circle. We continue to study and pray together. I am a part of a large community of fellow servant leaders that I can call for ideas, assistance, or simply to chat. I look forward to one day participating in Classic KINDLE and furthering the impact of KINDLE in my life and in the congregation where I serve.

I look back on that initial urging to attend KINDLE and voices of others
saying, “You’ve got to do it!” While many great opportunities to learn and grow as a servant leader exist, no other community is so specifically designed to help second chair ministry leaders in the same way as KINDLE. Individuals, families, and congregations have been and will continue to be immeasurably blessed through KINDLE. My encouragement to other servant leaders is now the same as those who came before, “You’ve got to do it!”

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