The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is made up of 140 congregations and 93,000 baptized members serving in southeast Wisconsin. [What is a synod?]
Leadership:
The synod is led by Bishop Paul Stumme-Diers and a 17-member synod council.
The synod staff is guided by this mission statement: “Called together in Christ, we serve, connect and lead the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”
Territory:
The synod is geographically compact, extending from Sheboygan down to the Illinois border and from Lake Michigan to the western edge of Waukesha County.
Diverse ministries:
Within this territory, faithful ministry takes place in diverse congregational settings that are urban, suburban and rural, worshiping in five different languages on Sunday, including Spanish, Hmong and Lao.
In addition to ministry in congregational settings, we spread the Gospel through:
Mission Clusters:
The synod is divided into 10 mission clusters:
- Northern Lakeshore
- Northwest
- Lake Country
- Waukesha
- Milwaukee Coalition (Milwaukee I and II)
- Milwaukee III
- Milwaukee IV
- Racine
- Kenosha/West Racine
Reconciling in Christ:
At the 1991 Synod Assembly, voting members declared the synod to be Reconciled in Christ, affirming that “gay and lesbian people share with all others the worth that comes from being loved and forgiven children of God.” [See listing of RIC congregations].
Anti-Racist Identity:
At the 1998 Synod Assembly, voting members created the Anti-Racism Team, charged with working on racial and diversity training because of growing polarization between white persons and people of color, and the rise of hate-based crime and speech in the synod territory. In 2003 the voting members voted to call the Anti-Racism Team to serve as a resource to help congregations begin the lift up cross-cultural and diversity concerns as well as promote anti-racism training for synod rostered leaders, staff and congregational members..