Our Core Values

We are shaped certain convictions that inform our understanding of ourselves and our future:

Mission: We believe our first and greatest calling is to fulfill the Great Commission to go, teach, baptize, and make disciples of all peoples. This mission grows out of our experience of the love of God in Christ and out of the Great Commandment to share that love with others. We believe that mission is defined at the intersection of identity, purpose, and context.

Discipleship: We are dedicated to helping all people mature in their faith and commitment to Jesus and his work in the world. We believe in and encourage the practice of the Marks of Discipleship.

Heritage: We share a commitment to the Confession’s teaching on justification by grace, law and gospel, the priesthood of all believers, and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. We trust the power of Word and Sacraments to nurture and transform people for life and ministry.

Outreach: We desire to risk and venture with boldness for the sake of those who have not experienced the Gospel, to provide safe environments where change and transformation can be explored, to promote cultural diversity, and to be alive with a spirit of miraculous expectation.

Ministry: We value the gifts for ministry in both laity and clergy and see Jesus in our brothers and sisters. We uphold the partnership of the congregations, the synods, and the national expression of the church. We seek collectively to be a synod that cooperates in training and growing disciples, facilitating common missional endeavors, and celebrating the work of God in the world. We rely on the promised Holy Spirit to empower our work, enrich us with diverse gifts, and gather us into the Body of Christ.

Excellence: We seek innovation, integrity, and excellence in our worship forms, outreach, discipling, and maturing of Disciples of Jesus. We embrace diversity, creativity, relevance, flexibility, and change out of a desire to more effectively accomplish our mission. We will operate with honesty, openness, fairness, and justice in all we say and do.

Focus: We are committed to the task of building on strengths, feeding what is life-giving, empowering ministries, and reallocating our human and financial resources to more effectively carry out our mission.

Our Area

The geographical area of our synod includes Northern Louisiana including Monroe and Shreveport; Northern Texas generally north of a line from Marshall, Longview, Tyler, Rosebud, Bartlett (Temple area), Killeen, San Angelo, Midland/Odessa; and also Durant, Oklahoma and Clovis, New Mexico. There are over 37,000 members in the 120 congregations in our synod, with over 175 ordained ministers and 9 Associates in Ministry. For names and locations of all our congregations, See Congregations

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Our Leadership

The Rev. Kevin S. Kanouse serves the NT-NL Synod as its bishop. The Synod Council provides governance between synod assemblies and is made up of the officers of the synod, a lay person from each of twelve conferences, six ordained ministers, and two youth.