Churchwide Assembly
Posted on Jul 30, 2025 by Pastor Jealaine Marple
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
And gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
(Psalm 107:1-3)
Our scripture will be a bit different this week, thanks to the musical, but if we were reading our regular readings, the early service would have heard the Psalm above. I still highlight it because our denomination is doing exactly what the Psalm says: gathering from all the corners of the U.S. for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. The ELCA gathers every three years for a business meeting of sorts, and that is currently happening in Phoenix (of all places). Most prevalent on the agenda: the election of a new ELCA presiding bishop and secretary.
One thing you will discover about me is that I am a certifiable church nerd. So maybe it won’t surprise you that instead of being asleep, I was tuned into the livestream of the first day of the meeting at 11:30 p.m. on Monday. I have attended this meeting as a visitor and as a voting member and I can attest, it is five long but Holy Spirit-filled days.
I don’t know what the Holy Spirit will do this time around, but I am excited to watch as much as I can. Our future as a denomination is bright and full of promise because we continue to discern what Jesus is doing for us and through us. The theme for the assembly is “For the Life of the World.” And that is our focus: Jesus for the life of the world.
Over the five days, the assembly of 750+ voting members from all over the country will talk, pray, debate, vote, and discern what God would have us do for the life of the world. I will share the highlights with you when all is said and done. But, if you want to “nerd out” with me, all worship and meeting sessions are livestreamed on the ELCA YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@elca).
May the Holy Spirit drive us all to be bread for the life of the world!
Peace in Christ,
Pastor J