Christ the King Lutheran Church - Mankato

Reconciling in christ (RIC)

In 2023, the RIC Task Force was created under the direction from the Christ the King Council to explore the option of becoming a recognized RIC (Reconciling in Christ) Church.

ReconcilingWorks is an independent non-profit organization that created the Reconciling in Christ program over 50 years ago. It advocates for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual/aromantic (LGBTQIA+) Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community. More recently, ReconcilingWorks made a public commitment to increase their intersectional work to be dedicated to anti-racism and racial equity.

The goal of becoming an RIC church is creating a community where all people know they are welcome. To become a recognized RIC church, there are four commitments we must meet.

Your community explicitly states a welcome to people of “all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” or “LGBTQIA+ people” and names its commitment to “racial equity” or “anti-racism” in its welcome statement.
Open to calling an LGBTQIA+ and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) Roster Leader.
Will allow community space/sanctuary to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings.
Will make a meaningful contribution annually to support the national RIC program.

The CTK congregation makes the final decision if Christ the King should become a Reconciling in Christ church. An official vote will be held, at the direction of the council, to approve a Welcome Statement and agree to the commitments listed above.

Click the different tabs below to learn more about what the RIC task force is doing at CTK.

Since the creation of the RIC task force, we have held one-on-one conversations with various CTK members, created a centralized theme for the RIC process, held different events and presentations and have started work on drafting a welcome statement. You can view a more detailed timeline below.

Storytelling is a powerful tool. As part of the Reconciling in Christ process at CTK, we are asking for your stories.

Do you identify as gay, lesbian, queer, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, or any of the many “alphabet soup” minority gender identities or sexual orientations? Do you consider yourself an ally or supporter of the GLBTQIA+ community? Do you struggle with what to think about homosexuality, especially in the context of religion, most frequently finding yourself someplace in the middle—or even all-out confused?

Do you have experiences shaped by race, ethnicity, culture, or immigration? Have you navigated spaces where you felt welcomed, excluded, misunderstood, or fully seen? Do you carry stories about belonging, hospitality, or the deep human need to be known and included? Do you have strong feelings about what it truly means to be a welcoming place?

What’s your story? Where have you been, and where are you now?

Maybe yours is a coming-out story, a seeking story, a story of immigration or displacement, a story of racial identity or cultural heritage, a story of confusion, a story of grief with touches of joy, a story of joy with touches of grief, a matter-of-faith story, a story of your own lived experience, a story of how another’s experience has touched or changed you, an unfinished story…

Your story could be told as a poem, a song, a letter to a friend or family member, an essay…

Perhaps your story finds its roots and conclusion in a line from scripture, from a song, from a poem, or from a prayer…

Whatever your story, we invite you to take time to craft a version of it—a version to share with your sisters and brothers at CTK.

You may remain anonymous or you may sign your name. We only ask that you write from your own experience, with integrity, and with a sense of grace for your readers.

Submissions can be emailed to liz.reedstrom@gmail.com with the subject line: In My Own Words. Please note that some entries might be edited for length or clarity.

Thank you for sharing your words.

We want to hear from you

The RIC journey about building an inclusive church involves all of us. So we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts, what are your questions, what are your ideas for what you need from us as a task force? We want to know! Click the button below to fill out a form. You can include your contact information if you wish to talk to someone from the task force or choose to stay anonymous.

Contact Form

RIC Task Force Members

Liz Zaruba, Chair

Julie Hatleli

Jodie Wallschlaeger

Becky Menk

Kris Barnes

Kari Fletcher

RIC Timeline at ctk

June 2021 - A handful of CTK members take an online training course through ReconcilingWorks called How to Build an Inclusive Church.

September 2021 - Justice & Peace meets with the council about starting the RIC journey. Council members were asked to take a faith community assessment test before the meeting. The average of council’s survey assessment scores indicated a St. Cautious pace.

Between the end of 2021 and beginning of 2023, discussions continued with Justice & Peace and the Council, including holding one-on-one conversations with council members.

June 2022 - Justice & Peace holds an open meeting for CTK members to learn about RIC, how it works and if it is a fit for CTK

February 2023 - The creation of an RIC task force is approved by the CTK council. The RIC task force was asked to send regular updates to the Council.

March 2023 - An application to join the RIC task force was created and was open for any CTK members. Based on the applications, the group was officially approved by the council.

The RIC task force started meeting on a monthly basis. Task members who had not previously taken the How to Build an Inclusive Church training signed up for the course based on their availability. Task force members also started having one-on-one conversations with CTK members.

April 2024 - The RIC task force hosts a Movie Night and discussion featuring a video titled “RIC: It’s About Being Church”

May 2024 - RIC task force hosts a Faith Continuum session focusing the work of the RIC organization in relation to scripture.

July 2024 - RIC task force hosts a Bible Study for three weeks that took place before Faith & Fellowship services.

September 2024 - RIC task force has a table and information at the Rally Day Opportunity Fair

November/December 2024 - Members of the RIC task force set up a table in the Narthex before and after church services to hand out information and be available for questions/comments.

January 2025 - Deacon David Behling, Program Coordinator with ReconcilingWorks presents at Faith Continuum

May 2025 - RIC task force identifies theme of CTK’s RIC journey: Laying down the framework for spiritual growth and a radical welcome. This theme comes from the numerous one-on-one conversations that were held with CTK members over several months.

July 2025 - RIC leads a Community Conversation at Faith & Fellowship based on the topic of hospitality and welcoming.

September 2025 - RIC task force has a table and information at the Rally Day Opportunity Fair

September 2025 - The RIC task force starts drafting ideas for a welcome statement.

October 2025 - The RIC task force sends a draft welcome statement to the council and discusses when a straw poll vote can be held. Council also took the straw poll and viewed the Welcome Statement. The task force also decided to create a project titled “In Our Own Words”, a place where CTK members can share their own stories and writings about what it means to be a welcoming church.

January 2026 - The RIC holds their first straw poll vote at the Annual Meeting after approval from Pastor Melanie and Council President. There is strong support for the welcome statement and becoming an RIC church, but members are also asking for more information.

February 2026 - The RIC task force is asking for submissions for “In Our Own Words” from CTK members.