by Bishop Bill Gohl
I enjoy giving you a glimpse, in a very abbreviated way, of the work of the Conference of Bishops which caused me to be away from our synod for almost a week! These are just highlights from the notes of our COB scribe, Bishop Ray Tiemann of the Southwestern Texas Synod.
Thursday, September 28
In the morning our region met for candidate assignments to synods, where we received the glad news that we received Jim Muratore as a candidate for our synod! In this Fall Assignment, there were 255 requests for first-call candidates across the church and 78 candidates available.
We enjoyed worship in the Lutheran Center Chapel with Bishop Ann Svennungsen, preaching, and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton presiding at Holy Communion. After the service, there was a dinner reception, followed by Café Conversations concerning the new Word and Service Roster. We then took time to welcome new bishops – Kristen Kuempel in the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod; Bob Humphrey in the Virginia Synod; and Katherine Finnegan in the Northern Great Lakes Synod.
Friday, September 29
We heard a report from the Director for Mission Support, Victoria Flood, and staff member, Nick Kiger. They shared information on the Mission Support Symposiums they have been a part of during the year. The good news is that churchwide mission support is ahead of budget when we reached the mid-point of the year.
Bishop Dick Graham also gave a report on the Mission Support Pilot Synods. Five synods entered this process in 2016. This three-year pilot sought to test several hypotheses: 1) That the allocation of mission support dollars for new starts and renewals would be more easily and effectively managed and administered through local oversight of synods; 2) That making the funding of new mission starts and renewals the synods' responsibility would result in a net gain in mission funding from both congregations and individuals; and 3) That the work of the DEMs would be better coordinated with local mission if they were freed of some of the reporting and management responsibilities associated with their being churchwide staff.
Pastor Steve Bouman, director of Domestic Mission, noted that this time of learning has been important as we consider how we fund the mission of the church. We want to be attentive to distributive justice, the process of sharing across the church, and how this model contributes to those in poverty. We will also need to determine how we will measure "success" for this pilot; what will we want to learn?
We heard the report of the Director for the ELCA Campaign, Pastor Ron Glusenkamp. We are now at $125M, with another $26M in planned gifts, toward the total of $198M. Fund for Leaders endowment has had enough to provide 20 full-tuition scholarships, with another 20 from the special $3M gift and another 20 from the Leadership Initiative. Programs that have the most traction are Fund for Leaders, Global Ministries, and World Hunger, New and Renewing Congregations, Youth and Young Adults, and Disability Ministries need continued support.
We met for conversation with Seminary Presidents. Conversation centered on two questions: If you could take decision-makers from the seminary to some setting in your synod which would affect what they do as a school, what would they encounter? Can you find, from your small group conversations, two or three strategic priorities for the seminary working group to consider? It was a fruitful exercise!
We heard a Book of Faith update from Pastor Brenda Smith and Sharon Vanderpan. She shared a timely, new resource titled, "Race Relations: The Journey to Right Relationships ... a Christian Response," by Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade. It is a free online resource which promotes change - a re-formation of heart, mind, attitude, and behavior. Designed for facilitator-led small groups, the four Bible-based conversations can be used in a weekly series or a four-hour mini-retreat.
After a closed session on Bishops' concerns, the COB convened back to the Marriott Hotel for the Fund for Leaders Awards Banquet with Vice Presidents, Seminary Presidents, students, and other invited guests. One of our synod's candidates received a full-tuition scholarship – John Deason (United, Gettysburg Campus)!
Saturday, September 30
We heard the report of the Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. She noted that more than $5M has been collected in three weeks to help with disasters in Texas, Cuba, Florida, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. That represents 35,000 gifts, 7,000 of which are new gifts.
Vice President, William "Bill" Horne, gave his report. One of his priorities as the ELCA VP is to acquire a deeper appreciation and understanding of the congregational and synod contexts that represents the ELCA.
He also lifted up priorities that have been hard-wired into the Church Council agenda so that the council can have generative discussion around them and begin to build specific strategies to accomplish them. They include:
a. Lifted up sustainability, stewardship of resources, communication and becoming a multicultural church as highly important in the next three years.
b. Affirmed its important role as stewards and champions of Called Forward Together in Christ - Strategic Directions 2025.
c. Committed to initiating a process to promoting sustainability by a focus on how to insure church structure fits future aspirations of the ELCA.
d. Affirmed its intention to introduce new ways of working in this triennium to strengthen church governance and leadership in its own council and committee processes, build strong relationships and collaboration with the Conference of Bishops and Churchwide Organization Administrative Team and to use CFTIC 2025 as the framework for Churchwide operations and resource allocation.
e. Agreed to review the number and type of decisions assigned to the Church Council under the ELCA Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions, considering their appropriateness to governance responsibilities.
We heard the Report of the Secretary by the Rev. Chris Boerger. He began by noting that they are already looking at the governing documents to identify those items that may be amended in 2019.
He also reported the allocation of voting members to the 2019 Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 5-10, 2019. There is a formula that provides one voting member for every 50 congregations and one for every 6,000 baptized members. Add to that, one youth/young adult and one additional person of color or primary language other than English. For our synod, we will have 15 voting members, down from 16 we sent to the 2016 Churchwide Assembly.
During lunch I joined John Auger in facilitating a conversation among bishops and synod VPs, sharing the model he and I have been using of lay-clergy partnership.
After a break, we divided into two interest group conversations. One had to do with guidelines concerning synodically authorized ministry and authorization of Holy Communion and the other discussed best practices in helping congregations choose their future path, which may include closing.
Sunday, October 1
I skipped out on the day to worship in local congregations and to visit with our Chicago seminary students!
Monday, October 2
The first report came from the Roster Committee by Bishop Mary Froiland. Specific requests for rostered ministers included extensions for On Leave from Call status, granting Non-Stipendiary Calls, and Exceptions to the Three-Year Congregational Service Bylaw were granted.
The Bishop Formation Committee report was given by Bishop Kurt Kusserow, reminding us that we see the real outcome of this committee in the work and person of the new bishops of the church. We gave thanks for their gifts.
Bishop Don Kreiss gave the report on the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Committee. He reminded us of the 500th Anniversary events and he shared details of the May 2017 Lutheran World Federation Assembly which took place in Windhoek, Namibia, under the theme, "Liberated by God’s Grace." The assembly honored the service of its outgoing president, Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and elected his successor, Nigerian Archbishop Musa Panti Filibus.
The Theological and Ethical Concerns Committee report was given by Bishop Julian Gordy. He spoke of the proposed Social Message on Human Rights that will go to the ELCA Church Council in November. They also addressed the two Social Criteria Investment Screens for Human Rights and the Environment.
Bishop Mark Narum gave the report of the Domestic Mission: New/Renewing Congregations committee. Much of their work centered on the new ELCA Congregational Vitality task force.
Vital Congregations and Communities of Jesus:
The Domestic Mission: Leadership committee report was given by Bishop Brian Maas. They shared that Deaconess Krista Anderson is the new Program Director for Support of the Roster (Word and Service). Javier Goitia Padilla is the new Program Director for Lay Schools. His role includes responsibilities for Latin@ Lay School (eight courses online in Spanish, presented to cohorts of learners by local facilitators), which will soon move from LEAD to SELECT, which is used by many of the ELCA's lay schools.
The Synodical-Churchwide Relations committee report was given by Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt. She noted that Walter May reported that six bishop elections were held this year, with three that resulted in newly elected bishops. There were also gatherings for Assistants to the Bishop and Bishops' Administrative Assistants. In 2018, eight bishop elections will be held, with at least three new bishops being elected (Grand Canyon, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Southwestern Texas).
Bishop Jim Gonia gave a report on the Global Mission Liaison committee. We heard updates on our relationship with the Ethiopian Church and our work in South Sudan. Also, three ideas to deepen relationships with Companion Synods – a document is available to help guide volunteer help, how synod camping programs can share look at sharing personnel with the Companion Synod, and updates on bringing Companion Synod youth to the Youth Gathering.
We had a session on Racial Justice, the 2016 Churchwide Assembly Resolution, and Anti-Racism Actions, led by Judith Roberts. Issues to be addressed are to create more investment in leadership development for ethnic-specific leaders, with more attention given to the Youth Gathering, camping ministries, and campus ministries. Also, there needs to be more emphasis on diverse worship styles as an entry-point for understanding diversity and valuing diversity. A third area is providing opportunities for pastors and lay leaders of congregations in community organizing.
President/CEO Beth Lewis gave a report on 1517 Media. She reported that she will not be open to a fifth, four-year term. They went through a succession planning process and determined to select a CEO-elect from within the organization, Tim Blevins. He has a Bachelor's degree in history, an MBA, and an MA in theology from St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. They are now in an intentional transition process over the next year.
Pastor Jeff Thiemann, CEO of Portico Benefit Services, gave an update on some of Portico's program resources - Care Coordinators, Resourceful Servants, Retirement Planning Tool and Financial Planners for active members. He noted that all this was part of the intentional movement to more individualized care and well-being for the whole person.
Tuesday, October 3
We heard a 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering update from Molly Beck Dean. The dates are June 27-July 1 in Houston, Texas, with the theme "This Changes Everything" (Ephesians 2:8). All is set for the Gathering despite the flooding from Hurricane Harvey. There may be some hurricane recovery service projects, but the city will be ready to welcome us. Fifteen days into the registration period, 10,508 were registered already. Goals for the youth at the Gathering include being affirmed and challenged in their faith, experiencing new perspectives, pondering their vocation, bonding with their congregational group, and learning about the ELCA.
In the morning our region met for candidate assignments to synods, where we received the glad news that we received Jim Muratore as a candidate for our synod! In this Fall Assignment, there were 255 requests for first-call candidates across the church and 78 candidates available.
We enjoyed worship in the Lutheran Center Chapel with Bishop Ann Svennungsen, preaching, and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton presiding at Holy Communion. After the service, there was a dinner reception, followed by Café Conversations concerning the new Word and Service Roster. We then took time to welcome new bishops – Kristen Kuempel in the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod; Bob Humphrey in the Virginia Synod; and Katherine Finnegan in the Northern Great Lakes Synod.
Friday, September 29
We heard a report from the Director for Mission Support, Victoria Flood, and staff member, Nick Kiger. They shared information on the Mission Support Symposiums they have been a part of during the year. The good news is that churchwide mission support is ahead of budget when we reached the mid-point of the year.
Bishop Dick Graham also gave a report on the Mission Support Pilot Synods. Five synods entered this process in 2016. This three-year pilot sought to test several hypotheses: 1) That the allocation of mission support dollars for new starts and renewals would be more easily and effectively managed and administered through local oversight of synods; 2) That making the funding of new mission starts and renewals the synods' responsibility would result in a net gain in mission funding from both congregations and individuals; and 3) That the work of the DEMs would be better coordinated with local mission if they were freed of some of the reporting and management responsibilities associated with their being churchwide staff.
Pastor Steve Bouman, director of Domestic Mission, noted that this time of learning has been important as we consider how we fund the mission of the church. We want to be attentive to distributive justice, the process of sharing across the church, and how this model contributes to those in poverty. We will also need to determine how we will measure "success" for this pilot; what will we want to learn?
We heard the report of the Director for the ELCA Campaign, Pastor Ron Glusenkamp. We are now at $125M, with another $26M in planned gifts, toward the total of $198M. Fund for Leaders endowment has had enough to provide 20 full-tuition scholarships, with another 20 from the special $3M gift and another 20 from the Leadership Initiative. Programs that have the most traction are Fund for Leaders, Global Ministries, and World Hunger, New and Renewing Congregations, Youth and Young Adults, and Disability Ministries need continued support.
We met for conversation with Seminary Presidents. Conversation centered on two questions: If you could take decision-makers from the seminary to some setting in your synod which would affect what they do as a school, what would they encounter? Can you find, from your small group conversations, two or three strategic priorities for the seminary working group to consider? It was a fruitful exercise!
We heard a Book of Faith update from Pastor Brenda Smith and Sharon Vanderpan. She shared a timely, new resource titled, "Race Relations: The Journey to Right Relationships ... a Christian Response," by Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade. It is a free online resource which promotes change - a re-formation of heart, mind, attitude, and behavior. Designed for facilitator-led small groups, the four Bible-based conversations can be used in a weekly series or a four-hour mini-retreat.
After a closed session on Bishops' concerns, the COB convened back to the Marriott Hotel for the Fund for Leaders Awards Banquet with Vice Presidents, Seminary Presidents, students, and other invited guests. One of our synod's candidates received a full-tuition scholarship – John Deason (United, Gettysburg Campus)!
Saturday, September 30
We heard the report of the Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. She noted that more than $5M has been collected in three weeks to help with disasters in Texas, Cuba, Florida, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. That represents 35,000 gifts, 7,000 of which are new gifts.
Vice President, William "Bill" Horne, gave his report. One of his priorities as the ELCA VP is to acquire a deeper appreciation and understanding of the congregational and synod contexts that represents the ELCA.
He also lifted up priorities that have been hard-wired into the Church Council agenda so that the council can have generative discussion around them and begin to build specific strategies to accomplish them. They include:
a. Lifted up sustainability, stewardship of resources, communication and becoming a multicultural church as highly important in the next three years.
b. Affirmed its important role as stewards and champions of Called Forward Together in Christ - Strategic Directions 2025.
c. Committed to initiating a process to promoting sustainability by a focus on how to insure church structure fits future aspirations of the ELCA.
d. Affirmed its intention to introduce new ways of working in this triennium to strengthen church governance and leadership in its own council and committee processes, build strong relationships and collaboration with the Conference of Bishops and Churchwide Organization Administrative Team and to use CFTIC 2025 as the framework for Churchwide operations and resource allocation.
e. Agreed to review the number and type of decisions assigned to the Church Council under the ELCA Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions, considering their appropriateness to governance responsibilities.
We heard the Report of the Secretary by the Rev. Chris Boerger. He began by noting that they are already looking at the governing documents to identify those items that may be amended in 2019.
He also reported the allocation of voting members to the 2019 Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 5-10, 2019. There is a formula that provides one voting member for every 50 congregations and one for every 6,000 baptized members. Add to that, one youth/young adult and one additional person of color or primary language other than English. For our synod, we will have 15 voting members, down from 16 we sent to the 2016 Churchwide Assembly.
During lunch I joined John Auger in facilitating a conversation among bishops and synod VPs, sharing the model he and I have been using of lay-clergy partnership.
After a break, we divided into two interest group conversations. One had to do with guidelines concerning synodically authorized ministry and authorization of Holy Communion and the other discussed best practices in helping congregations choose their future path, which may include closing.
Sunday, October 1
I skipped out on the day to worship in local congregations and to visit with our Chicago seminary students!
Monday, October 2
The first report came from the Roster Committee by Bishop Mary Froiland. Specific requests for rostered ministers included extensions for On Leave from Call status, granting Non-Stipendiary Calls, and Exceptions to the Three-Year Congregational Service Bylaw were granted.
The Bishop Formation Committee report was given by Bishop Kurt Kusserow, reminding us that we see the real outcome of this committee in the work and person of the new bishops of the church. We gave thanks for their gifts.
Bishop Don Kreiss gave the report on the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Committee. He reminded us of the 500th Anniversary events and he shared details of the May 2017 Lutheran World Federation Assembly which took place in Windhoek, Namibia, under the theme, "Liberated by God’s Grace." The assembly honored the service of its outgoing president, Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and elected his successor, Nigerian Archbishop Musa Panti Filibus.
The Theological and Ethical Concerns Committee report was given by Bishop Julian Gordy. He spoke of the proposed Social Message on Human Rights that will go to the ELCA Church Council in November. They also addressed the two Social Criteria Investment Screens for Human Rights and the Environment.
Bishop Mark Narum gave the report of the Domestic Mission: New/Renewing Congregations committee. Much of their work centered on the new ELCA Congregational Vitality task force.
Vital Congregations and Communities of Jesus:
- Embody God’s presence
- Invite and welcome all
- Worship in Spirit and Truth
- Share faith and tell stories
- Promote healing
- Show mercy, do justice and serve all
- Practice radical generosity in all things
- Grow and connect leaders
- Create change
- Are grounded in hope
- Are rooted in their community/neighborhood
The Domestic Mission: Leadership committee report was given by Bishop Brian Maas. They shared that Deaconess Krista Anderson is the new Program Director for Support of the Roster (Word and Service). Javier Goitia Padilla is the new Program Director for Lay Schools. His role includes responsibilities for Latin@ Lay School (eight courses online in Spanish, presented to cohorts of learners by local facilitators), which will soon move from LEAD to SELECT, which is used by many of the ELCA's lay schools.
The Synodical-Churchwide Relations committee report was given by Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt. She noted that Walter May reported that six bishop elections were held this year, with three that resulted in newly elected bishops. There were also gatherings for Assistants to the Bishop and Bishops' Administrative Assistants. In 2018, eight bishop elections will be held, with at least three new bishops being elected (Grand Canyon, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Southwestern Texas).
Bishop Jim Gonia gave a report on the Global Mission Liaison committee. We heard updates on our relationship with the Ethiopian Church and our work in South Sudan. Also, three ideas to deepen relationships with Companion Synods – a document is available to help guide volunteer help, how synod camping programs can share look at sharing personnel with the Companion Synod, and updates on bringing Companion Synod youth to the Youth Gathering.
We had a session on Racial Justice, the 2016 Churchwide Assembly Resolution, and Anti-Racism Actions, led by Judith Roberts. Issues to be addressed are to create more investment in leadership development for ethnic-specific leaders, with more attention given to the Youth Gathering, camping ministries, and campus ministries. Also, there needs to be more emphasis on diverse worship styles as an entry-point for understanding diversity and valuing diversity. A third area is providing opportunities for pastors and lay leaders of congregations in community organizing.
President/CEO Beth Lewis gave a report on 1517 Media. She reported that she will not be open to a fifth, four-year term. They went through a succession planning process and determined to select a CEO-elect from within the organization, Tim Blevins. He has a Bachelor's degree in history, an MBA, and an MA in theology from St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. They are now in an intentional transition process over the next year.
Pastor Jeff Thiemann, CEO of Portico Benefit Services, gave an update on some of Portico's program resources - Care Coordinators, Resourceful Servants, Retirement Planning Tool and Financial Planners for active members. He noted that all this was part of the intentional movement to more individualized care and well-being for the whole person.
Tuesday, October 3
We heard a 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering update from Molly Beck Dean. The dates are June 27-July 1 in Houston, Texas, with the theme "This Changes Everything" (Ephesians 2:8). All is set for the Gathering despite the flooding from Hurricane Harvey. There may be some hurricane recovery service projects, but the city will be ready to welcome us. Fifteen days into the registration period, 10,508 were registered already. Goals for the youth at the Gathering include being affirmed and challenged in their faith, experiencing new perspectives, pondering their vocation, bonding with their congregational group, and learning about the ELCA.