Past Synod Assemblies
Find and download information related to past Synod assemblies here.
2025 Synod Assembly
The 2025 Synod Assembly was held June 13-14, 2025 at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. The theme was “I Love to Tell the Story, Part III.”
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Needed
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175 Years
Grace Lutheran Church, Brookville150 Years
Nazareth Lutheran Church, Wilcox125 Years
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Hermitage -
65 Years
David L. McIlvried60 Years
Frederick G. Keller50 Years
Brian D. Moran
William G. Cox45 Years
Bruce J. Burkness
Ralph E. Jones25 Years
W. Owens Rhodes20 Years
Deborah Kreger Jacobson15 Years
James M. Parsh
Ronald J. Freebourn10 Years
Kristen M. Kern
Matthew E. Dennison
Randall W. Frenz -
2024 Synod Assembly
The 2024 Synod Assembly was held June 14-15, 2024. The theme was “I Love to Tell the Story, Part II.”
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Rev. Norma Malfatti
Director for Evangelical Mission SupportThe Reverend Norma Malfatti serves as the Director for Evangelical Mission Support in the Christian Community and Leadership Home Area of the ELCA’s churchwide organization. In this role, she accompanies and equips the 70 Directors for Evangelical Mission (DEMs) in the ELCA and partners with their bishop in supervising their ministry. She also accompanies and supports each synod bishop when the synod is calling a new DEM.
As part of her work, she serves on churchwide’s Multi-Ethnic Ministry Initiative, God’s Love Made Real Transformation Team and the Synod Engagement Team.
Prior to serving the churchwide organization she served as a DEM for eight years, first in the Upstate New York Synod and then in the Minneapolis Area Synod, and as a parish pastor in New York and rural Maryland. In Pastor Norma’s earlier professional days, she managed apartment buildings across the metropolitan New York area for low-income seniors and people with physical disabilities.
When not working from her home or traveling across the ELCA, Pastor Norma spends time reading, hiking, being herded by her three finicky cats and rooting for the New York Yankees!
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175 Years
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Tionesta
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Punxsutawney150 Years
Trinity Lutheran Church, Reynoldsville75 Years
Faith Lutheran Church, Erie -
50 Years
Rev. Kenneth Thompson45 Years
Rev. Karen Lundwall40 Years
Rev. Julia Fraser
Rev. Kim Hirsch30 Years
Rev. Sandra Jones
Rev. Nancy Schwanke25 Years
Rev. Jean Kuebler
Rev. Brian Eiss
Rev. Martin Zimmann20 Years
Rev. Erik Hart
Rev. Jeff Piccirilli -
Proposed Budget
United Lutheran Seminary Report
Church Vocations Candidacy Report
Bethesda Lutheran Services Report
2023 Synod Assembly
The 2023 Synod Assembly was held June 8-10, 2023. The theme was “I Love to Tell the Story.”
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Rev. Christopher Otten
Senior Director, Federal ChaplaincyPastor Otten was Ordained in 1995 after completing his BA in Philosophy at Nyack College, New York, and his MDiv at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. His Clinical Pastoral Education was at Laclede Groves (Webster Groves, MO) and his Internship at Bethany Lutheran Church (Alexandria, VA). He has served congregations as a Pastor, Assoc. Pastor, and Sr. Pastor in the DC/MD/VA area, as well as Wahiawa, Hawaii; Cleveland, Ohio; and McAllen, Texas. He currently serves as the part-time Interim Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Newport, Maryland, south of Andrews AFB, Maryland.
Chaplain Otten, who grew up in Greensboro, NC, now lives part-time in DC and part-time in Rehoboth Beach, DE, with his spouse, Timothy P. Credle, originally from Remsen, NY. He has a 20-year-old son, Elliott Samuel, and a Pomeranian dog, Augustus. He commutes into DC, where he works in the ELCA’s Capitol Hill office.
The Rev. Christopher L. Otten was called as the Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as the Sr. Director of Federal Chaplaincies in January 2019. Chaplain Otten served nearly twenty-one years as a Federal Chaplain, activated United States Air Force Chaplain, and Air National Guard Chaplain/Federal Technician. He now oversees the 181 ELCA Federal Chaplains who serve the government in the military, Veterans Administration hospitals, Bureau of Prisons, and other Federal Agencies. Beginning in June 2021, he also supports and coordinates for all Chaplains within the ELCA, including ACPE, BCC, and CCC Chaplains in hospitals, hospices, and other service agencies.
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175 Years
St. Mark Lutheran Church, New Bethlehem (est. 1848)125 Years
St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Erie (est. 1898)75 Years
St Paul Lutheran Church, Erie (est. 1948)
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60 Years
Gary L Harbaugh45 Years
Lee D Penvose40 Years
Gail H Zackrison
Harold O Jacobson35 Years
Gary B Nelson
Samuel Mabugu30 Years
Michael L Lozano25 Years
Sandra M Samuel15 Years
Benjamin E Travis10 Years
Theodore M Cogar -
(VIDEO) Because of You: Celebrating Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services
(VIDEO) ELCA Foundation: Make a plan. Change the world.
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Mission Investment Fund Report
United Lutheran Seminary Report
Church Vocations Candidacy Report
Region 7 & 8 Candidacy and Leadership Report
Portico Benefit Services Report
2022 Synod Assembly
The 2022 Synod Assembly was held June 10, 2022.
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Rev. Christopher Otten
Senior Director, Federal ChaplaincyPastor Otten was Ordained in 1995 after completing his BA in Philosophy at Nyack College, New York, and his MDiv at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. His Clinical Pastoral Education was at Laclede Groves (Webster Groves, MO) and his Internship at Bethany Lutheran Church (Alexandria, VA). He has served congregations as a Pastor, Assoc. Pastor, and Sr. Pastor in the DC/MD/VA area, as well as Wahiawa, Hawaii; Cleveland, Ohio; and McAllen, Texas. He currently serves as the part-time Interim Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Newport, Maryland, south of Andrews AFB, Maryland.
Chaplain Otten, who grew up in Greensboro, NC, now lives part-time in DC and part-time in Rehoboth Beach, DE, with his spouse, Timothy P. Credle, originally from Remsen, NY. He has a 20-year-old son, Elliott Samuel, and a Pomeranian dog, Augustus. He commutes into DC, where he works in the ELCA’s Capitol Hill office.
The Rev. Christopher L. Otten was called as the Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as the Sr. Director of Federal Chaplaincies in January 2019. Chaplain Otten served nearly twenty-one years as a Federal Chaplain, activated United States Air Force Chaplain, and Air National Guard Chaplain/Federal Technician. He now oversees the 181 ELCA Federal Chaplains who serve the government in the military, Veterans Administration hospitals, Bureau of Prisons, and other Federal Agencies. Beginning in June 2021, he also supports and coordinates for all Chaplains within the ELCA, including ACPE, BCC, and CCC Chaplains in hospitals, hospices, and other service agencies.
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200 years
Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, Homer City (est. 1822)150 years
Grove Chapel Lutheran Church, Indiana, PA (est. 1872)125 years
Trinity Lutheran Church, McKean, PA (est. 1897)
Zion Lutheran Church, Oil City, PA (est. 1897)100 years
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Erie, PA (est. 1922) -
Minister of Word and Sacrament
50 Years
John K Ludwig45 Years
Ralph J Mineo40 Years
John A Wood35 Years
Alison L Leitzel
Mark A Fischer15 Years
Karen D Parsh10 Years
Brian T Riddle
Karen C ThompsonMinister of Word and Service
5 Years
Nancy R. Guthrie -