Current News
The Northwest Intermountain Synod Council recently reviewed and approved the 2026 Compensation Guidelines for Deacon and Pastor are now available.
Pulpit Supply guidelines for 2026 have been revised as well.
Save the dates for 2026 Synod Assembly and Bishop’s Convocation.
I am writing this on All Saints Sunday, one of my favorite festivals of the church year. I love that we take this day to remember the pillars of faith (saints like Francis, Julian, Hildegard, and Augustine) and the ordinary saints of our own lives and the lives of our congregations (I am thinking especially of my half-brother and father today).
I have become just a bit obsessed this year with Ray Makeever’s hymn (found in All Creation Sings): Death be Never Last. He wrote the first verse shortly after his wife died and the other verses came later. Here’s a choral arrangement of the hymn by David Sims:
There were many exciting, new learnings/awakenings for me at the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering. I felt privileged to be with people passionate in service for those in need through sustainability, healing, and justice.
You can now download the Adult Advent Series Four-Week Devotional Guides, an additional “Biblical Botany” resource, and our Children’s Christmas Book resource from the Sumud webpage
The year 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea, a pivotal moment in the history of Christianity. This ecumenical council, which gathered Christian leaders from across regions, cultures, and languages, was a defining event in the development of the Christian faith. At the council, these leaders worked to articulate the church’s core beliefs, codifying them into a creedal form for public affirmationof faith in Christian worship and education.
The Rev. Yehiel Curry was installed as the ELCA’s fifth presiding bishop on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Minneapolis, Minn. This webpage provides the details, and the live video stream is now available.
January 30th-Feb 1st
BYG (Building Youth Groups) Youth Winter Weekends is a fun-filled weekend designed to help your youth group grow together in community and faith. It doesn’t matter what size your youth group is, BYG (Building Youth Groups) is just right for building faith that sticks with your crew.
Travel seminar to Greece and Turkey
May 21-June 7, 2026
Professor Barbara Rossing invites our synod to join the Lutheran School of Theology's "World of the Bible" travel seminar to Greece and Turkey, May 21-June 7, 2026.
I know that Martin Luther cherished the image of God as a fortress, a powerful buffer against the forces of evil. This Reformation Day, 2025, I am drawn to the God of both refuge and refugia, a God who shelters me with a warm embrace and also a God who is hiding among the ashes of total wreckage.
You are invited to attend one of our upcoming virtual town halls introducing the new Church Property Resource Hub. A project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Church Property Resource Hub is being developed in response to requests from synod and local congregation leaders for support in navigating the challenges and opportunities that buildings and land represent — for both congregational vitality and the wider mission of the church.
Webinar: Monday, Nov. 17, at 5 pm PST/ 6 pm MST
Every church should be a place where everyone feels welcome and included — regardless of ability. But making your facilities more accessible doesn't have to break the bank.
Enrollment is now open for Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) 2026 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN! LSM is a faith-based residential music academy for high school students who come together to immerse themselves in musical excellence and build a supportive and fun community.
You are invited to a celebration of 96 years of ministry and the final worship of Central Lutheran Church, Spokane. 512 S Bernard St, Spokane, WA 99204
November 8 & 9
Our guests from our companion synod, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, would be happy to take your extra clergy shirts and tabs!
The ELCA Churchwide Assembly held July 28 – Aug 2, adopted a new Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Link: 2025 Model Constitution for Congregations
Important highlights from the Introduction paragraph of the updated constitution regarding expectations of each congregation and the review process.
This afternoon, the ELCA will came together for the installation of Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry. We had a number of ecumenical guests, but I am sure so many people present were ELCA Lutherans, and I thought again of the many gifts present in that sanctuary.
JANUARY 16 – 19, 2026
A Spirited Assessment of the Christian Story in the Light of Earth-based Wisdom and Today’s Sciences
Seaside, OR
Registration Open September 12-December 15
FREE Exploration Workshop
Come join the Northwest Intermountain and the Northern Great Lakes Synods in this extraordinary opportunity to focus the efforts of your congregation and clarify your mission. The entire series by congregational experts with Living the Resurrection will begin in January and has a $2000 value, but thanks to a generous gift from each synod, the series will only cost each congregation $50. Join this exploration workshop Nov. 13 to see what's possible.
Free Webinar
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
11:00a-12:00pm MT / 10:00-11:00am PT
A one-hour free webinar titled "Addiction & Youth: Trends & Challenges" hosted by the Center of Addiction & Faith. Guest presenter will be Michael Durchslag, Director of P.E.A.S.E. Academy, the longest running recovery high school in the U.S.A., and Board Chair of the Association of Recovery Schools.
The Shape of Leadership is for clergy who want to renew their leadership, and step up their ability so they can significantly impact the future of our faith communities.
Tailored specifically for small town and rural contexts, this six-session webinar series will introduce participants to baptismal ecclesiology and its practical application for the life of the church. Sessions will be hosted on zoom at 5pm PST/ 6pm MST/7pm CST.
Coming February 2026 How to Lead Change Without Losing Your People
Change in ministry is never just about strategy, it’s about people. This session equips leaders with practical tools to guide their communities through real, specific changes while building trust, reducing resistance, and keeping people engaged along the way.
I am deeply troubled by incidents of racial profiling* that are happening across this country in the name of law enforcement and national security. Such inhumane treatment is being employed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in wanton immigration stops, targeting individuals based on race, ethnicity, language, occupation or location. In particular, I and many in this church lament the Supreme Court action of Sept. 8 in which the court granted a stay of a lower court's restraining order that had limited such enforcement practices in Los Angeles while judicial action is pending.
Scott Kinder-Pyle, Interim Pastor at Northwood Presbyterian Church and Certified Chaplain with Gentiva Hospice, has offered some essay-reflections and poems in his newly published book, Hospice Chaplain, Interrupted.
We’re excited to share the latest School Spotlight featuring Advent Lutheran Child Center in Spokane Valley, Washington!