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The Conference of Bishops of the ELCA met Sept. 22-26 at the Lutheran Center in Chicago. The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, welcomed six new bishops elected this year.
Deborah Hutterer, bishop of the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod and chair of the conference, said the meeting provided an “opportunity to gather in worship, prayer, fellowship, study and deliberation about the ongoing ministry of this church and our congregations. Together, we pondered how we can participate in God’s mission and serve the church.”
In his presiding bishop’s report to the conference, Yehiel Curry offered highlights of key developments across the churchwide organization that will continue to strengthen sustainability, improve organizational alignment and cultivate opportunities for ministry growth.
To assist with these efforts, Curry announced that Wyvetta Bullock, whose term as executive for administration ended Sept. 30, will serve in a part-time special assignment through the end of the year. Bullock’s work will focus on researching, identifying and recommending organizational changes that may improve organizational efficiency and strengthen support for the churchwide organization’s mission and purpose.
Curry also announced that the ELCA Exploration team will be integrated into the ELCA Innovation unit, creating a unified structure. This will help align complementary work, reduce unnecessary duplication, strengthen internal collaboration and maximize the impact of both churchwide and donor-supported investments.
During the meeting, the conference:
• Heard a presentation from Annette Shoemaker, interim president and CEO of the ELCA Foundation. The conference discussed how the Foundation could interact more equitably with synods.
• Received an update on Portico Benefit Services from Chris Johnson, Portico president and CEO. As a follow-up, the conference requested that future considerations of changes to benefit plans and rate increases that impact congregations, synods or plan members involve consultation with the conference. It also asked that a committee comprising members from the conference, the ELCA Church Council and Portico be created to review and evaluate the Portico Philosophy of Benefits and make recommendations to the conference.
The conference also received:
• An update from the Task Force on Interdependence and Purpose from co-chairs Rachel Irene Faulkner; Simon Wong; Anthony Ormbee-Hale; Bryan Penman, bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod; and Regina Hassanally, bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. The first stage of the task force’s work focused on the constitutional purpose statements, developing language that is more accessible to members. Discussions with the conference centered on this work and next steps as the task force drafts proposed recommendations for the Church Council’s fall 2027 meeting. The conference serves as consultants on the task force.
• An update on the “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” task force from Brenda Bos, bishop of the Southwest California Synod, and Kevin Jones, bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod, who serve as liaison bishops. The task force is leading the church in a reconsideration of the current concept of four convictions Lutherans hold in conscience in the social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.” The group is still in the discernment and study phase as they work to prepare draft text for public comment, due in spring 2027. Ryan Cumming, director of theological ethics, and Laurie Jungling, program director for theological ethics, offered guidance to the conference on how best to interpret the task force’s work within their synods.
• A report on candidacy manual revisions from Timothy Graham, bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. The work is being led by Greg Villalon, interim senior director for leadership for ELCA Christian Community and Leadership. The revisions will address areas that need greater clarity and develop those not addressed in earlier work, including support for multiple pathways of theological education.
• A presentation on synod diversity goals presented by Judith Roberts, senior director for diversity, equity and inclusion and interim director for African Descent and African Ministries, and Adam DeHoek, senior director for research and evaluation. The survey was created to help synods discern how well they are living into constitutional commitments for diverse, inclusive leadership and participation in the life of the church. The current goal reporting incorporates language from chapter 5 of the ELCA constitution that also defines diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; it includes historically underrepresented groups within the church and society as well as greater representation of youth and young adults.
• A report on the misconduct prevention survey from Anne Edison-Albright, bishop of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin, and Jeff Johnson, bishop of the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod. The survey was conducted to better understand how synods structure and carry out their processes for handling clergy misconduct. Kendra Stea, director for misconduct prevention, shared available resources to help those synods dealing with clergy misconduct.
• A presentation on the 10th anniversary of the ELCA Federal Chaplaincy Ministries Scholarship Endowment from Suzanne Dillahunt, bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod and liaison bishop to the ELCA chaplains, and Murray Finck, who oversees the scholarship committee. The endowment, part of the ELCA Fund for Leaders, was launched in 2016 to provide financial support to ELCA seminary students open to a call to military chaplaincy. Established with an initial fundraising goal of $30,000, the scholarship fund has raised $2.5 million.
