This year, there are two options for submitting a Rostered Leader annual report.
All rostered leaders, active and retired, and those On Leave need to submit an annual report to the synod office (It is in the constitution). Due March 1
These reports give your synod staff essential information about you, and your ministry, and updates to help stay connected.
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.
The Northwest Intermountain Synod Council recently reviewed and approved the 2026 Compensation Guidelines for Deacon and Pastor and are now available at https://nwimsynod.org/documents-resources.
Pulpit Supply guidelines for 2026 have been revised as well.
The prophet Isaiah sings to us on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. Like crocus blossoms it will be abundant with joy...Say to those with fearful hearts, 'be strong, do not be afraid. Here is your God.'"
Thinking about Isaiah's vision, I want to share a story of another kind of flood. A flood of blessing. An abundance of community and care. It also came to a desert recently, and there are blooms of joy and gladness beginning to flourish.
The Church Property Resource Hub is here to help you see the abundance waiting to be cultivated. In this issue of our newsletter, you’ll find a new resource to help church councils see their buildings with new eyes and imagine new ways for these places to be a testimony to God’s abundant love in their neighborhoods.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You have been granted many gifts that prepare you for your work. You are clearly physically fit for the job. You have been trained to detect vulnerable people who match the profile of those you are charged with apprehending. Most of us never even notice vulnerable people, but you do. This, along with a federal government mandate, makes you well suited for your job.
Nov. 30 marked not just the beginning of Advent, but the beginning of a new lectionary year—Matthew for those who follow the RCL and John for those who follow the newer Narrative Lectionary. For several lectionary cycles, my go-to commentary on Matthew has been ethicist Stanely Hauerwas’ commentary in the Brazos section. In conversation with Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship, it helped me draw on the best of Matthew’s gospel—a vision for the church on earth and clarity about what it means to follow Jesus.
I am ready for the old, old story. It does not matter that I have heard this story, sung this story, seen this story portrayed by artists from across the globe, or told this story countless times. Jesus, Son of God, will be born in Bethlehem and visited first by shepherds, far from the halls of power. He is coming soon, already here among us, and will come again, bringing the shalom that only God can bring.
Three one-day events were held at Immanuel Lutheran, Moses Lake (Oct. 25), Our Savior Lutheran, Clarkston, WA (Nov. 1), and First United Methodist, Pocatello (Nov. 15). Our CaSTLE Grant from Wartburg Seminary funded our two professional facilitators, Lauren Hackman-Brooks and Rebecca Hoyt, and paid for lunch at each event. But YOU, all of the participants, made these gatherings so hopeful and life-giving!
You are invited to join - any Wednesday. No advanced registration is required. This is for rostered and non-rostered leaders across the denomination. See our elcacoaching.org events page for the focus of the week.