Dear Partners in Mission:

Last week marked the first time in several years we had a fall rostered/authorized leaders continuing education retreat. It was a very good time to be together to worship, learn from one another, and share fellowship. I am grateful to our Bishop’s Associate the Rev. Kelsey Fitting-Snyder and her team who put this opportunity together.

Being together reminded me of times in the past that we have had events and how these have changed over time, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our patterns of gathering and meeting have changed as has our world. We have become as a society more divided and divisive in our politics. Leaders spend more time talking about their political opponents flaws than laying out solutions.

This reflection reminded me of January 2021 and our online tri-synodical gathering for leaders focusing on the thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In particular Bonhoeffer as a Lutheran and public figure. Part of that learning was his clear thought on the relationship of the church and the state. How they provide balance and checks for one another. The church has a role and is not to attempt to create a theocracy, gaining political authority. The state also has a role to provide good government and should not attempt to manage or manipulate the church.

However, when either one fails to do its job it is the proper role to hold one another accountable. This is the situation we find ourselves in today. The failure of our national government to find a solution to fund its obligations, resulting in a shutdown, has caused harm to the people of our nation. This harm is being done while leaders point fingers at one another in an unbalanced debate, one party controls the Executive Branch and both Houses of Congress, about who is to blame.

As of November 1st vital nutrition benefits like SNAP are cancelled or underfunded. For those of us in Texas our state has an “Economic Stabilization Fund” of over $28.5M, much of which is undesignated and could be used to ensure nutrition benefits are not denied. These benefits also bring economic value as they enable the purchase of produce and other agricultural products that support our farming families.

Over 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits. If you do not believe you personally know of anyone receiving these benefits you probably do, but the stigma of receiving assistance keeps them from revealing it. Our churches are stepping into the breach again, as they do every month. At Good Shepherd in Irving where the synod office is located we as synod staff see the daily need and the hard work this parish puts into their food pantry and feeding ministries. Service multiplied in congregations across our synod and the entire church.

In so doing we fulfill our biblical mandate to feed the hungry in our midst. We expect the same of our elected leaders and to provide accountability is the right and proper work of the church today.

#InMissionTogether,

Bishop Gronberg

Every year, the Fund for Leaders awards approximately 30 full-tuition scholarships to future ELCA pastors and deacons who are planning to attend an ELCA seminary. In spring 2026, the Fund for Leaders will once again offer scholarships to ministry candidates pursuing seminary study.

The application window for full-tuition scholarships will be open from Dec. 1, 2025, through Feb. 20, 2026.

Here are a few key facts about Fund for Leaders scholarships:

• Scholarships are no longer reserved for full-time students. Candidates who need to study part-time are welcome and encouraged to apply.
• Eligible applicants must be planning to enroll in seminary in fall 2026. Applicants must be in the process of seeking candidacy for rostered ministry in the ELCA. Fund for Leaders must receive a positive entrance decision from the applicant’s candidacy committee no later than Dec. 15, 2026.
• Current ELCA seminary students who have completed no more than one semester of coursework before the start of the 2026-2027 academic year are also welcome to apply. All applicants must be considered first-year students in fall 2026.
• Ministry candidates may begin the Fund for Leaders application process before they have been accepted to seminary. Candidates are encouraged to apply to seminary and a Fund for Leaders scholarship simultaneously. Applicants can then upload their seminary acceptance letter(s) before the application deadline.
• Recipients of Fund for Leaders scholarships may apply their full-tuition scholarship at any ELCA seminary that has offered them admission.
• Scholarships are awarded to students for the duration of their required seminary coursework, provided they remain in good standing with their seminary and in their candidacy process. They do not need to reapply each year.

If you know of promising and gifted people discerning a call to rostered ministry in the ELCA, please send them this information and encourage them to visit ELCA.org/FundForLeaders today to learn more.

The Annual Congregation Report online system has re-opened for 2024 Form A submissions. The system will remain open through Friday, December 5 at 5:00pm. The system is closing earlier than in previous years as time is needed to ensure a smooth opening for 2025 data submissions in January.

To get more information or to register click here!

World of the Bible: Biblical, Christian, Jewish & Muslim Sites in Greece & Turkiye Trip

You are invited to join faculty and students from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in a pilgrimage to biblical cities of Greece and Turkey. Visit ancient sites of the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys and the churches of Revelation, and experience the Mediterranean world’s amazing landscapes. Tour hosts Barbara Rossing and Esther Menn lead frequent “World of the Bible” trips to the Holy land. Both of them love the biblical world’s rich history, as well as its religious and cultural diversity today. Both of them have traveled in Turkey with LSTC’s Muslim students. Barbara Rossing teaches New Testament and has excavated at Ephesus, researching the biblical book of Revelation in the context of the Roman Empire. Esther Menn teaches Old Testament, with expertise in Jewish-Christian and Muslim Christian relations. The group’s mix of students, lay people, alumni and friends offers an experience of seminary life on the road, as together they explore two of the most fascinating countries of the world.

If you are interested in learning more about this trip click here or email info@tutkutours.com

Upcoming Installations