Nebraska Synod ELCA

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? 

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 

This I believe — that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 

Wait for the Lord and be strong. Take heart and wait for the Lord!

— Psalm 27:1-2, 13-14 —

Dear church,

Last month, I was one of 21 people from the Nebraska Synod who had the privilege of serving as voting members of the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Arizona. This was my second Churchwide Assembly, and it was a very different experience than my first, the 2022 Churchwide Assembly, which I attended as a replacement voting member and bishop-elect. Some of you may remember that 2022 was a very difficult year for the ELCA. We were still working our way through COVID-related trauma, and we were also struggling to deal with trauma within the church, some of it self-inflicted. I remember the plenary hall feeling very anxious throughout the 2022 Churchwide Assembly; in 2025, anxiety was not nearly so rampant, even as we considered major leadership elections and further work we need to do as a church. We celebrated the ministries of Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Secretary Sue Rothmeyer, giving thanks for their good work as leaders of this church. We acknowledged that changing structures and structural issues in this denomination is difficult, and that there is much work left to do, but I believe we also allowed ourselves to acknowledge that there are signs of hope that may not have been so apparent three years ago. 

I knew this was going to be a momentous Churchwide Assembly. I wasn’t prepared for how the election of the presiding bishop was going to affect me emotionally. When Bishop Yehiel Curry was announced as the next presiding bishop of this church, I found myself tearing up. Some of that, I believe, is knowing the quality and character of our Presiding Bishop-Elect. Some of that is knowing what this election means for our church. Just as Presiding Bishop Eaton’s election spoke volumes in 2013, so do the elections of Bishop Yehiel Curry and Pastor CeCee Mills in 2025. These elections will ripple through this church for years to come. So, yes: I had a moment of tears as we stood and applauded the election of our new Presiding Bishop, and I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one who did, either. 

I want to also say this: serving as a Churchwide Assembly voting member will change your perception of the ELCA, and I encourage all of you to say “YES” if you are ever asked to serve the church in this way. We already know that the Nebraska Synod is a diverse array of people and congregations from one border to the other, but you really get a sense of just how expansive the ELCA truly is when you gather with 800 fellow Lutherans from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Add in a multitude of ecumenical, interfaith, and international guests, worship which encompasses a wide array of cultures, and the chance to get to know your own synod neighbors better, and you’ve got quite the experience to be had. The synod nominating committee will be seeking voting members over the next two years: prayerfully consider being willing to go if asked. 

I asked our voting members to summarize their Churchwide Assembly experience in three words. Mine are: Changing – Determined – Hopeful. We are not the church we should be – not yet. But we are also not the church we were – not anymore. As a GenXer, I know I’m supposed to be suspicious of institutions, if not overtly dismissive, but I continue to see signs of the Spirit’s work in this church throughout all of its expressions. God is up to something in this church: from the smallest congregations to the Churchwide office, there are people who just will not give up on this church, and I saw that determination in abundance more than once during the Churchwide Assembly. It reminded me of the quote that Rector Chad Rimmer of Southern Theological Seminary used to close his presentation: 

“This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise; we are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished, but it is going on; this is not the end, but it is the road; all does not yet gleam with glory, but all is being purified.” 

— Martin Luther, Defense and Explanation of All the Articles (1521) —

“This is not the end, but it is the road.” Amen, Brother Martin. Here in Nebraska, it’s good to be on that road together with all of you. 

Bishop Scott

PS: You can find out more about the 2025 Churchwide Assembly at http://elca.org/cwa We will also be posting more Churchwide Assembly news and reflections in upcoming editions of our weekly newsletter.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Why does a church need a constitution? Why would making sure that the governing documents of a religious organization are up to date and logical be a spiritual practice? How does having a constitution matter to God?
2. What is giving you hope these days? What’s changing in your life? What determination is currently strongest in your life? What might God think about your answers?

Prayer

Lord God, our light and our salvation, grant that your servants who seek your face in times of trouble may see your goodness in the land of the living, and that we may be set safely on the rock of our faith, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

(© Augsburg Fortress 2006)