I have been thinking a lot about, and praying for, our church lately.
A seismic shift is taking place. A major institutional shift which will re-shape us, re-form us, re-make us, and transform us in ways we cannot yet fully imagine or know. Authors such as Phyllis Tickle (The Great Emergence) (2012) have written about this shift noting that every 500 years, the church (as well as political systems, financial institutions, education and the list goes on) goes through a “rummage sale” and cleans out the old forms of spirituality and replaces it with new ones. This does not mean that previous forms become obsolete or invalid but rather they become renegotiated.
Our calling as baptized children in the body of Christ has not changed. We are called …to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). But make no mistake, we are in the midst of a seismic shift.
I have been thinking about, and praying for, our church.
During these first months as National Bishop, I have been with our National Church Council and each of the synods’ church councils, engaged in our “Facing Today—Dreaming for the Future” process which is seeking to hear from every voice across our church, as together we discern the mission and ministry to which God is calling us, and the structure needed to best live into this mission and ministry.
I have been thinking about, and praying for, our church.
February 1, 2026, is our ELCIC Global Mission Sunday, an opportunity to lift up our partner churches, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church –Argentina, and the Lutheran Church–Peru, as well as our companion (synod to church) relationships.
Through the lens of accompaniment, walking together in solidarity, we seek to actively listen to our partners and companions, share their joys and sorrows, and support them in their mission—like they support us in ours.
As I think about our church I’ve been wondering if this lens of accompaniment—so central to our global mission work—might be a guide for us as we journey forward together?
The global mission accompaniment model is one of walking together in solidarity, side by side, practising interdependence and mutuality, in service to God’s mission. The values of the accompaniment model are interconnected, and include mutuality, inclusivity, vulnerability, empowerment and sustainability. The core purpose of these relationships, this accompaniment, is God’s mission.
An accompaniment model of:
Mutuality: All/each of us (each expression of our church, corporately/personally, etc.) have gifts to support God’s mission. There is no mission to, only mission with and among.
Inclusivity: We seek to build relationships across boundaries that exclude and divide.
Vulnerability: Just as Jesus became vulnerable to us, we open ourselves to others.
Empowerment: We seek to identify and correct imbalances of power, which may mean recognizing and letting go of our own.
Sustainability: To ensure the longevity of ministries, we seek to embed mission in ongoing relationships and communities.
Relationships and accompaniment are at the heart of our approach to global ministry. Might this also be at the heart of our ministry as the ELCIC?
Are we being invited, by the spirit of God, to journey forward together in solidarity, side by side, in service to God’s mission, including with local and global partners?
Walking and working together…accompanying…in service to God’s mission?
I’ve been thinking about, and praying for, our church lately. I realize that many others are too.
In Christ Jesus—Shalom.
Rev. Larry Kochendorfer
ELCIC National Bishop
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