By John Mai Churches in the Minneapolis Area Synod are looking beyond traditional mission support to develop their congregations. The old funding sources just don’t always fill the gap anymore. Pastor Melissa Gonzalez of Tapestry offers, “I ask God: Why do I have to fundraise so much?” She believes that her job would look completely different […]
By Bishop Jen Nagel La carta está en español abajo. Beloved members of Minneapolis Area Synod congregations, grace and peace in the name of Jesus. August 1 has been a date “out there” through these months of discernment, a synod assembly vote, and transition. And now it’s here. I write today to offer an update […]
Editor’s note: This letter announces a new position established to support those individuals in discernment about a seminary education. Pastor Christine Belfrey will fill that role in the Minneapolis Area Synod. Dear Friends, As leaders of the ELCA, we all believe that God continues to call people into rostered ministry. As the church, and the […]
By Bob Hulteen Under the theme of “With Glad and Generous Hearts,” the Minneapolis Area Synod met in assembly May 2-4 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey, Minnesota. Highlighting the business portion of the agenda, the Rev. Jen Nagel, pastor at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis, was elected the fourth bishop […]
The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is adding its voice to the growing group of faith leaders urgently calling for a permanent bilateral cease-fire in Gaza. We urge President Joe Biden, our legislators, and all who lead and make decisions on behalf of the United States to do everything […]
On February 19, 1974, following the suspension of Concordia Seminary President Rev. John Tietjen by the Lutheran Church-Missouri SYnod President Jacob Preus, most of the seminary faculty and student body lead a walk out from the campus. The controversy swirling around the suspension and the walk out led to defining events in the Lutheran church […]
El Sínodo del Área de Minneapolis (The Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA), ha recibido una subvención de $1.25 millones de la fundación Lilly Endowment Inc. para ayudar a establecer el programa ‘Family Faith: Deepening Roots, Strengthening Families,’” (Fe Familiar: Profundizando Raíces, Fortaleciendo Familias”), un programa que explora cómo la fe y la cultura están entrelazadas en […]
The Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA, has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish “Family Faith: Deepening Roots, Strengthening Families,” a program to explore how faith and culture are intertwined in immigrant and non-dominant households in efforts for faith formation. The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s “Christian Parenting and […]
By Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop Ann Svennungsen, Southeastern Minnesota Synod Bishop Regina Hassanally, Saint Paul Area Synod Bishop Patricia Lull, Northeastern Minnesota Synod Bishop Amy Odgren , Southwestern Minnesota Synod Bishop Dee Pederson, and Northwestern Minnesota Synod Bishop Bill Tesch Current economic conditions present difficult choices to leaders across all sectors of our economy: businesses, […]
As stipulated in the Synod Constitution, the Minneapolis Area Synod Council at its first meeting since the 2023 Synod Assembly considered and approved a Bishop’s Election Committee (BEC) for the 2024 Synod Assembly election. Bishop Ann Svennungsen will have reached her twelve-year term limit in July, 2024, so a new bishop will be elected at the May 2-4 Assembly. The Synod’s Nominating Committee provided the Synod Council with a slate of seven names (and two alternates) for consideration for the BEC. The Nominating Committee members strived to identify people who express all the diversity of the synod – from size and location of congregation to age, ethnicity, and gender.