April 29, 2026
EaND News and Events | |
Synod Assembly Registration 2026
Registration for Synod Assembly is now open! The Eastern North Dakota Synod will gather in Assembly on June 5-7, 2026 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo, ND under the theme of “Water of Promises, Water of Life.” There will be a bishop election and other important business for our life together as the Eastern North Dakota Synod. Our bible study leader will be Bishop Regina Hassanally from the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. Imran Siddiqui, ELCA Vice President, will oversee the bishop election and serve as our churchwide representative.
The EaND Synod Assembly will begin at 4:30pm on Friday and end after lunch on Sunday (approximately 1:00pm). A draft agenda is now available.
Please note that a sermon by Bishop Tessa (both video and manuscript) will be made available for congregational use during the weekend of Synod Assembly.
Learn more at this link.
Register here!
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Bishop Nominee Forums
You are invited to hear from EaND Synod bishop nominees at the upcoming bishop nominee forum:
April 30, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Faith Lutheran Church, Valley City
You can find additional information about the bishop election process on our website.
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Stewardship Day: Navigating the Summer Slump
Congregations are invited to take part in Navigating the Summer Slump, a hybrid event on May 7 focused on practical ways to stay connected and sustain generosity during the summer months. Designed for ministers, treasurers, and leadership teams, this event offers realistic strategies and digital tools to support participation when routines change.
The in-person portion will be held at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Moorhead, and participants will be able to register to attend either in person or via Zoom, based on what works best for them. Learn more and register here.
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Call Process
Please pray for congregations and rostered ministers in the call process. You can find a list of congregations currently in the call process on our website.
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Recent Communications from the Office of the
Presiding Bishop
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Child Abuse & The Church Webinar Series
On November 12, 2025, the ELCA Church Council adopted a Social Message on Child Protection, calling on congregations to strengthen preaching and teaching on this topic, develop robust policies, and become trauma-informed communities. You can read the full social message here: ELCA Child Protection Social Message.
Wartburg Theological Seminary, in partnership with the Center for Faith & Child Protection (a program of Zero Abuse Project), is hosting a free webinar series featuring theologians and child abuse experts. These webinars will provide practical guidance for implementing the ELCA recommendations and for living out Christ’s call to care for the “least of these.” Click here to register.
2026 Upcoming Webinars
• May 21 – Luther, Lutheran Confessions, and Child Protections (Martin Lohrmann and Timothy Wengert)
• June 18 – Becoming a Trauma-Informed Church (Laura Thein)
• August 27 – Martin Luther on Child Abuse (Victor Vieth)
• September 24 – Lutheran History and Theology (Craig Nessan and Winston Persaud)
• October 22 – Luther on Mental Health to Help Survivors of Child Abuse (Stephen Saunders)
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Soul Shop: Ministering to Faith Communities Affected by Suicide
May 5, 2026
8:30am - 4:30pm
Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo, ND
Cost: $25
It’s estimated that one out of every two people in a given congregation has personally been affected by suicide. Soul Shop trains faith community leaders to offer support, hope, and connection to those in their congregations. Soul Shop is for pastors, priests, youth directors, educators, counselors, therapists, faith community nurses, and any ministry leader. Soul Shop is for lay leaders as well, not just for clergy. It's for anyone who feels CALLED to respond to suicidal desperation.
Co-sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Soul Shop equips participants with the resources and guidance they need to foster hope and healing in their community. Join us for a full-day suicide prevention workshop from the faith perspective.
Learn more and register here or download the Soul Shop flyer here.
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April ELCA Mission Support Memo
Our April 2026 Mission Support memo takes us back to Palm Sunday where this year many palm waving processions continued into the afternoon with journeys through downtown areas, around state buildings, in amphitheaters and in parking lots, as we and our denominational partners cried out for justice, peace and love, during the Palm Sunday Path. Our story focuses on activites in Wisconsin and specifically Northwest Synod of Wisconsin ~ learn about the day with dance, prayer, and calls to action. Also check out how to participate in the May 18 in the evening for a webinar on The Stewardship of AI: Benefits and Concerns.
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Church Property Resource Hub Town Hall
In case you missed it, the ELCA has posted a recording of the recent Church Property Resource Hub town hall!
Imran Siddiqui, vice president of the ELCA; Jennifer Hockenberry, interim executive director of Women of the ELCA; and Lucille "CeCee" Mills, secretary of the ELCA, introduced the new initiative, which is designed to support ELCA congregations as they steward their physical spaces and make mission-focused decisions about property use.
The CPRH leadership team — the Rev. Sarah Jones, Deacon Sarah Kretschmann and the Rev. Tim Brown — shared resources currently available, previewed the online support forum available to congregations, highlighted stories of innovation in using church space, answered questions related to church property and invited congregations to upcoming webinars. Watch the recording here.
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Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts
July 20-22, 2026
St. Olaf College
The Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community and the Nourishing Vocation Projects at St. Olaf College would like to invite you to this year’s Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts: Nourishing Vocation: Every Time, Every Age, Every Place, which takes place in July 2026 at St. Olaf College. The conference will combine signature CWTA musical experiences with innovative and imaginative work being done by both the Nourishing Vocation Project and Nourishing Vocation with Children, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox.
Learn more and register at this link.
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Summer Study at Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School’s Summer Study program features small, online seminars that focus on the Bible or a specialized topic in religion or theology. The program is open to the public and all learners are welcome!
Register today for one or more of our nine YDS Summer Study courses taught by our distinguished YDS faculty members, which will take place June 1-5 online. There are no prior educational requirements and classes are small in size (typically 20 people or fewer). See a full list of classes at this link.
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Yale Divinity School Certificate in Youth Ministry Leadership
We are pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the Yale Divinity School Certificate in Youth Ministry Leadership!
This is a nine-month, digital, cohort-based program where participants learn from faculty and staff from Yale Divinity School and other leading institutions. The next cohort for this academic and practical primer on the themes relevant to leading resilient, healthy, theologically rooted youth ministries will run from September 2026 - May 2027. Applications close on May 15th so save your spot now!
Learn more and register here.
| Registration is now open for the ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering. The gathering will take place July 6-9, 2026 in Indianapolis under the theme "Woven Together." The Rev. Leila Ortiz, former bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, will serve as the event’s theologian-in-residence, working in tandem with the Rev. Lori Kochanski, a fiber artist, ELCA rostered minister and the event’s artist-in-residence. Click here to learn more. | |
Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering
The Women of the ELCA (WELCA) Triennial Gathering will take place July 16-19, 2026 in Des Moines, IA.
Click here to read about this year's theme, see a list of speakers, browse this year's workshops, and more!
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Phone: 701.232.3381
Physical Address: 1555 43rd St S, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58103
Mailing Address: PO Box 2019 Fargo, ND 58107
Office Hours:
Monday: by appointment; phones answered between 1-4pm
Tuesday: 9am-4pm
Wednesday: 9am-4pm
Thursday: by appointment; phones answered between 1-4pm
Friday: 9am-4pm
The physical office is only open by appointment on Mondays and Thursdays; however, the phone will be answered between 1pm-4pm.
We are a Reconciling in Christ Synod.
We, as the Eastern North Dakota Synod ELCA, welcome all into the fullness of God's boundless love, without exception. This welcome is inclusive of people of every race, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental ability, sex, or station in life. United in Christ, we pledge to use and celebrate our differences as gifts for our work together in all things, including racial equity, intentional invitations, and radical hospitality. Inspired by Christ, we commit to advocate for justice, working for dignity, equity, and wholeness for all people.
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