Stewardship in the Grand Canyon Synod
The Stewardship Team communicates how the mission dollars are spent through the annual narrative mission plan, letting congregations know of up coming stewardship events across the country, and providing educational opportunities for congregations to learn more what it means to be good stewards of what God has first given to us. Learn more…
“It is a question of equality between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may also supply your need, in order that there may be equality. As it is written,“The one who had much did not have too much,and the one who had little did not have too little.”
The Grand Canyon Synod Council encourages all congregations to faithfully allocate mission support as an intentional commitment to our shared mission as church together. We encourage congregations to be generous and proportionate in their mission support, in accordance with the witness of scripture and the saints who came before us.
Legacy Planning
Enjoy this dynamic conversation with Lisa Higginbotham, CFRE and Josh Kerney of ELCA Foundation, as they help us connect our charitable hearts and desires to our gift planning intentions. Watch here »
In 2025, the Grand Canyon Synod awarded $108,900 in grants to 19 ministries, funded through your mission support. From Talking Circles in Phoenix to a revived Summer Day Camp in Sedona and regional MLK worship services in Las Vegas and Tempe, your gifts are transforming lives across our synod. Looking ahead, $175,000 in grant funding is available for 2026. Read more in the post or view as a letter in PDF.
Feeling like your church doesn’t have enough? Join a free webinar on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. Central (4 p.m. AZ)to discover the hidden resources your congregation already holds. Learn from the Kaleidoscope Institute how currencies of relationship, truth, and more can help us move from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance. No registration required—just click to join.
The Grand Canyon Synod is already represented on the national Lutherans Restoring Creation map—and your ministry can be too. Whether through gardens, green teams, outdoor worship, or advocacy, congregations across our synod are invited to share their creation care efforts and connect with others doing this vital work across the ELCA. The Stewardship team invites you to add your ministry at www.LutheransRestoringCreation.org and help highlight how we care for creation in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
Your generosity during the 2025 Synod Assembly raised $3,365.80, now supporting wildfire recovery in Southern California and essential services in Las Vegas through Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada. It’s not too late to give—join us in building up the body of Christ and making a lasting impact in our region and beyond.
Through Thrivent Choice, you can contribute to organizations and causes you care about – and influence how Thrivent distributes some of its charitable funding.
Considering the Grand Canyon Synod for your Thrivent Choice Dollars? Visit the GCS page to give through Thrivent Choice.
Our 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.
The 2024–2025 Impact Report highlights how your support empowers ministry across our synod. From guiding congregations in transition to nurturing new leaders, advocating for justice, and forming faith in young people, your generosity fuels a church that walks together. Discover how we Communicate Jesus, Connect People, and Create Possibilities.
The May 2025 Mission Support Memo from ELCA is all about the resiliency of a small-town ministry. Immanuel Lutheran Church, in rural central Texas, faced a variety of challenges, a vacancy in pastoral leadership and the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Yet, they saw opportunity when they called Katie Rode under a special program that allowed her to serve part-time while attending seminary full-time.
Explore the memo to find out how you can participate in the September Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference in New Orleans and learn about the 2024 Mission Support outcomes.
Join Rev. Dr. Eric H.F. Law on Thursday, May 8, for a free webinar that reimagines stewardship through storytelling. Learn how the simple act of writing “love letters to our church” can inspire natural generosity rooted in gratitude and connection. No registration needed—just join online from 4–5:30 p.m. AZ/NV or 5–6:30 p.m. UT/Navajo Nation.
ELCA’s April 2025 Mission Support Memo reflects on the Northwest Intermountain Synod Council Retreat at beautiful Lutherhaven Camp. Throughout the time together, council members and synod leaders meditated on our stories and sought to embody the stories that God has entrusted to each of one to hear, empower, and share. Explore the memo to find out ways we can connect with councils, leaders, and congregations. Also, learn about how you and others can join on May 8th in a online session to wonder about "Why People Give: Love Letters to Our Church”.
Join Rev. Dr. Eric H.F. Law on Thursday, May 8, for a free webinar that reimagines stewardship through storytelling. Learn how the simple act of writing “love letters to our church” can inspire natural generosity rooted in gratitude and connection. No registration needed—just join online from 4–5:30 p.m. AZ/NV or 5–6:30 p.m. UT/Navajo Nation.
Archives
Lilly 3E
The Grand Canyon Synod is pleased to announce that it will be sharing in a grant awarded to the Rocky Mountain Synod as part of the Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. Select a topic below to learn more.
The purpose of Lilly Endowment grant is to build a Ministerial Excellence Fund and to help congregations enhance stewardship.
A new program guiding you through your Fall Stewardship Appeal during the time of coronavirus.
Ministerial Excellence Fund grants help rostered ministers and candidates develop stronger financial literacy & financial management skills and provide direct aid to help reduce or eliminate crippling debt.
This new initiative will accompany congregations as they define their values, strengthen their mission, notice their context, and evaluate their ministry.
Generosity Film Festival
The Generosity Film Festival features fast, fun, and hopeful stories of generosity from all around our synod. Grab some popcorn and watch here.
A Cup of Generosity
A Cup of Generosity is a monthly letter from Pastor Dana Karen Reardon and the Grand Canyon Synod Stewardship Team. Read archives here.
The Generosity Project
An intergenerational, household focused approach to stewardship made possible by a grant from the SOLI Foundation to the Grand Canyon Synod.
The Generosity Project connects generations and equips households as centers for the faith practice of generosity. Learn more…
Our August 2025 Mission Support Memo provides a picture into the 2025 Churchwide Assembly where almost a thousand ELCA Lutherans made their way to toasty Phoenix, Ariz., to gather July 28 to Aug. 2. Hear about what a joyous, thoughtful and busy week it was for the voting members who considered resolutions, memorials and social statements and also elected a new presiding bishop and secretary to lead our church for the next six years.
Assembly also included a NEW ELCA Mission Support video available for all to learn what mission support does and to share with others. Each memo ends with words of gratitude and this month we express how extremely grateful we are for all the people who made Churchwide Assembly run successfully. You can even get the memo in pdf too!