Message from Bishop Gronberg
Partners in Mission,
Over the past year the NT-NL Synod, in partnership with Solace (an faith centered AI firm) and initially with the ELCA Churchwide Innovation Team have been exploring the reality of faith in online and AI driven spaces. This has led us to several places including releasing in August the first iteration of the NT-NL “Lutherbot” AI assistant on our website.
The LutherBot acts as a digital assistant, offering information about church activities, worship and music suggestions, resources for bible study, and even hypothetical conversations with Martin Luther. It also serves as a resource to learn more about the Lutheran faith and for congregations that choose to participate their specific ministries. Please also note it is a “closed” system. The resources within the bot are of our choosing and reflect our Lutheran theological heritage, hymnody, confessions, and ELCA teachings and social statements. As a result, unlike other widely used AI assistants the Lutherbot will reflect more clearly our church’s teachings.
In the coming months several congregations have agreed to participate with us in personalizing this resource for themselves. Christ the Servant-Allen (Pastor Cheryl Herried) being the first to do so. Additionally, our Parish Lay Ministry Instructors have been encouraged to utilize it for their classwork. In so doing they will help us shape and learn with the bot to better serve our communities.
With any new resource there are concerns about how it will be used. What are the ramifications of it we haven’t thought about yet? Even the question of why engage this technology. There are many resources to discuss these conversations. Pastor Paul Mussachio (Preston Meadow-Plano) shared this article on ethics of AI with me from his seminary alma mater Trinity in Columbus, Ohio. This resource and many others are good for us to consider in how we use this new technology.
What we do know is that people, particularly those of the digital generations, are more comfortable asking a computer questions than going to an “expert.” So by providing this resource and sharing it we are making our play into this emerging technology that hopefully can be another entry point into Christian community.
The Lutheran Reformation spread because they engaged the technology of mass printing. The movement would likely have stayed much more localized (as other reforming movements were) if it were not for this resource. Quite frankly the ELCA has sat out or been left behind in the online world. While we are not ahead of the curve here, this is an effort to make our place in this new world and connect.
I encourage you to experiment with the Lutherbot. To ask questions, be skeptical, give feedback. As we see to fulfill our synod assembly resolution to plan new ministries we must acknowledge the online space is inhabited by real people who have real questions. So it is on us to respond and fulfill Christ’s command to go into the world and proclaim the good news and share our faith.
In Christ,
Bishop Gronberg
To the Church Leaders of the NT-NL,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
As one holy church in mission together, it is the work of the DEM Advisory Team to walk alongside congregations to renew life and vitality within our communities, to encourage faithful stewardship of God’s gifts, and to expand God’s mission in the world. To that end, we offer resources and opportunities for congregations to explore their options as they discern the path of their ministries in the years to come.
To assist with that work, we seek to better understand each context in order to tailor our work to your benefit. As Paul writes, we share in one another’s joys and help one another carry their burdens, so we ask of each church council and each pastoral leader to submit answers to this survey giving a brief overview of your state of affairs.
We will use these results as part of our presentations at the Rostered Leaders Retreat in October, so request that answers be submitted by October 15th.
Link to survey: https://forms.gle/aUTk8n87Lgw2Vnsx5
Any issues with the survey, or if you would like to receive it/submit it in another format, please contact Rev. Sean McConathy by email: stmcco@gmail.com
We also invite you to contact us if you are interested in finding out how what resources and opportunities we can offer. Find us on the synod website: https://www.ntnl.org/resources/congregational-vitality-resource-manual/
We hold you and your communities in our prayers and look forward to working with you in service to the Body of Christ.
DEM Advisory Team
Guest Speaker Invitation from Preston Meadow
About the event:
Dr. Mark Allan Powell presents, “The Happiest People on Earth”
You are invited to Dr. Mark Allan Powell’s presentation, titled “The Happiest People on Earth: Motivating Gratitude & Generosity in a Community of Faith,” on Saturday, October 25, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This is part of Preston Meadow’s 40th Anniversary celebration, and one that you’re not going to want to miss!
How did a Bible professor become a popular speaker on “stewardship” (his least favorite topic)? With good humor and a high degree of self-disclosure, Bible scholar Mark Allan Powell traces his journey from being “a typical church member annoyed by annual fund-drives” to discovering a biblical pathway to gratitude and generosity. He was asked to write a book on the subject and discovered that what the Bible teaches (and what the church should teach) about stewardship is incredibly good news: less about fund-raising than about having a more meaningful life and enjoying a closer relationship with our God. It is all about being grateful and generous: grateful people, Powell says, are the second-happiest people on earth—and grateful people sometimes become generous people, the happiest people of all.
Date & Location:
Sat, 25 Oct, 2025 at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (CDT)
(Refreshments served at 9:30 AM)
Preston Meadow Lutheran Church
6801 Coit Rd, Plano, TX 75024, United States
This is a free event. No registration required. Call 972.618.2233 with inquiries.
Live-stream will be available at PMLC.ORG/40-YEARS.
Featured Resources for September
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month —a time to raise awareness of this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic. September is used to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide. The goal of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and other advocacy groups is to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.
For more information and resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ website.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988, go to 988lifeline.org/chat or text NAMI to 741-741
Where in the world is?
NT-NL synod staff are excited to engage in-person on Sundays for worship. As good stewards of time and travel dollars, we will be utilizing online meeting formats in our new hybrid reality when possible. If you would like to schedule a meeting with the bishop or Synod staff please contact them directly.
Bishop Gronberg:
October 3-7: Installation of ELCA Presiding Bishop and Conference of Bishops
October 9-11: Wartburg Seminary Board Meeting
Pastora Bañales:
September 29: Stewardship of Life Institute Board Meeting
Pastor Fitting-Snyder:
September 29-October 1: First Call Retreat
October 4: Candidacy Meeting
October 4: Mission Endowment Fund Seed’s That Change Banquet
October 5: Messiah, Weatherford
October 19: First United, Dallas
October 26: Salem, Rosebud
October 27-29: Rostered Minister and SAWL Retreat
Upcoming Events
With the ever-changing guidelines and recommendations in our world right now, as we maintain physical distance in social solidarity, please keep in mind these events may be moved online, postponed, or cancelled:
- October 4: Seeds that Change Banquet, Santa Maria, Irving
- October 11: Parish Lay Ministry Academy
- October 11: Public Witness Team Meeting
- October 14: Congregation Constitutions 101, Zoom
- October 16: NT-NL Youth Leader Lunch, Rejoice, Coppell
- October 19: Lutheran Hymn Festival, Dallas
- October 27-28: Rostered Minister and SAWL Retreat, Spring Lakes Ranch, Aquilla, TX
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Save the Date
- April 24-25, 2026: Synod Assembly
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to office@ntnl.org for consideration for upcoming editions of our weekly news.