Our Bishop

This is a great time of change in the church. We have seen congregations close across the country. We see more and more congregations searching for partners —either ELCIC or ecumenical—to be able to keep going. This seems to be a pattern for the immediate future.

We know some synods are facing financial challenges and so is the National Church and our national and international partners.

And yet, we know the Holy Spirit is at work among us, turning things upside down and inside out. And it’s not just us, it’s churches throughout the northern hemisphere.

At the same time, we continue to see signs of new growth and new ministries that are thriving, and bold experiments to reach out to neighbours, in a continuing journey to deepen our discipleship.

It’s also a great time of change in leadership in the church. At three of the synod conventions this year we elected new bishops, and next year at the National Convention we will elect a new National Bishop.

Sometimes this much change can cause anxiety. Especially when we don’t know where the changes are going to take us. But change can also be a time of excitement and growth. We need to trust that God is leading us into a new future and will be there to support us and equip us as we move forward together.

One of the ways I continue to remain hopeful is in the faithfulness of our global partners. Our national partners and our global companions continue to remind us that it is not the size or the structure of a church that justifies it, rather it is its faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel and administering the sacraments. In April, I had the chance to visit our partner church in Argentina and Uruguay, the Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Unidad (IELU). We were able to dedicate three new classrooms in one of the church’s schools—our most recent project with IELU. As I heard the speeches and saw the young faces of those who would move into the new classrooms, I was filled with hope for our partner and the way it chooses to preach the gospel through education.

Paul wrote in Romans: Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Romans 5:5).

Hope does not disappoint us!

This is what I’ve learned from God and this is what I’ve learned from you as I’ve travelled across our church. Through your faithfulness, through your witness, through your creativity, through your hopefulness, I have learned that hope does not disappoint.
We are liberated by God’s grace. We are blessed with a hope in Jesus Christ that will not disappoint us. We are being strengthened to meet the challenges ahead.

Our church will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026. Am I worried that we won’t be around to celebrate our 50th anniversary? No way! Many things are going to change, we are going to look and be organized differently. We will probably be smaller. But will we still be living out God’s grace and unconditional love? You bet. Because we are God’s church and that is what God is calling us to do.

Sometimes in the midst of challenges hope is hard to hang on to. But I promise you it’s there because it comes to us as a gift from God as a sign of God’s love. So, hang on to hope. Feel God’s love. Let’s live together into the future God has in store for us.

Rev. Susan Johnson
ELCIC National Bishop