Current News
News articles on:
New 2026 Portico Health ID Card
EAP Update for ELCA-Primary Members
January is Financial Wellness Month
Registration for the 2026 Rostered Ministers Gathering , happening July 6-9 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Ind., is now open! All ELCA deacons, pastors and bishops (under call, on leave or disability, or retired) and candidates approved for call are invited to a time of intentional connection when we can renew our strength, enjoy camaraderie with colleagues and reflect on the Holy Spirit’s work among us.
The Western States Youth Gathering returns to Southern California this summer, calling for youth and adult leaders to register!
This gathering uniquely brings together youth from across the western United State to connect with like-minded peers in worship, games, and learning.
The SHARE Fund of the Northwest Intermountain Synod provides additional resources to help congregations and other outreach ministries during time of change and/or development and to provide for the spiritual and emotional support of those on the roster in our synod.
Saturday, February 23, 10 AM
LCSNW Tri-Cities is honored to bring together partners and community members from all faith backgrounds in support of the families we serve
Lugala Hospital is the only medical facility operating in a large geographic area. They try to address all the medical needs for the area. One thing they have not had is a well-equipped dental office. When asked, they requested $5000 to repair the office and get a dental chair. With the generosity of the people of the Northwest Intermountain Synod, we were able to fill that request and the funds are in transit.
Saturday, January 31
8:30am - 3pm PST
Plenary Panels | Briefings | Workshops
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).
These reports give your synod staff essential information about you, and your ministry, and updates to help stay connected.
We’ll be gathering as a Synod April 24-26 at Kennewick First Lutheran Church for the 2026 Synod Assembly. We are living into a new rhythm with our Synod Assembly gatherings. Every three years we’ll gather in person with two years of online Assemblies in between. So, this is your chance to be fully embodied with your siblings from across the Northwest Intermountain Synod.
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.
When change hits your congregation or synod, whether it's a pastoral transition, budget cuts, facility decisions, or shifting community needs, the technical part is rarely the hardest. It's the people part: resistance, conflicts, or members who just disappear. This 75-minute session gives you a practical framework and specific tools to lead through real change while keeping your community engaged and your own leadership grounded.
Join in online for a night of centering multiracial voices from across the ELCA as we observe the 2026 National Day of Racial Healing. This free program will feature intentional storytelling through words and music and provide opportunities for deep listening, reflection and drawing closer together as fellow children of God.
Now is the time to nominate students for LSM 2026. Enrollment for next summer is filling quickly, and we expect most remaining spots to be filled by the March 1 Standard Enrollment deadline. At LSM, students connect advanced musical study with worship and the joy of Lutheran church music traditions.
LWF Youth (18-30 years old) reflect on the spiritual call to peacebuilding, learn from peacebuilding professionals across the globe, engage in conversation with peers from around the world, and mobilize to build peace in their own contexts.
Young Adults (ages 21-35) are invited to apply for the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program where they will spend a year in international service through the accompaniment model lens.
Are you wondering if seminary might be right for you? Consider joining PLTS visit and discernment weekend, Signs Along the Way, March 13th - 15th in Berkeley, California.
Fresh from the printers, we are excited to share this business card sized reminder of the baptismal promises to live, hear, proclaim, serve, and strive as we respond to the call of God to love and serve the neighbor.
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.
Community of Holden, we are abundantly aware of darkness brought on by grief, fear, and frustration from the closure of Holden from road washouts and the unknowing of what lies ahead for the people and infrastructure of the village we hold dear. Landslides of soil and forest debris may continue. Rather than allowing our grief to become landslides of frustration, our way forward is through the One who is the Life and Light so that we may reflect the Life and Light into the heaviness of the larger world and of the particularities of Holden.
Welcome to 2026: The Way of Love! What follows is a 12-session collection of devotions written by leaders from across Northwestern Ohio. These 15 to 20 minute devotions are ideal for when church council gathers, when committees or staff meet, or for use at any regular gathering.
Position opening: Minister for Christian Formation and Discipleship
Part-Time: 15 hours per week.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, Arizona, invites applications and nominations for the Executive Director position. The Executive Director will amplify Spirit in the Desert’s mission as a Lutheran-rooted ministry that welcomes people of all backgrounds to a place of peace, renewal, healing, and spiritual growth.
I have thought a great deal about how singing together is something I missed so much during pandemic days, how I love singing with youth and summer staff around a campfire at camp, how during an ELCA Youth Gathering we often sang our way home from the mass gatherings in the dome, how singing Taize chants quietly with others gives me that peace that passes understanding. And sometimes, when I cannot find my voice, I simply listen and let others carry the song. Collective or communal singing is one of the best things we can do for our spiritual, emotional, and communal health, and it is something Christians, including Lutherans, have a lot of experience with.
“From Tenants to Partners: Aligning Mission With Rental Relationships”
Throwback Webinar: Community Purchasing Alliance
Stewardship Resources
A Desert Sojourn Retreat
Back by popular demand! This Spring Training retreat returns to
Spirit in the Desert
March 10-13, 2026
“We Shall Overcome: Building the Beloved Community Today”
Saturday, January 31, 8:30am - 3:00pm
This Christmas, listen closely. The heaven’s are still whispering: “Jesus is here, God loves you.” Share that love with the world.
The ELCA Office of the Secretary has released a recorded webinar and PowerPoint presentation to help congregation leaders better understand and update their constitutions. The hour-long session, “Congregation Constitution 101,” was designed especially for congregation councils and leaders across the ELCA and is now available for on-demand viewing.
Our companion synod, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese (UKD) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, has a Secondary and Bible school as one of their ministries: Tumaini Lutheran Secondary School. This is a boarding school for boys and girls as they get their first 4 years of secondary education. The school is well regarded and the NWIM Synod has shown great support for the school. As you talk to the leaders throughout the UKD, many have their roots at Tumaini. It is a school that is teaching the leaders for the diocese as pastors, doctors, teachers, evangelists, and business owners. Our support over the years has made a huge difference for the UKD and for the entire country.