SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2026
sYNOD ASSEMBLY > sYNOD aSSEMBLY 2026
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2026
To strive for Justice
And Peace in all the Earth
June 4-6, 2026
Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center
Our upcoming Synod Assembly will be a particularly meaningful and historic gathering as it includes the election of a bishop through the ecclesiastical ballot process.
This Spirit-led process invites prayerful discernment and faithful participation from all voting members as together we listen for God’s guidance in calling our bishop for the next six years. In addition to this important election, the assembly will feature worship, learning, and time for connection and celebration—an opportunity to experience the life of our church in action. Join us as we gather in community, guided by faith and open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
OFFERING
Fifty percent of the offering collected at synod assembly will support the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), a Native-led nonprofit working to end violence against Native women and communities through advocacy, training, and survivor support. The remaining 50% will support the Bishop’s Resource Fund. The Bishop’s Resource Fund provides emergency assistance to rostered leaders and their families, and helps cover costs for continuing education and training opportunities
Select the button below and on the form choose "Synod Assembly Offering 2026",
or offerings may be placed in the baskets by the font during worship at Synod Assembly.
Bishop Election Overview
Almighty God, you have given your Holy Spirit to the church to lead us into all truth. Bless with the Spirit's grace and presence the people of our synod as we prepare to elect a bishop. Keep us steadfast in faith and united in love, that we may manifest your glory and prepare for the way of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
-
The election of a synod bishop in the ELCA is a prayer-filled, constitutional discernment process for the Synod Assembly. With the support from colleagues across the ELCA and the prayers of many, the body of Christ in our synod territory sends representatives from each congregation to elect a leader for a six-year term to guide the life of our synod, its congregations, and its rostered leaders.
The bishop is pastor to the whole synod who is called to care for our life together. They ordain rostered leaders, care for the roster, tend ecumenical relationships, speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, lead the synod in mission with the help of synod staff and council, and serve as our chief administrative officer.
-
As outlined in section 9 of our constitution, and the 2026 Bishop Election Charterapproved by the synod council, the election begins with an “ecclesiastical ballot” which serves as a nominating ballot. Any minister of Word and Sacrament (pastor) in the ELCA can be nominated, even if they are not in attendance or currently serving within the East Central Synod of Wisconsin. If an election does not take place on the first ballot, a process unfolds that allows for the Synod Assembly to hear from each candidate. Times of singing and prayer accompany the process that takes place over the course of the gathering.
Pastor Doug Holtz of the Bishop Election Committee shares this video as an overview of the process.
-
The Pre-Identification process functions as a part of the Ecclesiastical Ballot. Names of any rostered minister of word and sacrament may be nominated. One person would lift up one potential candidate for nomination in this process. Then on the Ecclesiastical ballot at Synod Assembly the name must be lifted up by a voting member at the Assembly to be nominated, unless the nominee has withdrawn their name.
Some Pre-Identified Individuals have been lifted up through conference assemblies. Other names may be submitted by members of our Synod via the email: bishop.election@ecsw.org or by filling out this nomination form. Please provide the name, ministry or congregation of the minister of word and sacrament you are identifying, and their contact information. Please also include your contact information and your congregation name and town. Names may be submitted until March 31st.
Bishop Election Resources
Forms and Links
Request for Withdrawal from Ballot for Bishop
Authorization and Release for Background Checks and Screening
Worship and Bible Study Resources
Prayer petitions for worship
Bible Study resource (coming soon)
Congregation Resources
Google folder with bulletin inserts, newsletter blurbs, and more
Constitutional Provisions for the election of a bishop
Video from Pr. Doug Holtz describing the Ecclesiastical Ballot
2026 Bishop Election Committee
ECSW Constitution Provisions - Election of a Bishop
Email the Bishop Election Committee
Prayers
BISHOP ELECTION Committee
Vice President: Nancy Schanke — Trinity, Waupaca
Chair: Kira James — Mt Calvary, Rothschild
Chair: Rev. Karen Jewel-VanBuskirk — Retired Rostered Minister
Heather Miller — Peace, Oshkosh
Angie Huckbody — Good Shepherd, Wausau
Rev. Doug Holtz — Interim Rostered Minister
Rev. Trent Zeitler — Rostered Minister
Rev. Ben Williams — Calvary, Green Bay
Rev. Mark Laatsch — Grace, Winchester
Have questions for the team? Contact us at bishop.election@ecsw.org
KEYNOTE Speaker Churchwide Representative
The Rev. Dr. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni was elected to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod on April 27, 2024. She is the first woman to serve as bishop in the Rocky Mountain Synod.
A lifelong Lutheran, Bishop Meghan has roots in the Rocky Mountain Synod: she was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City (UT) and later attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Cheyenne (WY) before moving to northern California. Her faith was formed in local congregations, Lutheran outdoor ministries (including Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp), and youth ministries in the Rocky Mountain and Sierra Pacific synods.
Bishop Meghan studied Religion and English at California Lutheran University, received her Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and earned a Ph.D. in Religion, Media, and Culture from Iliff School of Theology and the University of Denver. Ordained in 2007, Bishop Meghan completed her seminary internship at Ashburn Lutheran Church and School on Chicago’s south side, served as associate pastor at Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Elk Grove Village, IL, and served as co-pastor with her spouse, the Rev. Gabi Aelabouni, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO. Bishop Meghan and Pastor Gabi, together with their three children, also lived and served for five years in Jerusalem as ELCA global mission pastors with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Deacon John Weit serves as Executive for Worship of the ELCA. In this role, John oversees the work of the worship team within the churchwide organization and provides leadership on behalf of the presiding bishop in matters related to worship. This includes developing and implementing strategies and resources that support worship in synods, congregations and other local worship assemblies across the ELCA as well as planning and worship leadership for churchwide events. Prior to his call to the churchwide organization in 2016, John served as musician for congregations in Pennsylvania and most recently as cantor to Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, Mass. John earned a Master of Arts in religion with a concentration in liturgy and music from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, now United Lutheran Seminary. As part of his work with the ELCA, John works closely with the board of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.
NOMINATIONS
At the upcoming Synod Assembly, elections will be held for positions on Synod Council, the Consultation Committee, and the Committee on Discipline. The Assembly Book will include the names of those who have been pre-identified for these positions; however, additional nominations may be lifted up from the floor during the assembly. Please note that only voting members of the assembly may nominate individuals from the floor. If a name is lifted up during the assembly, nominators should be prepared to provide the nominee’s full contact information at that time, including name, congregation, phone number, and email address, to ensure accurate recordkeeping and to support the election process. We give thanks for all who are willing to offer their gifts in service to the wider church through these important leadership roles.
Synod Council Secretary (4 years)
Any Conference — Rostered Minister or Lay Person
Synod Council (3 years)
Green Bay Conference — Lay Person
Green Bay Conference — Rostered Minister
Oshkosh Conference — Rostered Minister
Shawano Conference — Rostered Minister
Committee on Discipline (6 years)
Oshkosh Conference — Lay Person
Wisconsin River Valley — Rostered Minister
Consultation Committee (6 years)
Green Bay Conference — Lay Person
Tomorrow River Conference — Rostered Minister
Position Descriptions
Synod Council Secretary
Job Description: The secretary keeps the minutes of all meetings of the Synod Assembly and Synod Council. They are responsible for the printing and distribution of the minutes. In consultation with the bishop, they assist in classifying and arranging all important papers and documents of the synod and work to see they are properly archived. They shall help to steward any amendments to the synod constitution.
In addition to being authorized and empowered in the name of the synod to attest to all instruments signed and sealed by the bishop, the secretary is also responsible for submitting a formal list of voting members elected at Synod Assembly for Churchwide Assembly.
Qualifications: The secretary of this synod is a voting member of a congregation of this synod and is either a lay person or a rostered person. They are elected by the synod assembly to a term of four years. This person should have good writing skills and be a discerning listener with availability to promptly follow through with the disbursement of minutes.
Synod Council
The Synod Council shall comprise nineteen members; the four synod officers, twelve at-large members, one representative each from the synodical youth organization, the synodical women’s organization and the synodical men’s organization.
Job Description: The Synod Council shall be the board of directors of the Synod and shall serve as its interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. It may make decisions which are not in conflict with actions taken by the Synod Assembly or which are not precluded by provisions of the constitution and bylaws of the ELCA. The council normally meets nine times a year. The term is three years, and a representative is eligible to serve two consecutive full terms. The term for the youth member is one year.
Qualifications: Persons need a vision of the mission of the church, a record of leadership in their local congregation, and a commitment to Christ expressed in the stewardship of one’s gifts. They must be able to share openly in the decisions concerning the policies and missions of the church and be ready to assist the bishop of the synod in working with the agencies, institutions, conferences, congregations and rostered ministers in implementing the work of the church.
Synod Consultation Committee
Job Description: The Synod Consultation Committee (6-12 members) is a constitutionally mandated committee to advise the Office of the Bishop and, as requested, to investigate situations that are potentially matters of formal ecclesiastical discipline. The committee meets at the request of the bishop. Occasionally individuals are selected from the Consultation Committee to assist congregations in processing matters of conflict or community relationships within a local parish. The committee serves in an advisory capacity. The term is six years with no re-election.
Qualifications: The gifts requested for a successful ministry on this committee include the ability to listen with discernment, to act impartially during investigations, to reflect prayerfully and to articulate helpful guidance in situations of pain and difficulty.
Synod Committee on Discipline
Job Description: The Committee on Discipline (12 members of whom six shall be ministers of Word and Sacrament and six shall be laypersons) is a constitutionally mandated committee which acts to administer a thorough review and, as necessary, discipline process upon congregations and rostered individuals; Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Ministers of Word and Service. The Committee on Discipline meets upon call of the Office of the Bishop should charges be either pending or submitted. The term is six years with no re-election.
Qualifications: The primary gifts required for this ministry are the ability to reflect critically over the unfolding of events or incidents; the discernment of ethical requirements of ministry in the name of Christ; the ability to listen and the sensitivity to sit in humble judgment upon another Christian individual or body.
Voting member Information
The 2026 Synod Assembly of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be held Saturday, June 4–6, 2026, at the Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center (2 N Main St, Oshkosh, WI 54901). Every congregation is encouraged to participate by electing laypersons as voting members.
Voting Membership Summary:
Rostered Ministers: All rostered ministers under call on the synod's roster are voting members.
Lay Members: The Synod Assembly's voting membership must be at least 60% laypersons. Each congregation is entitled to a minimum of two lay voting members.
Additional Voting Members: TEEM Candidates and Synod Authorized Ministers actively serving in ministry positions are granted lay voting privileges.
Lay Voter Formula (Adopted 2/21/2022 for the 2026 Assembly):
Baptized Membership
1-1000
1001-1500
1501-2000
2001-2500
2501-3000
3001-3500
3501-4000
Number of Voting Members
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Congregations with more than 1000 members are allowed one additional voting member for every 500 additional members.
Hotel Registration
The room block at the Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center is now closed, and the hotel is fully booked. There are a number of hotels in the Oshkosh area located near the convention center that may still have availability. Please note that you are responsible for making your own hotel arrangements.
Previously, a limited block of rooms had been reserved at the Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center under the block code East Central Synod of Wisconsin Assembly, with a reservation deadline of May 4.
Ministry Partner Tables at Synod Assembly
Woodside Senior Communities
Wisconsin Council of Churches
ELCA Chaplain Corps
Synod Youth Team
Miraveda Living
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Women of the ECSW ELCA
Lutheran Social Services of WI & Upper MI
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
ELCA World Hunger
Quilted with Prayer
Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin
ECSW Lay School of Ministry
ECSW Racial Equity Team
This year you may have noticed we didn’t collect anything for a service project. That is because the service project will be incorporated throughout assembly. At certain points throughout the next few days, baskets will be brought to the tables with letter and card writing supplies. During these times we encourage you to write encouraging cards to residents in nursing homes or to write letters or notes to your representatives about issues that are important to you. Card and letter writing supplies will be available in the quiet room at all times, which you are welcome to use at any point. There will be QR codes in the baskets with examples of letters, and resources you can use if you don’t know where to begin. When you are finished, cards and letters can be put in their respective mailboxes in the quiet room, and we will take care of distributing them.
SERVICE Project Update
SYNOD ASSEMBLY 2026
To strive for Justice
And Peace in all the Earth
June 4-6, 2026
Thursday June 4 — Registration opens at 12:00 & Orientation at 1:00 PM | Assembly Opens at 2:00 PM
Friday, June 5 — 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Saturday, June 6 — 9:00 AM–4:00 PM