Nebraska Synod ELCA

The ELCA gathered in assembly, something it does once every three years, August 8-12, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Together on behalf of the whole church, the Body of Christ gathered for worship, prayerful discernment, discussions, deliberations, and decisions. As the highest legislative body of the church, it is a great honor and responsibility to be a part of this work. In doing so, we give thanks for all the voting members who represented the Nebraska Synod: Pastor Sarah Cordray, Nebraska Synod Secretary Gwen Edwards, Pastor Kathy Gerking, Jeba Inbarasu, Bishop-elect Scott Johnson, Elizabeth Krueger, Jim Larson, PMA Ron Lofgren, Bishop Brian Maas, Pastor Jon Mapa, Nathan Meyer, Pastor Kat Montira, Pastor Gary Panko, Megan Patent-Nygren, Heidi Price, Matt Price, Deacon Timothy Siburg, Pastor Amalia Spruth-Janssen, Micah Spruth-Janssen, Nebraska Synod Vice-President Dara Troutman, Brandon Underferth, and Winnie Tang Voss.

Some of the work that was done, and decisions that were discerned

• The assembly elected the next Vice-President of the ELCA, Mr. Imran Siddiqui, currently the vice-president of the Southeastern Synod to the highest office of a lay (or non-rostered) person in the church.
• Over fifty positions were nominated for and elected over the course of the week. We give thanks for Nebraska Synod’s Gwen Edwards who served on the ELCA’s Nominating Committee. Among those elected included Nebraska Synod’s Pastor Rich Sheridan and Jeff Akerson who were both elected to serve on the ELCA Committee on Discipline.
• Nearly fifty memorials and resolutions were considered and discussed over the course of the week with guidance from the ELCA Church Council, Conference of Bishops, and the Assembly’s Memorials Committee and Reference and Counsel Committee. We give thanks for Deacon Timothy Siburg who served on the Reference and Counsel Committee. Memorials ranged in topic from the potential reconstituting of the church, to potentially reconsidering the church’s perspectives on bound conscience, to parental and medical leave support, to environmental concerns, and much more. Resolutions considered included one authored by Pastor Kathy Gerking related to election processes that passed nearly unanimously. For a summary of all the resolutions and memorials that were discussed, amended, and passed over the course of the assembly, please visit: https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/CWA_2022_Legislative_Updates.pdf.
• Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, on behalf of the whole ELCA officially apologized to the congregation of Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregrina, and together the church lamented the racism and injustice that the congregation experienced. This apology was received by members of the congregation and then was followed by a powerful worship service of lament and repentance.

Reflections from Nebraska Synod’s Voting Members
As the week progressed and since returning to Nebraska, Bishop Maas and Deacon Timothy polled the voting members of the synod for how they might describe the assembly and their experience as being a part of it. Some of the descriptions offered included: “A lot”; “beauty and balance”; “grateful”; “hopeful”;  “intense”; “slowly stumbling forward”: and “troubled water.” These descriptions encompass the range of emotional experiences and reactions the more than 900 voting members felt during this assembly.

It was a week that started with many arriving with feelings of skepticism, anticipation, uneasiness, and maybe even a little stress and anxiety. Those feelings were met with lament in the apology to Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregrina (on Tuesday, August 9^th). But those feelings gradually changed over the week.

Pastor Sarah Cordray wrote that “Those feelings waned over course of assembly through the experience of being together. It was a gift. That gift of being together brought forth the gift of a young mother, a lawyer by profession, who offered a simple word of ‘possible’ to the memorial of the reconstituting convention and exploration of the ELCA’s current structure. That gift of being together also brought forth a public act of apology and forgiveness…The diversity of ages, ethnicities, and sexualities were also a gift in being together.”

It was a gift too, to see Nebraska Synod’s Winnie Tang Voss read a lesson in her first language of Cantonese in opening worship of assembly. Winnie called that “a highlight of her life serving in the Lutheran Church.” It was also a joy to see Nebraska Synod’s Divine, a member of the ELCA Church Council, lead the whole assembly in morning prayer (Wednesday, August 10^th). Upon learning it was her birthday, the assembly all broke into song wishing her a happy birthday too.

Worship was powerful throughout the week, and many voting members pointed to many of the worship experiences as highlights. Especially Bishop Patricia Davenport’s sermon from closing worship (Friday, August 12^th). Many of Nebraska’s voting members are still talking about that sermon. It was a powerful sermon full of law and gospel, which equally convicted and consoled, and inspired and challenged. As Bishop Maas said as a result of it, “No one was left off the hook.” If you go back and watch or listen to anything from the assembly, please check out Bishop Davenport’s sermon.

Pastor Kathy Gerking summarized the whole assembly experience well, writing, “At some point during worship we sang the spiritual Wade in the Water. The lyric ‘God’s gonna trouble the water’ seems to fit our deliberative assembly. We are a body that exists to claim and name the grace of being baptized in the waters of Jesus Christ — and which is yet called to grapple with inequity, abuse, and omissions. When we reflect on teachings and practices in the past, we may feel burdened and overwhelmed. Sweet freedom may be found by stepping off the well-worn path and into the muddy baptismal waters as God calls. We’re wise enough to know that the church will never be a perfect embodied expression of our Savior, but we’re hopeful enough to keep trying to bring the best we can offer for the sake of the world.”

There was a lot. As some pointed out, they were grateful for the passion and organization of so many who sought to address deeply held concerns in the church. They were grateful for the investment of time so many made in plenary hours that included a “flurry of topics and lots of issues and work to do.” This included hearing from ecumenical and interfaith guests and partners and learning of recent work and progress made. But at the same time, it was a good week, as it was good to be together and connections were made among voting members, and relationships were built. Including our companion synod neighbors from the Pacifica Synod (consisting of congregations in Southern California and Hawaii), who gifted each of Nebraska’s voting members with cans of macadamia nuts which helped fuel everyone through the long hours of discussion and discernment.

The Nebraska Synod should be proud that it continues to be a leader in the ELCA. Of our voting members, four were under the age of 30. No other synod can say that. That speaks to the Holy Spirit’s work and activity among God’s faithful people here in Nebraska. Seeing that and seeing the engagement in the church’s work by all those present, especially from Nebraska, gave Deacon Timothy Siburg “great hope in the church now and into the future.”

Gratitude was expressed by nearly every voting member of the synod- especially gratitude for the trust of the whole synod in sending each of us. It was a blessing, that was made even more poignant and deep by being there to give thanks for and celebrate with Bishop Maas and Vice-President Dara Troutman as they attended their final churchwide assemblies in their respective roles.

In making sense of all that transpired, Bishop-elect Scott Johnson wrote that it “feels like we took the next step as a church in Columbus. Now it’s time to take the next next step, and so on.” And on that point, Pastor Sarah Cordray helpfully reflected, “It will take time. My prayer for all of us as part of the ELCA is that now we hold this beauty together in balance. It will take time for us local leaders of congregations to help our members discover the beauty of this diversity and perceive it not as ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water,’ but rather, celebrating and welcoming all of God’s creation. It will also take us time as congregations and synods to explore and experiment with new possibilities of structure. I pray now after a life-giving churchwide assembly, that we live into the beauty and balance begun.”

Thank you again to all of the voting members for their time and service at ELCA Churchwide Assembly, and thank you to the entire synod for holding them and the whole church in prayer.

For more on the assembly and to view any of the videos of the worship experiences and business discussions visit: https://www.elca.org/churchwideassembly. Also, be sure and check out the Nebraska Synod page on Facebook for more pictures of the assembly and especially of the voting members you entrusted with the responsibility of serving on behalf of you and your congregations.