Growing in Faith: Equipping Disciples for Lifelong Leadership and Service
View reports for our 2026 assembly on our assembly mission and ministry stories page or in this collection of blog posts.
Growing in Faith Website
When you open your heart to the Holy Spirit, you never know where you may be led. The Growing in Faith: Diakonia Program often surprises participants in beautiful and life‑giving ways.
Rooted in more than 40 years of ELCA history, the Growing in Faith: Diakonia Program offers laypeople Lutheran theological education, spiritual formation, and vocational discernment. Since launching in the Grand Canyon Synod in 2017, the program has welcomed students into a vibrant and supportive learning community. To date, the program has seen 84 graduates.
Program Structure
The two‑year program includes:
Year 1: Faith Development Foundation
Year 2: Road to Service Practicum
Each year includes six five‑week courses. Participants may enroll anytime in the full program or take individual classes.
The 2026-2027 Course Year begins in August and registration is now open!
2025: A Memorable Year
As we look forward to the new course year beginning in August, our goal is to welcome 20 new students. To support this effort, in 2025, a new offshoot of the Steering Committee—Torchbearers—was formed. Torchbearers live throughout the Synod and help share information about upcoming events and opportunities with congregations in their regions.
Torchbearers also assisted with graduate fellowship events held in January in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson. These well‑attended gatherings brought together graduates, pastor‑instructors, and guests for a short course taught by a Growing in Faith instructor, shared meals, worship, and—most importantly—meaningful conversation, laughter, and reunion. We are deeply grateful for the Torchbearers’ continued support of the program.
In 2025, the Growing in Faith program also received a nod from the Bishop’s Office as the formation program to be used for new Synodically Authorized Ministers in the Grand Canyon Synod. We joyfully welcome these SAM’s into the program.
We also celebrate Growing in Faith graduate Wendy Schulz, who completed her studies at Wartburg Seminary in May as a Deacon. We give thanks and look forward with joy to where God will lead her next.
Looking Ahead
On June 27, 2026, 3 graduates of the 2-year program and 2 first-year graduates will be recognized at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Phoenix at 11:00 AM. All are welcome to attend.
The Growing in Faith program will offer a Spiritual Gifts Retreat on July 11, 18, and 25. Led by the Rev. Stewart McDonald, longtime Growing In Faith instructor and Steering Committee member, Reverend McDonald’s Spiritual Gifts retreat is well-known and always well-attended. This fully online retreat is open to anyone who has ever asked:
What does God want of me?
What kind of ministry is God calling me to?
Registration is now open on the Growing in Faith website.
Later this year, Growing in Faith will host Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee of the Northwest Washington Synod for a special event titled:
“A Different Way: Jesus and the Call Beyond Nationalism—Hope, Courage, and Community for Such a Time as This”
This event will take place on Saturday, November 14, at American Lutheran Church in Sun City. Registration will open soon, and additional details will be shared in the Synod newsletter. The event is open to all.
Continuing the Journey
Graduation is not the end of the Growing in Faith/Diakonia experience. The Growing in Faith: Diakonia Program continues to equip faithful disciples to serve the Church with love and leadership. The Steering Committee has filled almost all positions with program graduates through the years—these leaders are deeply invested in carrying this ministry forward.
The Steering Committee continues to offer advanced learning opportunities, including a seminary‑level preaching seminar.
In partnership with the national program, additional continuing education courses are offered this summer such as:
Living Out Our Baptismal Promise
First Testament Prophets
The Gospel and Letters of John and Other Early Gospels
Basic New Testament Greek for Everyone
These offerings are listed on the Growing in Faith website under the Northern Illinois Synod, open to anyone and regularly shared through the Synod newsletter.
Wherever the journey leads, the Growing in Faith: Diakonia Program continues to equip faithful disciples to serve the Church in love and leadership. Come and see. Come and learn. Trust that you will be surprised, embraced, and called—always as a beloved member of the Body of Christ.
Visit the Growing in Faith Website to learn more.
