The Office of the Bishop will be closed Friday, July 4, 2025, in observance of Independence Day. We encourage all to use the holiday as a time for rest, reflection, and renewed commitment to our call in Christ. Read more and join us in prayer.
Read MoreEach month, ELCA Worship highlights new and essential resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers to support worship leaders, musicians, and planners. This month’s update includes tools like In Sure and Certain Hope: A Funeral Sourcebook, a Year A Lectionary using the NRSVue translation, choir devotions, and a call for stories celebrating All Creation Sings five years after its release. You’ll also find information on upcoming Summer Music Clinics and a renewed focus on ELCA social teaching on faith, sexism, and justice. Click here to read the full July update and explore all resources.
Read MoreOur June 2025 Mission Support Memo connects us to Peoples Church, one of our Indigenous Ministries of the ELCA. A church that lives out its call to love and serve Creator God by opening its doors year-round as an overnight shelter, providing hot meals for the community every day and joyfully celebrating in a festival worship meal every Sunday. Peoples Church believes everyone deserves shelter, a meal, community and dignity. It is a place where folks need not pretend to be anything other than exactly who they are — with imperfections and quirks, with longings and failures, with all their hopes and their visions of the future.
The memo also provides tips to stay connected with members in the busy summer months and thanks our synods for their partnership during assemblies and in ministry. View the memo in pdf as well.
Read MoreInnovation is a powerful tool in ministry—but for many congregations, it’s a privilege they can’t afford. In this compelling piece from Rahel Mwitula Williams of the ELCA Innovation Lab, we are challenged to consider how crumbling infrastructure, financial instability, and lack of basic resources prevent many churches—especially in marginalized communities—from engaging in bold new ministry. True innovation, she argues, must be grounded in justice and stability. Click here to read the full article on the ELCA Innovation Lab blog.
Read MoreState budgets shape the everyday lives of our communities—from schools and libraries to food security and elder care. In a powerful reflection, Deacon Nick Bates of the Hunger Network in Ohio highlights how Lutherans and faith leaders across Ohio engaged the budget process as a matter of moral responsibility. Through advocacy meetings, prayer chains made from paper plates, and public witness, they worked to ensure that faith values shaped public policy. Click here to read more about this inspiring and strategic advocacy work.
Read MoreWhat began as a small farm has blossomed into a powerful story of transformation. In a quiet village in Indonesia, Ibu Dewi joined an organic farming program supported by the Lutheran World Federation and grew not only her crops—but also her confidence and community. Now a teacher and leader, she’s helping others thrive with the same sustainable techniques that changed her life. Click here to read the full story from ELCA World Hunger.
Read MoreIn light of recent immigration executive orders, Deacon Erin Brown reflects on John 1:14—“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood”—and what it means to welcome the stranger as a neighbor. Drawing on her border immersion trip with ELCA young adults, she calls the church to live out God’s incarnational love with humility, compassion, and action. Read more about how AMMPARO invites us to accompany our immigrant siblings with dignity and hope. Click here for more at ELCA.org.
Read MoreThe Rev. Kristen Papson was elected June 14 as bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod on the fifth ballot. She will take office Sept. 1 and be installed Oct. 19. Learn more: click here.
Read MoreRev. Scott A. Dalen of Underwood, Iowa, was elected June 14 as bishop of the Western Iowa Synod. He will begin his term Sept. 1 with installation planned for Sept. 27. Read the full announcement: click here.
Read MoreThe Rev. Keith A. Marshall of Enumclaw, Wash., was elected June 14 as bishop of the Southwestern Washington Synod. He begins his six-year term Aug. 1 and will be installed Oct. 11. Click here for more.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversaries of:
Rev. Glenn Zorb, who celebrates 46 years on July 1.
Rev. Jan Flaaten, who celebrates 52 years on July 1.
Rev. Robert Hutson Jr., who celebrates 52 years on July 1.
Rev. Robert Rod, who celebrates 52 years on July 1.
Rev. James Dew, who celebrates 35 years on July 1.
Today we celebrate the ordination anniversaries of:
Rev. Randy Winsand, Ascension, Scottsdale, who celebrates 12 years on June 30.
Rev. Myron Nysether, who celebrates 51 years on June 30.
Rev. William Dowling, who celebrates 65 years on June 30.
Rev. John Williams, who celebrates 52 years on June 30.
Today we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. Gayle Bintliff, who celebrates 24 years on June 29.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. Craig Corbin, Mount Olive, Lake Havasu City, who celebrates 38 years on June 28.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. David Towers, who celebrates 49 years on June 27.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop celebrates the 2025 Diakonia Graduation in Tucson (and also online), Jun 28, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. We also take some respite after assembly.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. John Geske, Mayo, Scottsdale, who celebrates 37 years on June 26.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversaries of:
Rev. Scott Hove, Good Samaritan, Las Vegas, Good Sam at The Lakes, Las Vegas, who celebrates 30 years on June 25.
Rev. Paul Overvold, who celebrates 47 years on June 25.
Rev. Dennis Hagstrom, who celebrates 48 years on June 25.
Rev. Stephen J. Nelson, who celebrates 47 years on June 25.
Today we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. Glenn Zimbelman, who celebrates 41 years on June 24.
Read MoreNavigating church governance can be complex, but a new resource from Pastor David Brandfass and Pastor Dan Potaznick clarifies the role of bylaws and continuing resolutions in ELCA congregations. This How-To Guide helps church leaders align their governing documents with ELCA best practices while maintaining flexibility for ministry needs. Available now at www.gcsynod.org/congregations, this resource is essential for congregational councils and leadership teams.
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