A message from the presiding bishop regarding an update on the listening panel

March 24, 2022

For those of you who are wondering about the particulars of the process to address the issues that arose in the Sierra Pacific Synod, I want to give you an update on the ways in which we are moving forward.

I have selected members of a Listening Team who have begun their work and will soon travel to the territory of the synod to conduct a series of interviews.

These interviews will be times of holy listening to people who have been affected in various ways by the situation. I have chosen members of the Listening Team to represent the diversity of the church and to reflect the communities most directly involved. They will conclude their work after Easter and will provide a report to me that will serve as an advisory document for my prayerful discernment and decision-making.

Please understand that I am seeking to balance the need to move quickly with the need to move thoughtfully and thoroughly. Certainly, the work of the Listening Team is just one part of the lengthy and deep work that we must do in the ELCA to continue to be transformed by the gospel for the work of justice and peace.

Please join me in holding in prayer the church and all those affected by these events.

In Christ,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Read the Spanish version.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org