Bishop Deborah Hutterer Annual Report: 2024
View reports for our 2024 assembly on our assembly mission and ministry stories page or in this collection of blog posts.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
EMBODY THE WORD
The theme of our 2024 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly, “Embody the Word,” serves as a powerful reminder of the vibrant faith we have been gifted through our baptism into Jesus Christ. It's a call to open ourselves to God's transformative power, enabling us to boldly embody our true purpose as individuals and as the Body of Christ.
As disciples within the ELCA, we are called to courageously articulate the truths and beliefs deeply rooted in our faith. In our divided world, and even within our congregations, silence can often widen gaps of misunderstanding and division more than the spoken word. It is crucial that we not retreat from our responsibility to voice justice, peace, and reconciliation.
Our commitment to speaking out is grounded in the Gospel, which compels us to engage with love, foster dialogue that respects diversity, and seek unity in our common faith. By embracing our role as peacemakers and truth-tellers, we demonstrate the Gospel’s power to heal and unify.
Let’s encourage each other to break the silence with words that bridge divides, advocating for the marginalized and standing firm in our mission. This is how we embody the Word, showing the world the transformative power of our faith in action. Together, let’s commit to being vocal disciples, trusting that our courageous conversations can bring about healing and hope where discord prevails.
With experience in linking scripture to how we embody the Word in daily life, our assembly speakers — Rev. Dr. Colleen Windham-Hughes, Deacon John Weit, Chaplain Matthew Dobyns — will inspire us to remain hopeful and courageous.
THE LANDSCAPE
Spanning over 600 miles from St. George, UT, to Sierra Vista, AZ, our synod encompasses 89 congregations including the Synodically Authorized Worshipping Communities and Strategic Ministries. The GCS rosters 124 active and 208 retired pastors and deacons. Over the past six years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting each congregation, with many experiencing multiple visits from your Office of the Bishop.
This synod, like the wider church, is undergoing significant changes. We are no longer the church we were in the last century. The hymn “The Church of Christ in Every Age” describes us as: “beset by change but Spirit led,” who “must claim and test its heritage, and keep on rising from the dead.”
This perspective is crucial as we face the challenges of modern times, urging us to maintain hope through our belief in life, death, and resurrection.
In these uncertain times, our Lutheran heritage offers a unique and vital perspective. By following Jesus’ example of love and justice and actively participating in public discourse, we contribute to a more compassionate society, affirming the role of faith in addressing global challenges.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Some brutal facts: In 2023, our 7 Lutheran seminaries graduated 170 Master of Divinity students—a sharp decline from the 500 graduates a decade ago. This year, enrollment stands at 122 across our seven ELCA seminaries. In 2023, there were over 500 congregation vacancies for pastors who had just graduated, not including the congregations seeking to call more experienced pastors.
The decline in available pastors is compounded by challenges such as rostered minister exhaustion, housing costs, compensation, mismatches in congregation-pastor expectations, and geographic placement challenges.
Previously a congregation could expect to receive 3 or 4 names of potential candidates. Our team works diligently on behalf of congregations in transition to offer the best candidates available. As you can tell from the numbers, often this means one candidate—if we can find one.
Despite these challenges, our synod has seen dynamic growth and change.
In the past six years, we’ve celebrated 51 ordinations and installations, including 37 newly ordained ministers who have come to us from other synods. Our clergy, young in spirit yet burdened with nearly $1 million in educational debt, reflect a vibrant future. Our synod has the largest first call pastors we’ve ever had in a cohort group —12. And, there are over 25 individuals who are in the candidacy process.
We’ve faced closures of congregations—since last synod assembly Abounding Grace in Tucson, Living Christ in Flagstaff, and Living Hope in Las Vegas have dissolved. These moments of loss are also opportunities for renewal, reminding us of one of the foundations of our faith—life, death and resurrection. Each of these congregations have left legacies that have seeded new explorations and ministries and helped us reinforce ministries that have historically struggled—especially in our ethnic specific communities.
Just a few examples.
The legacy gifts from congregation closures have been the reason the GCS can offer support to Emmanuel, a Sudanese ministry that worships at St. John’s, Glendale. With the leadership of TEEM candidate, Vicar Solomon Kuch, there are about 40 children in worship, and 25 are under 10 years old!
The Spanish speaking ministries of Vida Nueva, San Juan Bautista and La Fe are growing—especially among children. One of the reasons for this can be attributed to the fact that the Synod can support the pastors. Pastora Veronica Alvarez’s at Faith/La Fe was added in Fall of 2022. Pastor Mateo and Pastor Joaquin Garcia went from ½ to ¾ time. This increased time GCS will be able to do this for many years with the hope that a new generation and new people will come to know Jesus.
These congregations would find it difficult to expand ministry without this additional support.
In addition to the legacy gift from Living Christ to the Synod, they also created an endowment fund that will assist with funding of education and training programs to support future congregation leaders of the Grand Canyon Synod and assist congregation leaders who have education debt, housing expenses or other expenses which affect their ability to serve. The Synod Council received these gifts with gratitude.
Living Hope, formally known as Reformation in Las Vegas, disbursed their funds to a variety of ministries in and beyond the Grand Canyon Synod. A portion of their generous legacy gift, in addition to Mission and Ministry Fund, will be held by the Grand Canyon Synod to support internships for the Colorado River Conference.
So, while we grieve the church closures, they have also been offering new life to ministries.
STEWARDS OF OUR SYNOD
We celebrate the success of the Growing Generosity Appeal, launched in 2021, ethnic specific ministries. This appeal allowed the GCS to support pastors, deacons and congregations above and beyond the generous benevolence gifts.
I'd also like to thank and recognize Rev. Dr. Mari Larson and Rev. Jonathan Linman, who represent the GCS as Lutheran Ecumenical & Inter-Religious Representatives Network (LEIRN). Their commitment to fostering understanding, dialogue, and cooperation among diverse faith communities is invaluable. In an increasingly interconnected world, ecumenical relations are more essential than ever.
THANK YOU
I want to express my gratitude for your trust in us, which allows the Grand Canyon Synod to make a significant impact. Your generous support has enabled us to accomplish far more together than we could have individually.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the dedicated synod staff who make a significant contribution to our work. They serve with a deep sense of purpose and commitment, offering invaluable support to the Office of the Bishop. Theresa Thornburgh, Brian Flatgard, Rev. Jacqueline Pagel, Rev. James Dew, Rev. Daniel Potaznick, Kathye Hamm, Deacon Katie Klein, Rev. Pat Reed, Rev. Phil Gustafson, Solveig Muus and Hunger Fellow for 2023-2024 Autumn Byars. This team embodies the Word of God in so many ways as they serve you and the wider church.
Our Synod Council has been extraordinary! They have engaged with the goals set during the September 2023 retreat. Thanks to Barbara Carl, Erik Rehms, Rev. Stephen Springer, Janis Richert and Roger Bailey who serve on the Executive Committee. And to the additional at large council members: Heather Burgett, Glenn Austad, Wendy Weiske, Rev. Christopher Heller, Lynn Davis, Myrna Wells-Ulland, Jeffrey Michaels, Karen Olson, Rev. Tina Mills, Mark Myers, Rev. Bill Timm, Taylor Welch, Hannah Manzanares, and Hannah Roberts.
Six years have flown by so quickly. I am energized by this call. I’ve said it before and say it again—the call to serve as bishop is strange, beautiful, hard, surprisingly difficult, joyful, and complex. It’s been a gift to see the broader picture of church together and the struggles that are bigger than any one of us. I have never been bored and I look forward to most days. I am grateful for the confidence you have placed in me to do this work.
To all of you — lay leaders, rostered ministers, prayer partners — thank you for your commitment to the synod's work, which forms part of God's redeeming activity in our world. It continues to be my privilege to serve alongside you as the bishop of this synod. As we move forward, let us continue to embody the Word in the many ways and places God calls us.
With you in Christ,
The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer Bishop
Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA
