ELCA News Releases
Churchwide Assembly – Day One
Churchwide Assembly – Day Two
Yehiel Curry Elected Presiding Bishop of the ELCA
Churchwide Assembly – Day Three
Churchwide Assembly – Day Four
Lucille “CeCee” Mills Elected Secretary of the ELCA
Churchwide Assembly – Day Five
Churchwide Assembly – Day Six
Human Sexuality – Gift and Trust Study Process
Social Statement on Faith and Civic Life
The ELCA Churchwide Assembly has voted to adopt the amended social statement “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All” and its implementing resolutions.
We pray this social statement on our faith and civic life will help inspire and guide us as we seek the well-being of all.
Churchwide Assembly Perspectives from South Carolina
By Deacon Lexanne Graves
As my final official act before stepping down as the Synod Vice President of South Carolina, I had the profound honor of representing you at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Arizona.
A truly humbling experience unfolded on Monday, July 28th, when Synod Vice Presidents and Bishops were invited to serve as communion assistants at the Opening Worship. To look into the eyes of so many of God’s children and declare, “This is the body of Christ given FOR YOU,” was an unparalleled moment. I didn’t know their names, their stories, their beliefs, or who they love – but God does. In that sacred exchange, my heart was filled with the overwhelming certainty of God’s boundless love for each person. God’s love is so immense, so all-encompassing, that it is truly FOR YOU, no matter what.
In that holy communion line, I witnessed tears, smiles, and hands reaching out for grace. It’s a profound gift to know that Jesus’ body and blood meet us exactly where we are – as saints and sinners, in joy and grief – and unite us as one. This is powerful. This is grace. This is God’s love in action. Whether communion is shared in Arizona, Namibia, or South Carolina, it remains an outlandish means of grace given FOR YOU, connecting us all into the one body of Christ, no matter what.
Lord, thank you for the gift of serving your church here in Phoenix. Thank you for the opportunity to worship alongside neighbors and strangers alike – people with whom we may agree on nothing, yet are drawn together as one at your table.
A Profound Return on Investment
by Deacon Lexanne Graves
When Bishop Yehiel Curry stepped onto the stage at the Churchwide Assembly, ready to address us, his words struck me with unexpected, overwhelming emotion. Tears streamed down my face as he declared, “I am YOUR return on investment.” Wow. Just… wow.
Think about that. Bishop Curry started as a layperson in a worshipping community in Chicago. When their leader left, his synod bishop called upon him to be a Lay Mission Developer for that very community. He then dedicated himself to seminary, completing his degree thanks to countless grants, generous donations, and unwavering church support.
Bishop Curry, like so many of our dedicated rostered ministers, received financial support from a multitude of sources to complete their master’s degrees at one of our seven seminaries. Thanks be to God for every single person who has, who does, and who will contribute their talents and prayers to enable individuals to enter this holy vocation.
Because, as Bishop Curry so powerfully articulated, you can see it now: your investment in him, and in every pastor and deacon you encounter, yields an incredible return. It’s a return on faith, on hope, on the future of our church.
If you feel moved to contribute to this vital work, to help our Rostered Ministers continue to live freely into their calls without the burden of seminary debt, please consider learning more about and donating to the SC Synod Lifeline Fund.
By Neal F. Fischer
This is my fourth Churchwide Assembly. However, it is the first time I was a voting member. (Usually, I’m backstage helping out with communications).
The saying “singing is praying twice” is often attributed to St. Augustine, though the exact phrasing may vary slightly. It highlights the idea that singing, particularly in a worshipful context, can be a powerful form of prayer, adding depth and expression to one’s communication with the divine.
This is something I feel strongly with my musical background. Before each major election vote with prayed three times by this measure. There was a song (praying time two) and a prayer offered. The singing and prayer really served to calm the mind and focus on who was the best person for the Church and not just my favorite.
Rev. Ron Philabaum attended the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and recorded a number of updates available on the Mt. Horeb Facebook page.
By Susan McArver
Attending an ELCA Churchwide Assembly is a marathon, not a sprint. Here are some things one can learn over the course of a week spent at a gathering of Lutherans:
- The ELCA matters. We are part of an amazing community of faith. We heard and witnessed firsthand how it cares for the refugee, feeds the hungry, embraces the young, and cares for the outcast, all in ways that no one congregation – or even one synod – could do on its own.
- Words matter. They can open new worlds or shut down futures. Therefore, voting on new words – in a constitution, in a social statement, or in a bylaw – is an enormous responsibility. It can be, and it is, tedious. But it matters.
- Elections matter. Because of that, the Assembly paused for prayer and song before each and every major vote. Maybe we’d be in a better place if we all did that for other major decisions in our own lives.
- Worship matters. Dynamic preaching, combined with both familiar and new hymns, can uplift the soul. Singing in a choir made up of over a hundred voices from all over the country is a foretaste of the feast to come.
- Listening matters. We heard powerful presentations from the Rev. Imad Mousa Dawood Haddad, bishop-elect for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, as well as from Rabbi Richard Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism in America. They clearly have differences of opinion on the complicated current events in the Middle East, but both agree: the terrible situation in Gaza must end.
- South Carolina and Southern Seminary matter. Of all the 65 ELCA synods, an amazing number of presenters, speakers, and representatives had ties to our Synod and/or Southern Seminary. Dr. Chad Rimmer of LTSS, the two top finalists for the role of ELCA Presiding Bishop, the Navy chaplain who shared with us the importance of ministry in the military, and speakers honoring retiring ELCA officers, among others, represented us well.
- Air-conditioning matters. Daytime temperatures were consistently 115 degrees. Even at an evening prayer vigil held outdoors in support of migrants and refugees, it was 101 degrees – at 9:00 pm.
- Puppies matter. Free “puppy cuddles” were offered daily during the lunch break to those who needed a bit of freely given, unmerited grace. We all need reminders of such unconditional love in our lives.
By Ron Walrath
I am struck and pleased by the commitment of this church to recognize, repent of, and atone for the harm done to the indigenous people of our nation, but our Lutheran forebears. Recognizing that what we know as our United States of America was born of conquest is an important step in becoming the church that we seek to become.
Moved to Tears: Reflections from a First-Time Voting Member at the 17th ELCA Churchwide Assembly by Silke Pyrlik
I arrived at the 17th Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA not entirely sure what to expect. As a first-time voting member, I knew the week would involve worship, elections, and church business—but I wasn’t prepared for just how emotionally and spiritually moved I would be (and admittedly also physically exhausted).
What struck me deeply was the genuine, active commitment of the ELCA—at every level—to live out what Jesus actually called us to be: a community rooted in love, mercy, truth, and justice. This wasn’t abstract theology or polite lip service. It was bold, biblical action.
Over and over again, I saw and heard the church standing up for social and climate justice—not as political stances, but as matters of deep, scriptural faithfulness. The Assembly’s work made it clear that justice isn’t optional for followers of Jesus; it’s demanded by the Gospel. From memorials related to climate responsibility and Indigenous reconciliation, to powerful conversations about racial equity, peace in Palestine, and economic justice, the tone was clear: the ELCA is trying to be a church that doesn’t just believe the Gospel—it embodies it.
What moved me even more, though, were the youth and young adult representatives.
Time and again, young voting members and advisory representatives stepped to the microphones, joined in committee conversations, and made their voices heard with passion and urgency. These young leaders were not only well-informed—they were deeply invested in what the church becomes. Their concern for climate justice, their passion for equity, and their hope for a more inclusive, compassionate, and courageous church was not performative—it was personal.
In a world where many are quick to dismiss younger generations as apathetic or disengaged, what I witnessed was the opposite. These young people are desperate for a church that makes a difference—not only in individual lives, but in systems, communities, and creation itself. They’re not looking for sentimentality. They’re looking for truth, for leadership, for honesty, and for hope.
And they are not waiting quietly to be invited. They’re already leading.
That gave me hope, too.
In a week filled with long hours, heavy topics, and deep discernment, witnessing a church willing to wrestle with difficult truths, shaped by Scripture, and held accountable by the Spirit-filled voices of the next generation moved me more than once to tears.
It reminded me why I said “yes” to coming—and why I will say “yes” again.
By Rev. Ozzie Herlong
In 2019 the ELCA adopted a resolution on the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery and repenting of wrongs done to indigenous people and tribal nations. One of the highlights for me from the 2025 Churchwide Assembly was the work this church continues to do with indigenous people. A Pow Wow was held on Tuesday evening of the assembly which featured an exhibition of the traditional and sacred dances of tribal nations. At one point in the exhibition a dancer came over to those of us sitting around the circle in the Pow Wow. She extended her hand in hospitality inviting us to dance. I got up to dance along with many others. We danced to the beat of their drums. I went away thinking maybe this is what repentance looks like, being able to join in the dance and joining with them in the hospitality extended.
By Cheryle Noyes
Do you believe in an all-powerful God who can do miraculous things in you and through you? You should. This past week I had the honor and privilege to serve as a voting member at the Churchwide assembly in Phoenix. I had a vote in deciding who our next Presiding Bishop and Secretary will be to lead the ELCA for the next six years. I had a vote and opportunity to speak regarding many social issues that were of concern to our Lutheran brothers and sisters in Christ here and throughout the world. I had a voice and a vote.
As I reflect on what I heard it reminds me that each and every one of us has a voice as well. We have the privilege and opportunity to spread the Word in our congregations and communities. There were more than 800 voting members at this general assembly a mixture of clergy and lay leaders with lay leaders being in the majority.
Lay leaders also comprise the majority of those attending church each Sunday under the leadership of our pastor. Our pastor is one individual and we lay leaders are many. We are the church. Our growth is up to us as we build relationships, spread the Word of Jesus, and do the work of the church.
We have a choice, a vote in the growth of the ELCA and our own congregations. The work of the church is hard, complex, and challenging. Our decisions cannot be taken lightly. We are church; we are Lutherans; we are church together; we are church for the sake of the world.
By Rev. Leroy Cannon
It is with heartfelt thanks and gratitude that I was elected by the South Carolina Synod to become a member of Church Council which afforded me the opportunity to attend the Churchwide Assembly. I found in the blazing sun of 110 degrees a place in the coolness of the Phoenix Convention Center warm and inviting welcome.
In keeping with Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone and inclusiveness for all, I emerged from preaching the Sunday message after reminding the church, God still answers prayers and we would have a meaningful, productive and God guided Assembly.
On Monday we were greeted with a dynamic message by Bishop Eaton which was God inspired and celebratory because of the retiring of the Presiding Bishop and the Secretary.
The Ministries Diverse Cultures sponsored a multicultural dinner and Reverend El-Yattyeem imparted truths and facts of what’s really occurring in Gaza.
On Tuesday, there a “POW WOW” a Festival of sharing of tradition and heritage through song and dancing honoring Indigenous ancestors and cultures.
Upon arrival, it became apparent we gathered to deal with the spiritual as well as the legal responsibilities of the church as ambassadors for Christ for the healing of the world.
I was particularly impressed by the diversity and unity of our church family. The youth and young adults were present and extremely involved in the governing of the church. I am confident we will continue having a loving, vibrant, meaningful, spiritual and God directed Church.
In this Assembly we witnessed the historic election of Bishop Yehiel Curry as Presiding Bishop and Reverend Lucille “CeCee” Mills as Secretary. Our Church has shown and continues to follow by the Grace of God, inclusiveness, Unity, and God’s love of family for all. We are indeed by God’s Grace Church to the world.
