Ministry Partners

Learn more about a few of our partners in ministry—

• Companion Synods
• Partner Synod
• The ELCA
• Synod Mission Districts
• Ecumenical Partners
• Educational Institutions
• Social Ministry Agencies
• Other Partners

Companion Synods

The Companion Synods Program establishes connections between the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and its international companion churches around the world. It is an expression of the close ties among member churches of the Lutheran World Federation.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod is in a Companion Synod relationship with four LWF church bodies—

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
• United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina and Uruguay
• Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
• South-Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania

Clicking on the links, above, for Saxony, Argentina, and Tanzania will take you to the ELCA's Program Unit for Global Missions' Country Packets for each of those countries. Those Web pages include descriptions of the country’s geography, demography, and economy, along with maps, photos, and information about church relationships.

The link for Slovenia will take you to the LWF page on the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia.

Each of these church bodies also has its own website—

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
• United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina and Uruguay
• Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
• South-Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania

Partner Synod

The Partner Synods Program establishes connections among the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Partner Synods are groups of two or three synods from locations in the ELCA working to form community and partnership. The partnership will allow synods to become familiar with the history, customs, culture, and faith practices of their ELCA brothers and sisters.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod is in a Partner Synod relationship with the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. For information about that synod, visit their website.

The ELCA

Check out some of these ELCA web pages—

• The ELCA Home page
• Messages from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
• The Lutheran Magazine
• Augsburg Fortress Publishers
• ELCA Board of Pensions
• Lutheran Disaster Response
• LMM (Lutheran Men in Mission)
• WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)

Synod Mission Districts

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod is made up of nine geographical areas called mission districts. These mission districts, with their Websites or email addresses, if available, are—

• Bethlehem-Easton Mission District; Pastor Bruce MacLaughlin, dean
• East Berks Mission District; Pastor Tom Irwin, dean
• Hazleton-Lehighton Mission District; Pastor Bob von Frisch, dean
• Lehigh Mission District; Pastor Dick Gardner, dean
• Northern Lehigh Valley Mission District; Pastor Mary Gade, dean
• Pocono Mission District; Pastor Ken Buckwalter, dean
• Schuylkill Mission District; Pastor Joe Scholtes, dean
• Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Mission District; Pastor Charles Grube, dean
• West Berks Mission District; Pastor Fred Opalinski, dean

A map showing the mission districts may be found on the "Who We Are" page.

Ecumenical Partners

The ELCA is in full communion with five church bodies—

• The Episcopal Church USA
• The Moravian Church
• The Presbyterian Church USA
• The Reformed Church in America
• The United Church of Christ

Visit the websites of these local church bodies—

• The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
• The Moravian Church Northern Province
• The Lehigh Presbytery
• The Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics, RCA
• The Penn Northeast Conference, UCC
• The Penn Southeast Conference, UCC

Educational Institutions

The synod supports one seminary and one local Lutheran college—

• The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
• Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA

In addition, the synod supports campus ministry at Lehigh University, East Stroudsburg University, Penn State Berks Campus, Kutztown University, and other locations through campus ministry contacts in congregations.

There are three Lutheran primary/secondary schools in the synod: Lehigh Valley Lutheran School (K-8) in Whitehall, St. Paul's Lutheran School, Craigs Meadows (K-5), and the Lutheran Academy in Allentown (K-4).

The seminary in Philadelphia is part of the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries, which also includes The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.

Social Ministry Agencies

Synod-supported social ministry agencies and organizations include Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, and Lutheran Congregational Services.

Other Partners and Resources

• Bear Creek Camp and Conference Center
• Project Wittenberg, works by and about Martin Luther and other Lutherans.
• Faith and Values website, faith information, updates on current issues and topics, and multi-media resources related to the spiritual traditions of Christianity and Judaism.
• Lutherans Concerned, an organization with a formal relationship with the ELCA Program Unit for Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission. Their ministry is with and to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities.

© 2008 Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. All rights reserved.