MESSAGE FROM PASTOR LIZ DAVIS
June 2025
Grace and peace to you, Disciples of Jesus!
During the first weekend of May, our NEMN Synod gathered for our annual assembly. What I love most about assemblies is that it is a reminder that we are Church Together. We can get so wrapped up in our own congregational experiences that we forget that just down the block, or half-way across the state, or out in the Dakotas, or across the nations are other ELCA churches rejoicing and struggling with both similar and different things. We remember that there are churches all around the world seeking to follow Jesus and worship God. Our congregations are each contextually situated, which means, they are each different according to the people within and without, but we are all united in Jesus. We are not alone.
Our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is organized as a church with three expressions: Churchwide, Synod, and
Congregation. The ELCA’s vision Is “A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation.” Our purpose is to “activate each of us so more people know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love.” ELCA priority areas include developing: A Welcoming Church: engaging new, young and diverse people; A Thriving Church: rooted in tradition and radically relevant, and A Connected, Sustainable Church: raising the bar together (elca.org).
Each expression of our church has a specific sphere for their work, from Churchwide holding the widest scope down to the congregation which focuses on the most narrow scope, even as the congregation’s work is deeply interconnected with the wide view work of the whole church. For example, our congregation participates in the ministry of ELCA World Hunger through our fundraisers, prayer, and learning, even as Churchwide is the location of its staff and center of logistics.
Churchwide means our national denomination. “The churchwide organization is based out of the Lutheran Center in Chicago and functions with the ELCA’s 65 synods and nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states, Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands. The churchwide organization’s work and functions are guided by the Churchwide Assembly, the Church Council and four elected officers. Its staff and elected officers work at the Lutheran Center and in other locations around the world serving as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners and resource people for the ELCA and its ministries. The ELCA also nurtures important connections with Lutheran, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and related organizations. We work alongside 27 colleges and universities related to the ELCA, 7 seminaries, more than 2,000 schools and early childhood education centers, campus ministries, outdoor ministries, social service agencies, and other agencies and institutions across the country and throughout the world. The work God calls us to do in the world is never done alone or in isolation, and the churchwide organization plays a key role in developing and supporting a culture of interdependence, diversity and common mission across all expressions of the ELCA and its partners.” (elca.org)
Within our nine Regions are our synods, which are the smaller groupings of congregations. “The ELCA's 65 synods vary greatly in size, geography, membership, staffing and program. Our smallest synod has 30 congregations — the largest nearly 300. The synods are grouped into nine regions, which are points of connection for them and the churchwide organization. Synods unite the work of congregations within their areas, serve as regional support, and guide pastoral and other staff candidates. In order to strengthen the relationship between synod leaders and the churchwide office, many churchwide teams relate to and support the work of the synods.” (elca.org)
As the Northeastern Minnesota Synod, we are part of the Region that includes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Our synod is led by Bishop Amy Odgren and the synod council, clergy and lay folks from each conference (smaller cluster of geographically bound congregations), and directed by the synod assembly, made up of lay and clergy voting members from each congregation. Our purpose is: “empowering congregations and ministries to encounter and share the love of God in Christ Jesus” and our core values are welcome, connect, reform and support. (See nemnsynod.org)
At Synod Assembly, we learned about the ministry in which we all share and voted on resolutions and memorials that will direct the work of our Synod and Churchwide organizations. We also voted on things that will guide our congregations, like standards for compensation so that clergy are paid at similar rates based on experience across all our congregations. The memorials we voted on will be bundled with other similar memorials and go to the Churchwide Assembly this July. That meeting is much like our Synod Assembly, but has people who were voted by Synod Assemblies to be voting members. Theresa from Our Savior’s will be a voting member, as will my husband, Pastor Jeff. You will be able to watch much of the assembly via Livestream online. It will be especially exciting because they will be guided by the Spirit and vote to elect a new Presiding Bishop and Secretary of the ELCA. (Learn more here: https://www.elca.org/about/leadership/churchwide-assembly)
My hope is that you will remember that you are connected within a whole network of congregations seeking to live as Jesus’ disciples. There is so much that we can do because we’re not trying to do it all alone. Partnership and mutual support are key to our ability to share the gospel in meaningful ways. God is with us- and our neighbors are, too!
Peace, Pastor Liz
During the first weekend of May, our NEMN Synod gathered for our annual assembly. What I love most about assemblies is that it is a reminder that we are Church Together. We can get so wrapped up in our own congregational experiences that we forget that just down the block, or half-way across the state, or out in the Dakotas, or across the nations are other ELCA churches rejoicing and struggling with both similar and different things. We remember that there are churches all around the world seeking to follow Jesus and worship God. Our congregations are each contextually situated, which means, they are each different according to the people within and without, but we are all united in Jesus. We are not alone.
Our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is organized as a church with three expressions: Churchwide, Synod, and
Congregation. The ELCA’s vision Is “A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation.” Our purpose is to “activate each of us so more people know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love.” ELCA priority areas include developing: A Welcoming Church: engaging new, young and diverse people; A Thriving Church: rooted in tradition and radically relevant, and A Connected, Sustainable Church: raising the bar together (elca.org).
Each expression of our church has a specific sphere for their work, from Churchwide holding the widest scope down to the congregation which focuses on the most narrow scope, even as the congregation’s work is deeply interconnected with the wide view work of the whole church. For example, our congregation participates in the ministry of ELCA World Hunger through our fundraisers, prayer, and learning, even as Churchwide is the location of its staff and center of logistics.
Churchwide means our national denomination. “The churchwide organization is based out of the Lutheran Center in Chicago and functions with the ELCA’s 65 synods and nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states, Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands. The churchwide organization’s work and functions are guided by the Churchwide Assembly, the Church Council and four elected officers. Its staff and elected officers work at the Lutheran Center and in other locations around the world serving as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners and resource people for the ELCA and its ministries. The ELCA also nurtures important connections with Lutheran, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and related organizations. We work alongside 27 colleges and universities related to the ELCA, 7 seminaries, more than 2,000 schools and early childhood education centers, campus ministries, outdoor ministries, social service agencies, and other agencies and institutions across the country and throughout the world. The work God calls us to do in the world is never done alone or in isolation, and the churchwide organization plays a key role in developing and supporting a culture of interdependence, diversity and common mission across all expressions of the ELCA and its partners.” (elca.org)
Within our nine Regions are our synods, which are the smaller groupings of congregations. “The ELCA's 65 synods vary greatly in size, geography, membership, staffing and program. Our smallest synod has 30 congregations — the largest nearly 300. The synods are grouped into nine regions, which are points of connection for them and the churchwide organization. Synods unite the work of congregations within their areas, serve as regional support, and guide pastoral and other staff candidates. In order to strengthen the relationship between synod leaders and the churchwide office, many churchwide teams relate to and support the work of the synods.” (elca.org)
As the Northeastern Minnesota Synod, we are part of the Region that includes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Our synod is led by Bishop Amy Odgren and the synod council, clergy and lay folks from each conference (smaller cluster of geographically bound congregations), and directed by the synod assembly, made up of lay and clergy voting members from each congregation. Our purpose is: “empowering congregations and ministries to encounter and share the love of God in Christ Jesus” and our core values are welcome, connect, reform and support. (See nemnsynod.org)
At Synod Assembly, we learned about the ministry in which we all share and voted on resolutions and memorials that will direct the work of our Synod and Churchwide organizations. We also voted on things that will guide our congregations, like standards for compensation so that clergy are paid at similar rates based on experience across all our congregations. The memorials we voted on will be bundled with other similar memorials and go to the Churchwide Assembly this July. That meeting is much like our Synod Assembly, but has people who were voted by Synod Assemblies to be voting members. Theresa from Our Savior’s will be a voting member, as will my husband, Pastor Jeff. You will be able to watch much of the assembly via Livestream online. It will be especially exciting because they will be guided by the Spirit and vote to elect a new Presiding Bishop and Secretary of the ELCA. (Learn more here: https://www.elca.org/about/leadership/churchwide-assembly)
My hope is that you will remember that you are connected within a whole network of congregations seeking to live as Jesus’ disciples. There is so much that we can do because we’re not trying to do it all alone. Partnership and mutual support are key to our ability to share the gospel in meaningful ways. God is with us- and our neighbors are, too!
Peace, Pastor Liz
