to Support Rural and Small Town Congregations
June 6, 2025
Northwest Intermountain Synod, ELCA Receives Grant from Wartburg Theological Seminary’s CaSTLE Project to Support Rural and Small Town Congregations.
The Northwest Intermountain Synod, ELCA is honored to announce that it has been selected as a grant recipient through The CaSTLE Project: The Country and Small Town Lived Ecclesiology Project, a five-year initiative led by Wartburg Theological Seminary to support renewal in small town and rural congregations.
With this grant, the Northwest Intermountain (NWIM) Synod, ELCA will receive funding to deepen rural ecumenical relationships of lay people and rostered leaders in three areas across our synod as well as relationships between midlevel judicatory leaders (bishops, presbyters, district superintendents). The project seeks to deepen baptismal identity and cultivate thriving, Spirit-led communities of faith in rural contexts.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Wartburg Theological Seminary and The CaSTLE Project,” said Bishop Meggan Manlove, NWIM Synod. “We seek to deepen partnerships for the sake of the Gospel, equipping our congregations and leaders for a future rooted in hope and purpose.”
The CaSTLE Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., is part of the Thriving Congregations Initiative and aims to renew a baptismal ecclesiology for the long-term flourishing of rural congregational life. The first cohort of grantees will gather at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA, from August 11–13, 2025, for a summer conference focused on mutual learning, community-building, and innovation.
“We are excited to walk alongside the leaders of NWIM Synod in this journey of renewal,” said Rev. Ramie Bakken, Director of The CaSTLE Project.
For more information about The CaSTLE Project, visit: https://www.wartburgseminary.edu/castle-project
Local Contact:
Pastor Meggan Manlove
Bishop
bishopmeggan.manlove@nwimsynod.org