PHOENIX — From July 28 to August 2, 2025, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America convened its Churchwide Assembly at the Phoenix Convention Center under the theme “For the Life of the World.” Faithful voting members from across our Lutheran Church gathered to worship, conduct business, and discern leadership and direction for the next several years of our ministry. Our Synod was represented by Bishop Wilma S. Kucharek, the Rev. Kathleen Mills, Mr. Jim Curtin, Mr. Joshua Drobena, and Mr. John Mills. The Churchwide Assembly was preceded by meetings of the ELCA Church Council and the Conference of Bishops.
The Assembly opened with a worship service of Holy Communion. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton preached on the Eucharist as an act of resistance amid division, reminding the Assembly that “in the Eucharist, we are ‘re-membered,’ and in God, nothing is lost”. The Rev. Deborah Hutterer, Bishop of the hosting Grand Canyon Synod, extended greetings, and Ms. Tracey Beasley introduced the evening’s litany of confession and repentance for patriarchy and sexism—part of a church-wide commitment begun in 2019. Voting members cast their first ballot for Presiding Bishop the following morning. The Assembly continued with plenary discussions and worship opportunities, as well as further legislative work and preparations for upcoming ballots.
On July 30, the Rev. Yehiel Curry, bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, was elected Presiding Bishop on the fifth ballot. On August 1, the Rev. Lucille “CeCee” Mills was elected Secretary of the ELCA for a six-year term on the fifth ballot.
On August 1, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton delivered her report and was honored by the assembly for her twelve years of faithful service to this Church. The Assembly also formally recognized its ecumenical and interreligious partners, some of whom were gathered in person to give greetings to the assembly, including the Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. Voting members considered amendments to the ELCA’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions as part of the church’s ongoing governance review.
In addition to elections and governance matters, the Churchwide Assembly also considered numerous memorials submitted by synods across the ELCA, which serve as formal requests for the denomination to take specific action or consider theological and social concerns. Among these was a memorial sent from the 2022 Assembly of the Slovak Zion Synod, and was the only theologically-focused memorial, calling on the ELCA and the Office of the Presiding Bishop to officially recognize and commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). The memorial was received by the Churchwide Assembly with gratitude, highlighting the council’s significance for Christian unity, shared identity through our Nicene creed, and the church’s ongoing witness in a fragmented world.
Additional memorials received from ELCA synods addressed such myriad topics as climate justice, racial equity, gun violence, and global Lutheran concerns and partnerships—demonstrating the diverse concerns of the ELCA’s member synods and our church’s ongoing engagement with both our historical foundations as well as our present-day challenges.
Other business of the assembly included: Reception of the Common Statement on the Filioque; Adoption of our newest Social Statement: Faith and Civic Life; Updates to the Human Sexuality Social Statement; the final report of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (whose work was also reflected in some of the constitutional revisions); and the ELCA Church Council’s response to the Commission’s report.
Evenings included business sessions, an educational Powwow, a Candlelight Vigil for refugees and immigrants, and a celebratory banquet in honor of the outgoing Presiding Bishop and Secretary.
Each day’s worship services included sermons by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; Rev. Imad Mousa Dawood Haddad, bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land; Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, General Secretary and President of the National Council of Churches; and the Rev. Wyvetta Bullock, ELCA executive for administration.
In addition, we heard from Professor Chad Rimmer from Lenoir-Rhyne University and Southern Seminary, who reminded us of the following quote by Martin Luther:
“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 in glory, but all is being purified.”
Martin Luther. Defense and Explanation of All the Articles (1521)
You must be logged in to post a comment.