Dear Partners in Mission:

I write to you from Phoenix, AZ where we are gathered as the churchwide assembly of the ELCA. It has already been an historic assembly and there is work yet to be done. However, thus far there have been highlights…

• Our time is centered in daily worship. Singing together with 900 others is a joy to behold and throughout our sessions we have centered ourselves through hymns and prayer.
• We have given thanks for the work of Presiding Bishop Liz Eaton and her 12 years of service and for Deacon Sue Rothmeyer’s 6 years of service as ELCA Secretary.
• We approved a memorial calling for peace in the Holy Land and particularly an end to the violence in Gaza. Affirming our commitment to our Lutheran siblings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
• Budgets through 2028 have been approved. Recognizing the reality of declining mission support the budgets reflect year over year decreases in Churchwide spending.
• We have not yet but will elect a new ELCA Secretary.
• We elected Bishop Yehiel Curry (Metro Chicago Synod) as our next presiding bishop. He will be installed this fall and we give thanks for his willingness to serve.

For those who do not know, Bishop Curry is a person of African descent. He is the first person of that heritage to be elected to serve as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. In his remarks after being elected he reflected on how his family, 30 years, found their home in the ELCA. And through the course of time he was encouraged to become a rostered leader and mission developer. As he stated, he is a living embodiment of the return on investment in leaders across our church. I have deep respect for Bishop Curry and look forward to his leadership.

Bishop Curry’s election was historic for the ELCA. But it is important that we remember our history and that the ELCA was the merger of the LCA, ALC, and the AELC. The AELC was the church body formed by those choosing to leave the LCMS in the 1970s. In 1984 they chose the Rev. Will Herzfeld to be their presiding bishop. In so doing he became the first person of African descent to serve as a presiding bishop of a Lutheran body in North America and was an instrumental part in the eventual merger that created the ELCA.

The reason for remembering that history is not to detract from the significance of Bishop Curry’s election. It is to remind us of our heritage and that in our past we have been open to the gifts of leaders of diverse heritage. Moving forward we as the ELCA can continue to raise up leaders that reflect the growing diversity of our communities. We honor and celebrate how God is working continually in our communities and the baptized people of God.

When I return from the churchwide assembly on August 2nd I will begin a leave granted to me by your synod council until September 2nd. Per synod sabbatical policy I could be granted up to three months of sabbatical leave. However, given the pace at which we are operating in our synod, my family’s schedules, and other considerations that length of leave did not seem feasible. But I am grateful for this opportunity to have time to work on several projects, help launch my kids into the new school year, and take some time for rest.

Please note during that time I will not be responding to email, text, or voicemails. There will be a response set up on emails that will inform you that any emails received during that time will NOT be responded to. So please be aware of that. Our synod staff is ready to step up in this time and they will be available to you. I am grateful to our synod council for this opportunity.

As school begins, we live into the heart of the summer August heat, I pray you will prepare and be ready for the fall and for all God is doing in our midst. We are…

#juntosenmision

Bishop Gronberg