Featured News
Bishop Deborah K. Hutterer joins Arizona faith leaders in calling for a peaceful 2026 election grounded in human dignity and care for neighbors. Read the shared statement and watch the accompanying video for practical ways to encourage informed participation, protect voters and election workers, counter misinformation and practice peacemaking—before and after Election Day.
Deacon Wendy Schulz will be installed at St. John's Lutheran Church (7205 N 51st Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301), on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 5 pm. Pastor Ryan Hersch will be preaching and presiding, with a light meal will follow. No RSVP's needed. The service will be live streamed and have video afterward.
Preparing to vote in Nevada or Utah? LEAN’s 2026 voter guides explain proposed constitutional amendments, connect them with Lutheran social teaching, and encourage careful attention to ballot questions.
Download the Nevada Voter Guide (PDF): Covers proposed constitutional amendments concerning abortion rights and voter identification.
Download the Utah Voter Guide (PDF): Covers publication requirements for proposed constitutional amendments and a proposed 60% approval threshold for tax-related citizen initiatives.
Rev. David Peterson will be installed on Sunday, 10/11/2026 at 9:30 am at Gloria de Cristo Lutheran Church (11273 E 40th St, Yuma, AZ 85367). Rev. Pat Reed will preach and preside. Clergy are invited to vest and process. The color of the day is green.
There will be a reception in Fellowship Hall following the service. No RSVP's necessary. The service will be live-streamed and can be found on the church’s website and Facebook and YouTube.
Featured Events
Observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12 by honoring Indigenous cultures, resilience and sovereignty. Explore ELCA Indigenous ministries and Truth and Healing resources, learn about the peoples whose homelands include your community, and take a concrete step to support Indigenous voices.
Mark your calendar for next year’s Bishop’s Fall Gathering—a time of rest, renewal, and community for rostered ministers and lay leaders across the Grand Canyon Synod. This retreat will continue our 2026 theme, Rooted in God’s Story.
Times: Approximate and to be determined. First Call Accompaniment will be on October 14 and 15.
Additional details, registration information, and session themes can be found on our 2026 Bishop's Fall Gathering page.
Hear ELCA Presiding Bishop Emerita Elizabeth Eaton at Cal Lutheran’s Founders Day October 15, in Thousand Oaks or online: Convocation at 11:15 a.m. and “The Once and Future Church” at 5:30 p.m. Pacific. Register for the lecture, find livestream details, and join congregations in praying for Cal Lutheran on October 18.
Join SYAT Collective on Zoom this fall: November 19 at 10 a.m. for Navigating Political Conversations, and December 10 at 6:30 p.m. for Advent renewal for children’s, youth, and young adult leaders. Register separately through each event link, and explore SYAT and youth ministry resources.
Join SYAT Collective on Zoom, December 10 at 6:30 p.m. for Advent renewal for children’s, youth, and young adult leaders.
Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Lake Havasu City is seeking a Choir Director to lead its three choirs, select music for worship and the liturgical year, and plan special music programs and events. Applicants with musical leadership experience and a passion for sharing the Gospel through music are encouraged to apply.
Celebrate being beloved children of God at “We Are Worthy,” November 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., at Love of Christ Lutheran’s Compassion Center in Mesa. Enjoy Bible study, music, a keynote, painting, and worship with Communion. All women are welcome. Complimentary registration is available for synod rostered women, with scholarships for lay women of color. Register and bring a friend.
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary invites people discerning seminary, ordained ministry or another vocational path to Signs Along the Way, October 30-November 1 in Berkeley, California. Lodging and meals are covered, and travel assistance is available.
Come explore your call, experience PLTS and connect with students, faculty and others in discernment. Learn more and register.
Deacon Wendy Schulz will be installed at St. John's Lutheran Church (7205 N 51st Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301), on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 5 pm. Pastor Ryan Hersch will be preaching and presiding, with a light meal will follow. No RSVP's needed. The service will be live streamed and have video afterward.
Save the date for the Grand Canyon Synod Growing in Faith Program’s upcoming symposium, “A Different Way: Jesus and the Call Beyond Nationalism — Hope, Courage and Community for Such a Time as This,” on Nov. 14, 2026, at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, Arizona, with virtual participation also available.
Featuring Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee of the Northwest Washington Synod, the event will explore faithful Lutheran responses to Christian nationalism through the lenses of hope, courage, discipleship and neighbor love. More details and registration information are coming soon.
Preparing to vote in Nevada or Utah? LEAN’s 2026 voter guides explain proposed constitutional amendments, connect them with Lutheran social teaching, and encourage careful attention to ballot questions.
Download the Nevada Voter Guide (PDF): Covers proposed constitutional amendments concerning abortion rights and voter identification.
Download the Utah Voter Guide (PDF): Covers publication requirements for proposed constitutional amendments and a proposed 60% approval threshold for tax-related citizen initiatives.
Observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12 by honoring Indigenous cultures, resilience and sovereignty. Explore ELCA Indigenous ministries and Truth and Healing resources, learn about the peoples whose homelands include your community, and take a concrete step to support Indigenous voices.
Build practical ministry skills and make space for renewal at Executive Skills for Church Leaders, January 3–8, 2027, at Spirit in the Desert in Carefree. Open to pastors, deacons, and lay leaders, the retreat explores grace-centered leadership, finances, staff support, and the Enneagram. Residential and commuter options are available; programming begins January 4. Learn more and register.
Key voting deadlines fall October 19–23: Navajo Nation mail-ballot applications are due October 19, Clark County’s online registration window with mail-ballot eligibility ends October 20, and Arizona mail-ballot requests and Utah registration are due October 23. With Arizona early voting underway and Nevada early voting October 17–30, review our nonpartisan guide to prepare for November 3.
BJC’s October newsletter connects religious freedom with service to our neighbors: final poll chaplain training October 15, lectures October 21–22, court updates, advocacy for safe worship, and a November 12 clergy gathering. Read the full issue for details, registration, and ways to act.
In the latest Pivot podcast, the primary challenge facing the church in North America is a crisis of discipleship.
Bishop Deborah K. Hutterer joins Arizona faith leaders in calling for a peaceful 2026 election grounded in human dignity and care for neighbors. Read the shared statement and watch the accompanying video for practical ways to encourage informed participation, protect voters and election workers, counter misinformation and practice peacemaking—before and after Election Day.
A new Rostered Minister Profile portal is scheduled to launch January 11. Pastors and deacons should download their existing RMPs by January 10; profiles will not transfer to the new system. Training is planned for November, with recordings and supporting resources to follow.
Deacon Wendy Schulz will be installed at St. John's Lutheran Church (7205 N 51st Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301), on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 5 pm. Pastor Ryan Hersch will be preaching and presiding, with a light meal will follow. No RSVP's needed. The service will be live streamed and have video afterward.
Preparing to vote in Nevada or Utah? LEAN’s 2026 voter guides explain proposed constitutional amendments, connect them with Lutheran social teaching, and encourage careful attention to ballot questions.
Download the Nevada Voter Guide (PDF): Covers proposed constitutional amendments concerning abortion rights and voter identification.
Download the Utah Voter Guide (PDF): Covers publication requirements for proposed constitutional amendments and a proposed 60% approval threshold for tax-related citizen initiatives.
2026 Bishop’s Fall Gathering
October 12–14, 2026
Franciscan Renewal Center | Scottsdale, Arizona
Pastors, deacons, and Synod Authorized Ministers are invited to gather for the 2026 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, a time of worship, learning, renewal, and connection with ministry colleagues from across the Grand Canyon Synod.
This year’s gathering will feature Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos, PhD, theologian, pastor, and author of A Liberation Theology of the Brain.
Upcoming Ordinations & Installations
Deacon Wendy Schulz will be installed at St. John's Lutheran Church (7205 N 51st Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301), on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 5 pm. Pastor Ryan Hersch will be preaching and presiding, with a light meal will follow. No RSVP's needed. The service will be live streamed and have video afterward.
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of the various regions of our synod. The Grand Canyon Synod is spread across lands in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, which are currently home to over two dozen tribal nations.
We acknowledge and honor these communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We give thanks to our Indigenous siblings who have cared and continue to care for this place — this land — and call it their home.
Learn more about ELCA Indigenous Ministries, land acknowledgments, and Native American and Indigenous education resources.
Observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12 by honoring Indigenous cultures, resilience and sovereignty. Explore ELCA Indigenous ministries and Truth and Healing resources, learn about the peoples whose homelands include your community, and take a concrete step to support Indigenous voices.