Stewardship

Equipping people to become Steward Leaders in our homes and congregations, as a response to a generous and loving God who showers us with abundant grace and forgiveness in Jesus.

The Stewardship Team seeks to glorify God by assisting individuals and congregations to identify, develop, and use their resources to further the kingdom of God on earth.

It achieves this by communicating how the mission dollars are spent through the annual narrative budget, letting congregations know of up coming stewardship events across the country, and providing educational opportunities for congregations to learn more what it means to be good stewards of what God has first given to us. 

Stewardship Team members

• Janis Richert (azrichert@comcast.net)

• Duane Gilson

• Rev. Dan Potaznick, Director of Generosity and Strategic Development

• Linda Staats

Narrative Mission Plan

The Grand Canyon Synod Narrative Mission Plan, available as Interactive PDF with links, PowerPoint slide, and PNG image, will help you explain how mission support funds sent to the Grand Canyon Synod are utilized in God’s work.

The Grand Canyon Synod shared its Proposed Mission Plan for 2027–2028 and invited participation through two Zoom gatherings. View the Proposed Mission Plan for 2027–2028 here as a PDF. Slides from the presentation are at the bottom of this page.

Watch the presentation here, using the password: bFb7*jeu

Communicate Jesus

Stabilizes older adults, children, and families through Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, including 776 resettled refugees and 9,600 neighbors fed last year alone.  

Equips more than 100 congregational leaders to end hunger through advocacy and direct service through the Grand Canyon Synod Hunger Leaders Network. 

Lifts faithful voices in Arizona and Nevada legislatures through LAMA and LEAN. 

Extends the communion table to communities in transition through 6 Synodically Authorized Ministers, with 2 more serving additional worship sites. 

Champions 3 Lutheran Campus Ministries at UofA, ASU, and NAU, forming faith-filled communities for college students. 

Partners with Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran World Relief, and the Lutheran World Federation's 154 member churches in 99 countries to extend God's care to the world. 

Connects congregations and leaders through 2,000 annual posts and 52 weekly newsletters reaching 1,800 subscribers. 

Strengthens interfaith relationships and public witness through the Arizona Faith Network. 

Deepens pastoral formation through First Call Accompaniment and Region 2 collaborative retreats. 

Connect People

Shares mission support with ELCA Churchwide and Region 2, funding ministry across the U.S. and around the world. 

Walks alongside congregations and leaders in times of crisis and transition. 

Convenes rostered leaders for connection and renewal through the Bishops Fall Gathering 

Builds relationships with every congregation through 134 visits by Bishop Hutterer and synod staff from June 2025 - May 2026.  

Accompanies 13 first-call pastors and deacons as they begin ministry in the synod. 

Nurtures global companionship through relationships with companion synods in Senegal and Mexico. 

Cultivates future leaders through Pacific Lutheran Seminary and California Lutheran University. 

Gathers over 300 Lutherans at Synod Assembly, our church's primary space for shared governance and discernment. 

Unites young people under 25 and youth leaders across the synod through the Synod Youth Advisory Team (SYAT). 

Create Possibilities

Empowers 10 strategic ministries, 2 synod-authorized worshiping communities, and 4 congregational outreach ministries, all committed to innovation and growth.  

Guides 13 candidates through the ELCA candidacy process, discerning calls to Word and Sacrament or Word and Service ministry. 

Celebrates 5 ordinations and 9 installations, welcoming new pastoral and diaconal leaders across the synod. 

Shepherds with 20 congregations in transition, offering care, coaching, and stability. 

Awards $143,079 in grants to 27 ministries and community projects, sparking new life across the synod. 

Invests in 14 vital yet vulnerable ministries in historically underserved and overlooked communities through the Mission and Ministry Fund. 

Advances Cruzando Fronteras, a vital border ministry, in partnership with the United Church of Christ and Episcopal Diocese.  

Sustains Indigenous ministry through ongoing support of House of Prayer, Rock Point. 

Offers leaders a place of rest, renewal, and discernment through Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center.