The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) consists of 65 synods which are configured into nine regional offices. Each of the synods of the ELCA elects one bishop and three synod council officers (vice president, secretary, and treasurer) at its Synod Assembly to oversee the spiritual and organizational activities of its member congregations and elect representatives to the ELCA's churchwide assembly which is in turn led by the presiding bishop. Each synod also has companion relationships with one or more international Lutheran church bodies.
Though synods mostly follow geographical lines, the Slovak Zion Synod is non-geographic and has congregations in multiple U.S. states as well as one in Canada.
Region 1 (Northwestern United States) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesAlaska SynodAlaskaTimothy Oslovich7,80630noneNorthwest Washington SynodNorthwest WashingtonShelley Bryan Wee29,34098Russia (ELCROS)Southwestern Washington SynodSouthwest WashingtonRichard E. Jaech23,36584Namibia (ELCIN, ELCRN, DELK)Northwest Intermountain SynodEastern Washington, IdahoMeggan Manlove18,70489Tanzania (ELCT: Ulanga Kilombero)Oregon SynodOregonLaurie A. Larson Caesar26,252109Poland (ECACRP)Montana SynodMontanaLaurie A. Jungling28,667123Bolivia (IELB) South Africa (ELCSA: Cape Orange Diocese)Totals134,134533
Region 2 (Southwestern US and Wyoming) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesSierra Pacific SynodNorth & Central California, Northern NevadaJeff Johnson 34,286180El Salvador (ILS) Rwanda (LCR)
Taiwan (TLC)Southwest California SynodSouthwest CaliforniaBrenda Bos20,888114El Salvador (ILS) Hong Kong (ELCHK)Pacifica SynodInland Empire (CA), HawaiiDavid C. Nagler23,384103Malaysia (BCCM)Grand Canyon SynodArizona, Southern NevadaDeborah K. Hutterer38,18288Senegal (ELS)Rocky Mountain SynodColorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, West TexasMeghan Johnston Aelabouni49,652154Madagascar (FLM: 4 synods)Totals166,392639
Region 3 (Minnesota and the Dakotas) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesWestern North Dakota SynodWestern North DakotaCraig A. Schweitzer54,946169Central African Republic (EELRCA)Eastern North Dakota SynodEastern North DakotaTessa M. Leiseth88,328201Central African Republic (EELRCA)South Dakota SynodSouth DakotaConstanze Hagmaier96,880202Cameroon (EELC) Nicaragua (ILFE)Northwestern Minnesota SynodNorthwest MinnesotaBill Tesch82,479221India (AELC)Northeastern Minnesota SynodNortheast MinnesotaAmy Odgren53,584132Honduras (ICLH) India (SALC) Russia (ELCIR)Southwestern Minnesota SynodSouthwest MinnesotaDee Pederson102,163232South Africa (ELCSA: South Eastern Diocese)Minneapolis Area SynodMinneapolis (MN)Jen Nagel156,316141Germany (EKD: Saxony) Nigeria (LCCN)Saint Paul Area SynodSaint Paul (MN)Patricia J. Lull102,414105Guatemala (ILAG) Tanzania (ELCT: Iringa Diocese)Southeastern Minnesota SynodSoutheast MinnesotaRegina Hassanally108,067166Colombia (IELCO) Tanzania (ELCT: Central Diocese)
South Sudan (ELCAMSS)Totals845,1771,569
Region 4 (Central United States) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesNebraska SynodNebraskaScott Johnson87,686234Argentina/Uruguay (IELU) Tanzania (ELCT: Northern Diocese)Central States SynodKansas, MissouriDonna Simon41,541165Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG) Russia (ELCUSFE)Arkansas-Oklahoma SynodArkansas, OklahomaMichael Girlinghouse7,15650Great Britain (LCiGB) Tanzania (ELCT: Morogoro Diocese)Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana SynodNorth Texas, North LouisianaErik Gronberg18,19794Sierra Leone (ELCSL)Southwestern Texas SynodSouthwestern TexasSusan Briner31,507123Costa Rica (ILCO)Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast SynodTexas Gulf Coast, South LouisianaMichael W. Rinehart30,345104Central African Republic (EELRCA) Peru (IELP)Totals216,432770
Region 5 (Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesMetropolitan Chicago SynodChicago (IL)Wayne Miller69,073171South Africa (ELCSA: Central Diocese)Northern Illinois SynodNorthern IllinoisStacie Fidlar57,139143India (Acrot) Tanzania (ELCT: North Central Diocese)Central/Southern Illinois SynodCentral & Southern IllinoisS. John Roth34,956121Madagascar (FLM: 2 synods)Southeastern Iowa SynodSoutheast IowaAmy Current79,208136Tanzania (ELCT: Pare and Mwanga dioceses)Western Iowa SynodWestern IowaScott Dalen 42,754121Chile (IELCH) Tanzania (ELCT: North Southern Diocese)Northeastern Iowa SynodNortheastern IowaKevin T. Jones63,259145Hungary (ELCH) Namibia (ELCIN, ELCRN, DELK)Northern Great Lakes SynodUpper MichiganKatherine Finegan21,48779Tanzania (ELCT: Eastern & Coastal Diocese)Northwest Synod of WisconsinNorthwest WisconsinMartin R. Halom77,924195Malawi (ELCM)East-Central Synod of WisconsinEastern WisconsinAnn Edison-Albright64,208118South Africa (ELCSA: Western Diocese)Greater Milwaukee SynodMilwaukee (WI)Paul Erickson59,143119El Salvador (ILS) Tanzania (ELCT: Meru Diocese)South-Central Synod of WisconsinSouthern WisconsinJoy Mortensen-Wiebe81,011133India (NELC)La Crosse Area SynodLa Crosse (WI)Felix Malpica29,51372Czechia (ECCB) Peru (IELP)Totals679,6751,553
Region 6 (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Lower Peninsula) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesSoutheast Michigan SynodSoutheast MichiganDonald P. Kreiss34,448106Jordan/Palestine (ELCJHL) Tanzania (ELCT: Mbulu Diocese)North/West Lower Michigan SynodNorth & West MichiganCraig A. Satterlee30,565109Honduras (ICLH) Latvia (LELB)
Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG)Indiana-Kentucky SynodIndiana, KentuckyTimothy M. Graham43,760176Chile (IELCH) Indonesia (HKBP)Northwestern Ohio SynodNorthwest OhioDaniel G. Beaudoin62,108160Serbia (SECACS) Tanzania (ELCT: Dodoma Diocese)Northeastern Ohio SynodNortheast OhioLaura Barbins44,966164South Africa (ELCSA: Northern Diocese)Southern Ohio SynodSouthern OhioSuzanne D. Dillahunt56,262180Brazil (IECLB) Germany (EKD: Northern Germany)
Kazakhstan (ELCRK)
Tanzania (ELCT: North West Diocese)Totals272,109895
Region 7 (New England, New Jersey, New York, Eastern PA) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesNew Jersey SynodNew JerseyTracie Bartholomew44,875156Namibia (ELCIN, ELCRN, DELK)New England SynodNew England, Northeast New YorkNathan D. Pipho38,163172Honduras (ICLH) Jordan/Palestine (ELCJHL)Metropolitan New York SynodNew York City, Hudson Valley, & Long Island Katrina Foster54,403187Tanzania (ELCT: North West Diocese)Upstate New York SynodUpstate New YorkLee M. Miller, II43,888161Zambia (ELCZa) Zimbabwe (ELCZ)Northeastern Pennsylvania SynodNortheast PennsylvaniaJennifer Dee99,369254Argentina/Uruguay (IELU) Germany (EKD: Saxony)
Slovenia (ECACS)
Tanzania (ELCT: South Central Diocese)Southeastern Pennsylvania SynodSoutheast PennsylvaniaBryan J. Penman59,786148Tanzania (ELCT: North Eastern Diocese)Slovak Zion SynodSlovak heritage (non-geographic)Wilma S. Kucharek2,91620Serbia (SECACS) Slovakia (ECACSR)Totals343,4001,098
Region 8 (Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Western PA) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesNorthwestern Pennsylvania SynodNorthwest PennsylvaniaMichael Lozano16,89275Germany (EKD: Central Germany) Tanzania (ELCT: North Eastern Diocese)Southwestern Pennsylvania SynodSouthwest PennsylvaniaKurt F. Kusserow54,163157Madagascar (FLM, Tulear Synod)Allegheny SynodAllegheny Region (PA)Paula J. Schmitt27,130114Kenya (KELC)Lower Susquehanna SynodLower Susquehanna (PA)Stephen R. Herr 73,915225Tanzania (ELCT: Tulear Diocese)Upper Susquehanna SynodUpper Susquehanna (PA)Craig A. Miller25,571119Germany (EKD: Bavaria) Liberia (LCL)Delaware-Maryland SynodDelaware, MarylandWilliam J. Gohl, Jr49,897160Estonia (EELK) Finland (ELCF)
Tanzania (ELCT: Mara Diocese)Metropolitan Washington, D.C. SynodWashington, D.C. Southern Maryland, Northeast VirginiaPhilip C. Hirsch24,83472Namibia (ELCIN, ELCRN, DELK) El Salvador (ILS)
Slovakia (ECACSR)West Virginia-Western Maryland SynodWest Virginia-Western MarylandMatthew L. Riegel9,50159Madagascar (FLM: Betioky Atsimo Synod)Totals281,901981
Region 9 (Southeastern US, the Caribbean) Synod nameAreaBishopMembershipCongregationsCompanion churchesVirginia SynodVirginiaPhyllis Milton30,212151Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG)North Carolina SynodNorth CarolinaEmily Kuhn Hartner50,501187Costa Rica (ILCO) Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG)South Carolina SynodSouth CarolinaVirginia S. Aebischer40,105147Colombia (IELCO) Japan (JELC) Tanzania (ELCT: South West Diocese)Southeastern SynodAlabama, Georgia, Mississippi, TennesseeKevin L. Strickland35,062139Germany (EKD: Bavaria) Guatemala (ILAG) Malaysia (BCCM)
Singapore (LCS)Florida-Bahamas SynodFlorida, The BahamasPedro M. Suarez43,302166Cuba (IEU-SL) Guyana (ELCG)
Haiti (ELH)
Suriname (ELKS)
Jamaica (UTCWI)Caribbean SynodCaribbeanVivian J. Davila3,53833South Africa (ELCSA: Eastern Diocese)Totals202,720823
Notes
References
External links ELCA: Regions and Synods Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Union Between Christians)