Dear Partners in Mission:

Yesterday was election day in our nation. This election, particularly in Texas has been deeply contentious, sowing seeds of deep division. The goal being to make us fearful and pointing the blame for any of our concerns on the “other.”

This past Sunday November 1st was All Saints Sunday. That day we heard the gospel proclaimed in the words of Jesus known as the Beatitudes. The Blessings. In the face of Roman occupation, the violence of Empire, Jesus’ blessings came for those who are poor, meek, mourning, hungering for justice and righteousness, peacemakers, and those persecuted for proclaiming this good news.

Jesus’ blessings are, sadly, antithetical to the empire in which we spend much of our lives today. A society built on accumulation of wealth, domination, war making, polarization, and demonizing of those on the margins. Words and work intended to make us afraid of one another and particularly those who are seen as different.

Jesus’ gospel challenges us to be people with eyes of faith to see in one another the image of God. This is especially important when we see those on the margins of society because of their race, immigration status, sexuality, gender, economic status. We are called to have the eyes of the beatitudes and see all God’s people as blessed, and in so doing recognizing that we are included and blessed. Not because of what we have or what we have done, but because of the life giving cross that defeats death and empire.

However the election season ends our work does not change. We are to be voices of hope trusting in the gift of grace and salvation freely given to us in our baptism. Working for the life of the world and sharing all we have abundantly.

#Juntosenmision

Bishop Gronberg

Based on feedback from synod staff and rostered ministers across the church, the ELCA has made much-needed updates to key parts of the call process portal: the Rostered Ministers Profile (RMP), Office of the Bishop form, Bishop Confidential Recommendation (BCR) and synod portal.

• The new RMP is easier to navigate, offering enhanced features such as autosave, the ability to view forms within the platform, and a cleaner, more user-friendly layout for both calling organizations and rostered ministers.
• To enhance protection of sensitive information, we’re shifting from a short- and long-form RMP to an RMP and Office of the Bishop form. The Office of the Bishop form will contain the needed disclosures and other pastoral information from rostered ministers to synod staff. This change better protects rostered ministers’ privacy.
• The content of the BCR has been updated.
• The refreshed synod portal has a streamlined look and feel, improved notifications and a simplified RMP review and approval process.

The new RMP, Office of the Bishop form, BCR and synod portal will launch Jan. 11. Current RMPs will no longer be accessible to rostered ministers after Jan. 10.

Resources for navigating the new RMP and portal, including training webinars, video recordings and FAQs, are coming soon and will be shared once they’re available.

If you have questions about these updates please reach out to our Bishop’s Associate for Leadership Formation and Congregational Care, Pastor Kelsey Fitting-Snyder at kelsey@ntnl.org.

Solace’s October Spotlight

Drawing Water: Leadership Reflections from Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold

Drawing Water is a short monthly reflection for congregational leaders across the Northern Texas–Northern Louisiana Synod. These reflections attend to the lived realities of leadership—clarity, fatigue, conflict, discernment, and resilience. Like windmills on the plains that quietly draw life from below the surface, this series invites leaders to slow down, reflect, and remember that leadership was never meant to be carried alone.

November’s article is “Standing on What Others Have Built”. You can read the reflections in English and Spanish here.

NT-NL Women of the ELCA October Newsletter

Click here to read about the happenings with NT-NL’s branch of Women of the ELCA