In This Edition
Message from Bishop Gronberg
Updated Synod Office Mailing Address
“Rooted” Rostered and SAWL Retreat
Mission Endowment Fund Seeds that Change Gala
Learn.AI Webinar Materials
This Month’s Lessons Are Next Month’s Answers: Inside LutherBot’s Responses
LEADconnects Updates
Lutheran Men in Mission Ambassador Gram
Drawing Water: Leadership Reflections from Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold
Son Jarocho Workshop
Reconciling Works Worship, Liturgy, & Scripture Resources
NT-NL Women of the ELCA September Newsletter
JUSTmove CPR (Culture Power Race) Cohort for Faith Leaders
Upcoming Sharing Faith Initiative Programming
August Mission Support Memo
Cross Trails Ministry September Updates
Upcoming Ordinations and Installations
Upcoming Events
Prayer Requests
Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear Partners in Mission:
September is upon us. A month of new things in many of our congregations. Back to school has been in place for weeks. Now it is time for fall programming, sunday school reboots, changes in liturgy, and all sort of other opportunities.
While the temperatures in our communities don’t reflect it, fall is coming. Football has started in most of our communities (although in my house its fall baseball). For those with kids we are back in the rhythm of school lunch packing and pick ups and drop offs.
If you don’t have that reality in your life no doubt fall brings other changes. We pray it might bring some rain after a brutal August of dry and hot across most of our territory. Probably too late to make a difference in harvest but still we pray that God will continue to water the earth and remind us of our baptism.
As your congregation moves into this new season know that we are with you in the synod office. We have resources for fall stewardship programming. Our Parish Lay Ministry Academy begins again with now two cohorts of leaders. I am excited again to teach my “How to Read the Bible” course. In this work we have our students engage our AI Assistant “Lutherbot,” www.ntnl.org/lutherbot/ to help them research and develop programming.
In addition to the Lutherbot work we also hosted a webinar this past month about AI and what it is and isn’t and how we as people of faith can engage it. Those resources are available on our website at https://www.ntnl.org/resources/learn-ai-webinar/
Why are we doing this? Well the reality is change is constant. AI is a part of that change and NT-NL is being a leader in engaging that. Bringing a Governed AI Assistant to help our communities if they desire. Governed AI means we control what is in the Assistants database of information. It isn’t randomly searching the web to get answers but has Lutheran Confessional and historical documents to guide it. We also are working on how to engage WhatsApp as a tool for our Conterencia Latina communities to access this resource.
Already we have seen how this can be helpful to congregations. People are willing to ask a computer a question they won’t ask a person. A governed AI assistant can help our leaders, Rostered and Authorized, to create resources for their communities. I encourage you to engage this, your synod council will be discussing this in September along with our new starts resolution.
In all of this we are doing what we know we must as Lutherans in NT-NL. We need to be connecting and engaging our communities. Telling our story and doing this work together.
#Juntosenmision
Bishop Gronberg
Updated Synod Office Mailing Address
The NT-NL Synod Office has a new mailing address. Please send all physical mail to our P.O. Box.
NT-NL Synod of the ELCA
PO Box 170030
Irving, TX 75017
If visiting our office in-person we are still located at
NT-NL Synod Offices at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
2620 W Grauwyler Road
Irving, TX 75061
Please note that the zip code on our mailing address is different than our physical address.
“Rooted” Rostered and SAWL Retreat
What: This is a retreat for rostered ministers and SAWLs in the NTNL synod to be together. We will take time for intentional conversation, workshops lead by synod colleagues, fellowship, recreation/down time, worship with renewal of ministry vows, and open conversation with Bishop Gronberg.
When: Beginning early evening of Monday, January 25th and ending the morning of Wednesday, January 27th.
Where: Spring Lakes Ranch. 3662 Patton Lake Rd, Aquilla, TX 76622. We will be renting out the entire ranch. We will have access to the lake, kayaking, hiking trails, fishing, pickleball court, fire pit, cute farm animals, and more. To ensure the most comfortable accommodations as possible, rooms will most likely be double occupancy and each room will have access to a private bathroom (so encourage your friend to put you as their roommate when registering).
Registration:
Early Bird Registration now through November 15 $275
Regular Registration November 16- January 11 $300
Questions: Contact Pastor Kelsey for more information kelsey@ntnl.org
Mission Endowment Fund Seeds that Change Gala
Tickets are now on sale for an evening celebrating three decades of faith, generosity, and mission!
The Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Endowment Fund (MEF) is celebrating a remarkable milestone—30 years of growing lives and changing communities through mission and ministry. To mark this special anniversary, the MEF invites supporters to its 30th Anniversary “Seeds That Change” Fundraising Banquet, an evening of celebration, fellowship, and generosity.
For 30 years, the Mission Endowment Fund has helped provide financial resources for ministry initiatives, outreach programs, and congregational mission opportunities across the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod. This anniversary is an opportunity to look back with gratitude at all that has been accomplished and, more importantly, to look ahead to the seeds of mission yet to be planted.
Tickets are now on sale! Gather your friends, family, congregation, or fellow mission-minded supporters and join us for this special evening at King of Glory in Dallas. Tables are $400 for eight people ($50 per person), or individual seats are available for $60 per person.
The celebration will also feature an auction that promises to be bigger and better than ever this year! Guests can enjoy bidding on exciting items while helping raise funds that will continue the MEF’s mission for years to come.
Can’t make it to the banquet? You can still be part of the celebration! In honor of 30 years of mission, supporters are invited to “Donate $30 for 30 Years!” Every gift, large or small, helps plant seeds that can grow into new opportunities for ministry, outreach, and service.
Thirty years is a milestone worth celebrating—and the best way to honor the past is to invest in the future. Come celebrate the people, ministries, and communities that have been touched by the Mission Endowment Fund and help plant the Seeds That Change what comes next.
Tickets are on sale now! Join us for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate 30 years of generosity, impact, and mission—and help make the next 30 years even more meaningful.
To purchase tickets, email Jennifer Hachmeister, Executive Director at mef@ntnl.org!
Learn.AI Webinar Materials
On August 12th, Bishop Erik Gronberg and the team behind LutherBot hosted a webinar on the project. Click here to watch the full webinar.
Click here to find the slides used during the webinar.
You can find NT-NL’s LutherBot here.
This Month’s Lessons Are Next Month’s Answers: Inside LutherBot’s Responses
LEADconnects Updates
Learn more about LEADconnects here.
LEAD Love Our Neighbors Cohort – Leaders who are curious about the neighbors around their church building and ready to take the first step – Love Our Neighbors Cohort is for you! Together we will dig into the practice of holy listening to God through our neighbors. Learn practical skills to do this important work right away so you can take the first step of building relationships. Short-term cohort starts Sept 21st! Get registered by Sept 4th at THIS LINK.
The LEAD Exchange – Being a faith leader in this season of the church is so much easier when you can bounce ideas off of others, stay connected to creative thinkers, and truly have the support you need. What The Exchange offers you –
new learning every quarter to spark your imagination, peer community that overcomes isolation, case studies to build a muscle for creative thinking, small groups that pray, listen, and give feedback and new resources, reading lists, templates, and tools to grow your own team of leaders. Two cohorts to choose from – The Fatih Catalyst Exchange and The Collaborative Exchange. 12-month cohorts start the week of October 11th. Register by Sept 30 at THIS LINK.
LEAD Communications Audit – Your congregation is constantly communicating spoken and unspoken values and beliefs all of the time through your website, emails, social media, printed communications, etc. Unfortunately, sometimes churches send messages they don’t intend to by the choice of pictures, too many fonts, or the message is confusing or incomplete for the intended audience. You can take action now by registering for LEAD’s Communication Audit and get clarity on your communications!
Lutheran Men in Mission Ambassador Gram
Find updates about Lutheran Men in Mission and upcoming events here.
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.
September’s article is “Re-Gathering Without Re-Gripping”. You can read the reflections in English and Spanish here.
Son Jarocho Workshop
Reconciling Works Worship, Liturgy, & Scripture Resources
The Worship, Liturgy, & Scripture collection includes a wide range of materials designed to support inclusive worship planning and faithful engagement with scripture. Among the resources available, you will find:
-
- Prayers of the People and liturgical resources that can be adapted for congregational worship.
- Hymn and scripture suggestions that help communities celebrate God’s diverse and beloved people.
- Children’s message ideas that invite learners of all ages into conversations about welcome, justice, and belonging.
- Scripture resources that help readers engage biblical texts through Lutheran interpretive lenses while honoring the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people.
- Materials that support worship planning throughout the church year and during significant moments in the life of a congregation.
These resources are designed to be practical, accessible, and adaptable for congregations of all sizes.
NT-NL Women of the ELCA September Newsletter
Click here to read about the happenings with NT-NL’s branch of Women of the ELCA
JUSTmove CPR (Culture Power Race) Cohort for Faith Leaders
Introducing an 8 week program designed to connect and equip leaders with tools and resources to catalyze change in their Congregations.
How do we “work for peace and justice in all the earth” and proclaim God’s welcome for ALL people without tearing our congregations apart or being accused of being “too political”?
During this engaging 8 week learning cohort, participants will…
- CONNECT with other pastors who are willing to share best practices
- UNPACK our own real issues as they arise in real time with real people
- EXPLORE topics of Culture, Power, and Race (CPR) with a biblical lens
- LEARN developmentally appropriate frameworks for leading social change
- IDENTIFY goals and next steps for ourselves and our organizations
Learn more about JUSTmove Ministries here.
Upcoming Sharing Faith Initiative Programming
“No Perfect Model” Workshop: September 24 at 11:30 a.m. (Virtual only)
Join us for a virtual panel and small group conversations with active ministry leaders and current researchers surrounding the various models of Children’s Church. More information at https://www.sharingfaithinitiative.com/events/no-perfect-model.
August Mission Support Memo
The August 2026 Mission Support Memo spotlights a story by First Lutheran Church in St. Peter, MN. of our Southwestern Minnesota Synod strategically using The Generosity Project to build a culture of intergenerational giving and gratitude that eventually allowed them to retire their mortgage – they call it a “Mortgage Miracle”. Speaking of stewardship, learn about how your congregation can participate in the Fall “Cultivating Generous Congregations” cohort at a great deal. Finally, hear about how the Congregation and Synod Support Team is adapting to new staffing and structure.
Cross Trails Ministry September Updates
Upcoming Ordinations and Installations
The Rev. Rebecca Chase will be installed as Pastor at Emmanuel, Granbury on Sunday, September 13, at 10:15am
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:
- August 8: Public Witness Team Meeting
- August 20: NT-NL Youth Leader Lunch, Rejoice, Coppell
- September 11-12: Synod Council Meeting, Good Shepherd, Irving
- September 12: Parish Lay Ministry Academy
- September 12: Public Witness Team Meeting
- September 17: NT-NL Youth Leader Lunch, Rejoice, Coppell
For a complete list of upcoming events, you can access our Calendar of Events online.