It was an honor and a privilege to represent my sisters and brothers from Living Grace at our Delaware-Maryland Synod's 29th annual Assembly. Still aching from my emergency appendectomy, I was able to hitch a ride with friends from the Catonsville area down to the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland, from June 2-4. I'd like to share some info and reflections about that event, but first, I'd like to answer some background questions.
So...what's a "synod", anyway?
As you may know, Living Grace is a proud member church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a movement of over 10,000 Lutheran congregations in the United States. Our church has three different expressions: the congregations, the churchwide organization, and our 65 "synods." A synod is a regional subdivision of our wider church, led by a bishop and staff, uniting local congregations to do some things each congregation could not do alone, such as help form new congregations, support prison, outdoor, and campus ministries, and provide resources to local congregations to help in their mission.
What is a "Synod Assembly"?
Every year, "the synod"--which, properly speaking, means all members of all ELCA congregations in Delaware or Maryland--gathers to worship, learn, and do business together. Every congregation is encouraged to send at least two voting members, plus additional members based on the size of the congregation. "Rostered Leaders" (meaning pastors and other professional church leaders in the synod) can attend and vote even if not serving a congregation.
What did our Synod Assembly accomplish this year?
Tons! I will provide a few highlights, of course, but I'd also like to link to a few resources for those interested in more information. Below is a link to the official blog of our Synod Assembly, written by the Rev. Lauren Muratore.
http://demdblog.weebly.com/
And if that whets your interest, our synod also has a Youtube channel featuring all six business sessions (which, admittedly, you may find a bit dry not having been there, but there are some exciting moments!)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc6PEJOeGljxO2XbIanNrHIrWmaUg39rN
But from my perspective as a "Rostered Leader" who has now attended more than a few of these gatherings, here are some of the highlights that stuck out for me.
Providing many inspiring Bible studies and prayers during the event was our chaplain, Bishop Tom Skrenes of our sister synod, the Northern Great Lakes Synod. His thoughtful words from scripture and his discussion prompts gave us some important time to reflect with God and each other about leadership in the Church.
So...what's a "synod", anyway?
As you may know, Living Grace is a proud member church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a movement of over 10,000 Lutheran congregations in the United States. Our church has three different expressions: the congregations, the churchwide organization, and our 65 "synods." A synod is a regional subdivision of our wider church, led by a bishop and staff, uniting local congregations to do some things each congregation could not do alone, such as help form new congregations, support prison, outdoor, and campus ministries, and provide resources to local congregations to help in their mission.
What is a "Synod Assembly"?
Every year, "the synod"--which, properly speaking, means all members of all ELCA congregations in Delaware or Maryland--gathers to worship, learn, and do business together. Every congregation is encouraged to send at least two voting members, plus additional members based on the size of the congregation. "Rostered Leaders" (meaning pastors and other professional church leaders in the synod) can attend and vote even if not serving a congregation.
What did our Synod Assembly accomplish this year?
Tons! I will provide a few highlights, of course, but I'd also like to link to a few resources for those interested in more information. Below is a link to the official blog of our Synod Assembly, written by the Rev. Lauren Muratore.
http://demdblog.weebly.com/
And if that whets your interest, our synod also has a Youtube channel featuring all six business sessions (which, admittedly, you may find a bit dry not having been there, but there are some exciting moments!)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc6PEJOeGljxO2XbIanNrHIrWmaUg39rN
But from my perspective as a "Rostered Leader" who has now attended more than a few of these gatherings, here are some of the highlights that stuck out for me.
Worship and Bible Study.
All three mornings at 11am, several hundred of us gathered for a Service of Holy Communion. These worship services are meant to both lift up the varied styles of worship already here in our synod, but also to inspire attendees to think, "Hey...our congregation could try that!" This year, we were treated to great sermons from Rev. Chris Boerger, a Pastor from the Pacific Northwest and the Secretary of the ELCA, Colleen Carpenter-Gonia and Maya Camille, two gifted young adults in our synod, and our bishop, Wolfgang Herz-Lane. Thursday's music was led by Jeremy Grenhart, a talented church musician based in Washington, DC, and his band. Friday and Saturday's music were provided by "Monte Leister and the Situation." Monte is a professional Christian musician who has been working here in Maryland for many years. It was also our honor on Saturday morning to ordain two pastors to ministry in our Synod, and receive one military chaplain to our roster from another Church body. I always deeply feel God's presence in the holy moments of setting aside leaders in our Church.Providing many inspiring Bible studies and prayers during the event was our chaplain, Bishop Tom Skrenes of our sister synod, the Northern Great Lakes Synod. His thoughtful words from scripture and his discussion prompts gave us some important time to reflect with God and each other about leadership in the Church.
Reflecting on Our Mission Together
Pastor Dave Daubert, a consultant and expert on Church Mission, presented an excellent Keynote address. A couple of my favorite quotes from his talk were,
"We've been taught that there's no way to God but through Jesus. Our Lutheran gospel says there's no way to God period."
and,
and,
"The purpose of the Scripture is not to defend what you like, it’s to meet Jesus."
Even in a short 45-minute talk, Pastor Daubert got us thinking hard about what distinct voice we Lutherans have in the symphony of Christianity.
Our synod also took a "Noisy Offering,", gathering $22,000 for ELCA World Hunger, and introduced our "Forward in Faith" capital campaign, our synod's part in the wider ELCA capital campaign.
With this money, new congregations will begin, important ministries of leadership (like camps and seminaries) will continue in their mission, and hungry people will be fed in the name of Jesus.
With this money, new congregations will begin, important ministries of leadership (like camps and seminaries) will continue in their mission, and hungry people will be fed in the name of Jesus.
Electing Leaders
Every year, the synod assembly votes for members of synod council and various other committees in the synod. But this year was special in that we elected a bishop to a six-year term of office. Our current bishop, Wolfgang Herz-Lane, was elected in 2010 and stood for reelection. Over the course of the assembly, voters cast five ballots for the election. In the first ballot, the name of any ordained pastor in the ELCA could be written in. In subsequent ballots, more and more names were removed and the field was narrowed. There was time set aside for prayer and reflection prior to each ballot. Finally, in the fifth ballot, with only two candidates remaining--Bishop Herz-Lane and Rev. William Gohl of Epiphany Lutheran Church, Baltimore--Pastor Gohl was elected with a vote of 227-225. Many were surprised at the outcome, especially that it was so close, but the assembly offered great appreciation both for Bishop Herz-Lane's six years of service, and for Pastor Gohl's willingness to serve. We should continue to pray for both men and for their families.
Closing Reflection
My apologies: it's hard to be brief in describing such a busy and Spirit-filled gathering of God's church. I have come to earnestly look forward to this time with friends, colleagues, and most of all, coworkers in the Gospel. From Ocean City, to Cumberland, to Wilmington, Delaware, Jesus' disciples are showing up for the task of proclaiming God's amazing grace. During Thursday's worship, we sang lyrics from and African-American spiritual:
He's an on-time God, yes he is;
He's an on-time God, yes he is;
He may not come when you want him,
But he's always right on time;
He's an on-time God, yes he is!
This is how I feel about the assembly, and the state of our Church as a whole. For many years, as our congregations have faced declining numbers and increasing anxiety, our temptation has been to wonder whether God has really "shown up" among us. In the changing ideas and new efforts at doing God's mission that I have seen in recent years and continued to see last week in Ocean City, I can say, whatever the future holds, God is showing up "right on time."
