The 2025 ELCIC National Convention was held in Winnipeg July 10-13 at the University of Manitoba campus. The convention, under the theme “Rejoicing in Hope,” gathered voting delegates and guests from across Canada for full days of conversations, important elections and other church business.
The convention was a result of many national staff and volunteers putting in hours of work getting ready for delegates, visitors, and guests. A special thank you to all the volunteers from throughout the MNO Synod who served as volunteers at the convention–especially Faye and John Schultz (Sherwood Park Lutheran, Winnipeg) who served as co-chairs of the Local Arrangements Committee.
Convention opened with worship, uplifting the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women to the roster of pastors in the Lutheran Church in Canada. Rev. Vivian Roberts, the first woman ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada was present for worship. Women pastors were invited to vest, process, and participate in worship.
This year, a key task of the National Convention was electing a new National Bishop. Rev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer, currently serving in the BC Synod, was elected on the sixth ballot. The convention spent an evening celebrating and giving thanks for the ministry of Bishop Susan Johnson who is retiring after 18 years as the National Bishop. Please keep Bishop Susan, Bishop-elect Larry, his spouse Cathy and their families in your prayers as they transition to their new journeys.
There were elections for the National Church Council (NCC) from each of our 5 synods. Rev. Chris Bishopp (Pastor, Faith Lutheran Winnipeg) and Sarah Harrington (Member, St. Mark’s Winnipeg) are MNO members on NCC. Please hold these and all members of the National Church Council in prayer as they continue to lead this church. We also elected members for the Court of Appeal. A full list of election results is available at https://elcic.ca/elections/.
In addition to all the elections, the Leadership Award was presented (more information on that HERE), and the convention received video presentations from our National Church Task Forces addressing: Ability and Inclusion; Carbon Neutrality; Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia; and Racism, White Supremacy and Racial Justice. We heard from guests representing the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Moravian Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church of America among others. The newly elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land gave a compelling and convicting report on the situation in that context.
The convention also included considering several motions and decisions. A motion to limit the term of the National Bishop to two six-year terms was referred to NCC to propose the necessary bylaw changes at the next National Convention. A motion was passed to create a Young Adults Advisory Council. A motion was sent to NCC to consider adding two positions on NCC for under 30 representation. A motion passed regarding a commitment to ongoing solidarity with and prayer for Arab Christians in the Holy Land.
The national church is inviting the whole church into an engagement process entitled Facing Today – Dreaming for the Future, that will engage each one of us in dreaming and discerning how God is at work in us and in our church over the next 3 years (and beyond). The national church has hired consultants to lead in this work, along with a Steering Committee made of members from NCC and each synod that will invite each of us as members and congregations to reflect on how to live into our call as baptized people of God as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada in 2025 and beyond. The work officially got underway at National Convention, gathering data as delegates discussed questions like: “where are you seeing life in your congregation, in your synod, in the national church.?” You can read more about this process HERE.
The National Convention is a reminder to all of us that the work of the church and as individual Christians is so much bigger than what we see day to day or week to week. As we hear the stories from around the Church we see God at work in the world and in our neighbourhood. Gathering for intentional worship, fellowship and discussion reminds all of us that as followers of Christ the work we are called to do is so much bigger than ourselves, and that God calls us to use what we have for a world in need.
“Rejoicing in Hope” reminds all of us that God is so much bigger than we can see or imagine. The work of this Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, expands beyond our neighbourhoods and individual congregations, while being deeply rooted in the ways we are living out our vision and values in our local contexts.
The National Convention delegates will be reporting back to their congregations on their experiences and the business of convention in the coming weeks. If no one from your congregation attended the convention, you may consider inviting a volunteer or delegate from a neighbouring congregation to share about their experience with you.
Thank you for continuing to hold the work of the MNO Synod and the whole Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada in your prayers as we rejoice in the hope that through the gift of love given to us in Jesus Christ, we are called into relationship with God and with our neighbour for the sake of the world.
