Northwest Intermountain Synod Receives Grant from Wartburg Theological Seminary’s CaSTLE Project to Support Rural and Small Town Congregations
Northwest Intermountain Synod: ELCA (NWIM Synod) is honored to announce that it has been selected again 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 $30,000 grant, NWIM Synod will host three more one-day rural ecumenical gatherings (United at the Font: Partnering for the Future) in North Idaho (Sandpoint north), North Central Washington, and the Southern Idaho/Oregon border. The synod will also host half-day follow-up events, following up on the fall 2025 United at the Font events in Moses Lake, Clarkston, and Pocatello. The grant will all fund team coaching for ecumenical cohorts born out of these in-person gatherings. Finally, the synod will host pastors from other denominations who serve ELCA congregations and ELCA pastors who serve other denominations for one extra day following the Synod Assembly in Kennewick in April; this will be a time of mutual learning. 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. “This grant will allow us to deepen ecumenical collaboration for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, equipping our pastors, deacons, and lay leaders for a future rooted in hope and purpose.”
Our coaching cohorts will be spaces for people to hear how others are living out their baptismal vocation and particular callings and experiment with doing ministry together. Whatever the Holy Spirit is calling followers of Jesus into, we know that we cannot do this work alone. We need one another. Further, we know from the 2025 United at the Font gatherings that participants care about their baptismal identity. One of the activities the facilitator led the group through was Getting to Know Each Other's Traditions. She had them respond to the prompt: "What ritual, symbol, teaching, or practice in your denomination is most meaningful to you?” NWIM Synod Assistant to the Bishop Pastor Phil Misner reported, “Folks from each denomination present spoke about the centrality of baptism and its importance to them personally and to their faith tradition.” A participant reported, “I enjoyed the opportunity to share with other participants as well as the people at my table. I think we all realized that we have similar goals across denominations. I liked being assigned to tables, which motivated us to learn more about each other.” Another participant reported, “Sharing stories was meaningful and impactful.”
The CaSTLE Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., aims to renew a baptismal ecclesiology for the long-term flourishing of rural congregational life. NWIM Synod continues among a growing cohort of synod grantees, shaped by 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 and https://www.thecastleproject.org
Upcoming Webinars - Save the Date
February 3 - 11am PST/noon MST - This is the 2nd in a two-part series on Adaptive Change. Part one (with accompanying toolkit) is available on our CaSTLE Platform.
February 16th, March 16th, April 20th all at 5pm PST/6pm MST - These are dates for the 2nd half of our six-session series introducing Baptismal Ecclesiology. The first three webinars are available on our CaSTLE platform.
Registration for these webinars will open in early January on our website: www.thecastleproject.org.