Get in touch

555-555-5555

mymail@mailservice.com

Who We Are...

“To encourage and equip the ministries of the Western North Dakota Synod – ELCA, so that the Good News of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, and all God’s children feel welcomed and included in the ministries to which God calls us.”

– The WND Synod Why Statement, a.k.a. a purpose/mission statement,

adopted by Synod Council on February 26, 2022

“In Christ, Every Congregation, Every Day, Facing Change, Discovering Hope.”

-Vision Statement

We are the Western North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are God’s children. We have been given the free gift of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection. We are a people who by the power of the Holy Spirit are sent to serve our neighbors. We gather for worship, listening to God’s Word which calls us to repentance and reminds us of God’s grace. We are a people who celebrate God’s means of grace at the font and table. We are a people who are sent into our world to live our faith in Christ.

Synod Statistics:

159 Congregations with 54,946 baptized members
4 Outdoor Ministry Sites
1 Lutheran Campus Ministry Site – Minot State University
137 ordained pastors, 10 deacons (includes retired)

*statistics as of December 31, 2023 for congregations and baptized members; as of March 18, 2022, for ordained ministers and lay rosters

Quick Links

Conferences/Deans

Synod Staff & Ministry Partners

Bishop Craig A. Schweitzer

Email Bishop Craig

The Rev. Craig A. Schweitzer, of Bismarck, was elected as bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod on July 17, 2020, in the first-ever digital Synod Assembly. A historic event, Schweitzer is the first bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to be elected in an online assembly.

Bishop Craig Schweitzer began serving the Western North Dakota Synod-ELCA on September 1, 2020. He has always seen himself as an easy-going person who seeks to daily discover anew how God is present in his life and the world in which he lives and serves.

Prior to service in the Office of Bishop of the Western North Dakota synod, Bishop Craig served at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck, ND as Music and Worship Minister (lay staff from 2002-2010), Associate Pastor (2010-2014), and Senior Pastor (2014-2020). Beyond his service in the church, he has an eclectic background that is a diverse collection of musical, educational, and business experiences ranging from live concert production and promotion to recording studios and live performance to music education.

Throughout all of his professional and personal experiences, the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Rome have been a guiding light that has kept him grounded in whatever work God was calling him into – “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

Bishop Craig is a graduate of the University of Mary in Bismarck with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership. He also holds a certificate degree in Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. He was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on September 16, 2010.

Outside of his life as Bishop, Bishop Craig enjoys reading, all music, a little golf, a cold beverage with friends, and intentional times of quiet. And, of course, spending time with his wife Wendy and their adult twin daughters Ilia and Taegan.

Rev. Brad Dokken, Associate with the Bishop for Leadership, Candidacy, and Call

Brad serves as an Associate to the Bishop for Leadership, Candidacy, and Call for the synod, a call he began in September 2022. When he thinks about his work with the synod, Brad likes to say that he relates to the humans of western North Dakota wherever they are at in their journey. Brad loves to work with people and hear their stories, discovering together how God is at work in their lives. He is convinced that the Holy Spirit is up to some amazing things in this synod he has called home most of his life.
Before taking a call with the synod office, Brad spent 10 years serving as a pastor in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin after graduating from Wartburg Seminary in 2012. He is also a graduate of Minot State University. Brad is originally from Crosby, ND so he is no stranger to the beautiful prairie of western North Dakota. Brad is married to the Rev. Stephanie Lorenz. Pr. Steph serves as a hospital chaplain at Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck. They are proud parents of a Goldendoodle named Gus who is a 70 l.b. ball of energy. In his free time, Brad loves to be involved in community theater, he loves to cheer for the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago Cubs, and is constantly in search of the best piece of bread pudding he can find.
Email
Rev. Tera Kossow, Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM)

Pr. Kossow went to Wartburg Seminary, interning in southwest Iowa at a six-point parish. This fueled her passion to work with congregations wanting to experience all God is doing through them amid the struggles rural communities often face.
Ordained on May 22, 2015, her first call was to the remote, north-west corner of South Dakota, where she served Prairie Fellowship Parish, a three-point parish in Bison, SD, and in the last six months, contracted with a fourth, Calvary in Lemmon, SD. During her time in SD, she fell in love with the semi-arid plains of the western Dakotas.
Having lived most of her life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes, Pr. Kossow went back to the U.P. for her second call, serving Eden Lutheran, Munising, MI, on the shore of Lake Superior.
Reflecting upon her call, Pr. Kossow said, “I knew before attending seminary that I was called to work with rural congregations and felt that cooperative ministry would be the way for these congregations to not only survive but thrive. I’m excited for the opportunity to serve as the DEM in a synod like Western ND as it gives me a chance to more fully explore one of the central themes of my call to ministry – to help rural congregations prayerfully and honestly look at their future, and walk with them as they do the work they need to do to move forward in ministry and mission using the resources that are already in place, their congregants, their buildings, and their communities beyond the walls of the local church.”
“I give God thanks and praise for the outstanding candidates who opened themselves up for the DEM call in our synod. Pr. Kossow brings a deep love for rural ministry and mission, which touches every congregation of our synod in one way or another. Her passion and experience will positively impact congregations of all sizes across all communities of our synod.” offered Bishop Craig Schweitzer about the opportunities the synod has with the DEM staff addition.
The DEM is a partnership between all three expressions of the ELCA – churchwide, synod, and congregation. It is funded by a grant from the ELCA. Tera is a key resource for congregations and leaders seeking tools and counsel for starting a new ministry or revitalizing existing ministries, as well as how to identify, develop and equip leaders.
Pr. Kossow will begin serving on April 15, 2024.

Email
Lesley Gorby, Associate with the Bishop for Administration

Lesley serves full-time as our synod’s Associate for Administration. She serves as the Bishop’s executive assistant and is responsible for hospitality, synod administration, roster management, call process support, candidacy support, event registration and the synod resource library. She is often the first point of contact for questions and can direct you to the appropriate staff person for assistance.
Email
Murray Sagsveen, Synod Attorney

The Synod Constitution authorizes the Synod Bishop to appoint a part-time unpaid Synod Attorney, with the approval of the Synod Council. Murray Sagsveen was appointed to this role in 2013. As such, he serves as legal advisor to the Synod bishop, Synod staff, and Synod Council. He guides constitutional updates for the synod and congregations, assists congregations on governance and non-profit corporate matters, and advises on rural cemeteries of former congregations. He graduated from Concordia College and the University of North Dakota School of Law. He has been the general counsel of nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years, served as this synod’s treasurer, was council chair at Church of the Cross in Bismarck, is a member of the ELCA Attorneys Association, and is a member of the board of directors, Luther Seminary. Sagsveen retired from the North Dakota National Guard in 1996 but was recalled as a major general in 1997 and 2011 to serve as the State Flood Recovery Coordinator following the floods in Grand Forks and Minot.
Email
Matthew Nygard, Financial Specialist

Matthew Nygard serves part-time as our synod Financial Specialist. His ministry is focused on stewarding the financial resources of the synod. He tracks Mission Support that is shared with the synod, pays expenses, and works to share Mission Support with the partner ministries we support. Matthew is husband to Dina, dad to three kids, and a member of Faith Lutheran, Bismarck. He is also a former ELCA Missionary to Cameroon, a graduate of Concordia College, and has an MBA from the University of Mary.
Email

Contract Staff

Rev. Kim Gifford, Events Coordinator

The Western North Dakota Synod fills the year with dozens of events for both rostered ministers and lay leaders of the congregations around the synod. Keeping these events running smoothly requires careful planning and communication. Rev. Kim Gifford is a contracted staff member who will work alongside other synod staff, providing synod-wide event coordination and support; registration and on-site leadership; and support before, during, and after synod events including but not limited to Synod Assembly and the Rostered Ministers’ Gathering. She serves as the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Burlington. A native of Bismarck and Minot, Kim and her husband Chad live in Minot and have three grown children: Christian, Camden, and Keely.
Email
Joel Sandy, Communications Coordinator

Joel Sandy brings more than three decades of communications and marketing experience to the Western North Dakota Synod. Since 2002, he has worked in Minot, ND as a marketing specialist for a local auto group. He continues to serve in this capacity today. Before he joined the auto group, he spent a dozen years as a radio personality in Grand Forks, ND; which may explain why he also had enjoyed sharing his gifts with Minot State University as the "voice" of Beaver athletics as the PA announcer for football, basketball and wrestling. Joel is a huge sports enthusiast and I enjoy most outdoor activities, such as hunting, fishing and nature walks. He and his family are active members of Christ Lutheran Church in Minot and began serving as a lay leader in 2023. Joel lives in Minot with his wife and daughter and also has two grown children; a daughter who lives with her husband and three kids in Milwaukee, WI and a son who lives in Watford City, ND.
Email
Melissa Ramshead, LYO Coordinator

Melissa serves as the Synod Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Coordinator. This is an exciting new position for her. After serving on the board as an adult leader last year, she is ready to help continue the work of the LYO board. Working alongside the youth of Western North Dakota is something that Melissa really loves doing. Our youth have such amazing ideas to help their peers continue growing in their faith journey. Melissa also serves as the Director of Faith Formation at First Lutheran Church in Minot where she has been since 2017.
Email
Deacon Beth Anderson, Synod Coaching Coordinator

Coaching ministry provides individual clients and teams with a partner who accompanies them in being intentional about setting and achieving their ministry goals and in growing in their capacity using a process of deep listening and powerful questions. As our Synod Coaching Coordinator, Beth supports our Synod’s network of ELCA-trained coaches and connects ministry leaders and congregations with coaching resources to empower their ministry. Want to learn more about coaching ministry? Visit https://wndsynod.org/coaching.

Outside of this contract role, Beth offers coaching and spiritual direction services through Centered Growth Coaching and Spiritual Direction and is trained in life, leadership & grief coaching, and in spiritual direction with a passion for forming faith in people of all ages. She lives in Bismarck with her family and is a member of Lord of Life Lutheran Church.
Email

ELCA Ministry Partners

ELCA Foundation

www.elca.org/Give/ELCA-Foundation

Visit elca.org/foundation to learn more about the work of the ELCA Foundation. There is no cost to congregations or individuals to work with a regional gift planner. The foundation can be reached by phone at 612-718-4197.

GSB Fundraising

www.gsbfundraising.com

Have you ever wondered how to inspire generosity in your church? If so, you’re not alone! Through a new partnership with the Western North Dakota Synod, we are excited to help you and your congregation do just that.

We have a simple philosophy—changing congregational culture from a mindset of scarcity (we can’t afford to do that!) to one of abundance (what if…) allows you to fully live into God’s mission for your congregation. We don’t focus on raising money to meet the budget, but rather invite people to generously support ongoing ministry that is changing lives for the better. We then celebrate that generosity by thanking donors and sharing the impact of their gifts.

We will enthusiastically serve as the Western North Dakota Synod’s stewardship resource. We will provide a quarterly newsletter that will allow you to see stewardship through a new lens. Through your synod, congregational leaders will have the opportunity to reach out to us with stewardship questions.

In the summer of 2022, we started a congregational cohort of Building a Culture of Generosity, an excellent first step for any congregation. Then in 2023 we began Stewardship for All Seasons, a comprehensive process that seeks significant change in congregation giving, looking to grow it by 10-15%.

GSB Fundraising was founded in 1976 to strengthen charitable causes to change the world through generosity. We work with ELCA congregations throughout the country and are thrilled to work with you and your congregation.

Get to know Peter & Paul by clicking here to watch a short introduction video.

Rev. Peter Reuss

Pete exudes a passion for God’s work in the world, trusting the Spirit to guide the church and ministry organizations to live into God’s future. Through the death of his mother as an 8-year-old and the death of his wife in 2015, Peter remains convinced that nothing, even death, can stand in God’s way. If God has a vision for the church, God will raise up the leaders and the funds to make it happen. All things are possible.

An ELCA Pastor, Pete serves God by guiding congregations, synods, and other ministries to discern God’s vision and encourage the generosity to make that vision a reality. He has led hundreds of congregations across the country to grow in generosity. Some in the Western North Dakota Synod know Pete through his work in the synod over the past couple years.

Pete’s experience includes ten years in synodical leadership in his twenty-four years of ordained ministry. His congregational experience includes rural ministry at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Benson, Illinois (population 45) and Mission Development / New Start ministry at Peace Lutheran Church in Eyota, Minnesota. In his time in Eyota, the congregation grew from $40,000 in annual giving to the capacity to build a first church structure.

He lives in Rochester, Minnesota with his wife Danielle, who serves as a hospice social worker at Mayo Clinic. His son Ben works towards a master’s degree at Michigan Technological University, studying Environmental Engineering.

Paul N. Marsh CFRE

As a consultant, Paul walks step by step with nonprofit organizations and churches to engage generous and enthusiastic donors in support of their missions to change the world for the better.

A passionate advocate for social change through generosity, Paul Marsh has been a nonprofit executive and fundraiser throughout his entire career spanning three decades. Whether working in colleges and universities, social service organizations, international relief agencies or even as a volunteer firefighter, Paul has championed generosity through philanthropy and volunteerism.

Paul joined GSB Fundraising in 2009 and has served clients throughout the United States, guiding them through capital campaigns, stewardship appeals, board development and strategic planning. A prolific speaker at conferences across the country, recently he has been a featured speaker at the Western Nonprofit Summit in Vail, Colorado, the Ignite Conference in Minneapolis, and the Faith and Fundraising Conference in Milwaukee. In 2019 he was a contributor to Giving Magazine, published by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. Paul earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2000.

Paul’s wife of 30 years, Rebecca, serves as principal of Yale Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado. Their son Connor, 24, is director of bands at Longs Peak Middle School in Longmont, Colorado, and their daughter Kelly, 21, is a broadcast journalism major at Metro State University in Denver.

Mission Investment Fund

www.mif.elca.org

LuAnn Ferguson, MIF Regional Manager

(651) 900-3575 (cell) Customer Service 877-866-3522
LuAnn.Ferguson@elca.org | www.mif.elca.org

LuAnn is your dedicated contact to connect you with helpful resources during the planning stages of a renovation, repair, or expansion. LuAnn is equipped to accompany you and your ministry through every step of the loan process, as well as introduce you to investment products. With more than 12 years of experience at MIF and a lifelong Lutheran, Luann's focus is helping congregations take care of their buildings, as they are a foundation for their worship life and a springboard to the mission field beyond. LuAnn welcomes your phone calls and emails.

Portico Benefit Services

www.porticobenefits.org

Pastor Tim Schroeder. Tim most recently served at Peace Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and as a senior admissions counselor at Luther Seminary. While the Portico Customer Care Center (800.352.2876) remains the primary point of contact for benefit questions and processes, Portico’s Regional Reps provide education, encouragement, and a personal connection. Tim can be reached at tschroeder@porticobenefits.org.

Directories

A directory of Congregations, Synod Ministers and Synod Committees is available upon request. Please e-mail info@wndsynod.org to request a directory pdf.

You may also access the following online resources:

Congregations

Looking for a congregation near you? Use ELCA – Find a Congregation
Directory of Congregations (pdf file)

People Directories

Looking for a Pastor, Deacon, ELCA Churchwide Staff Member?
Use ELCA – FInd a Person
Looking for a Synod Minister serving in the Western ND Synod?
Set up an Account on Synod Life and Download the Church Life App – MORE INFO

Congregations

The Western North Dakota Synod has 159 congregations, organized into 7 conferences.

Use the ELCA Find a Congregation tool to find a congregation near you or anywhere in the country.
View Directory of Congregations
View Congregations by Conference (pdf)

Conferences

Download a list of Congregations by Conference (pdf)

Badlands Conference dean: Rev. Dawn Busch , Belfield Lutheran, Medora Lutheran, Daglum Lutheran rural Belfield

East Missouri dean: Rev. Martha HarriSon, Trinity Lutheran, Bismarck

Heart River dean: Rev. Kathi Nygaard, Zion Lutheran, Beulah

Lonetree dean: Rev. Russel Lambert, Trinity Lutheran, Turtle Lake

Turtle Mountain dean: Rev. Sharon Baker, First Lutheran Church, Rugby

Upper Missouri dean: Rev. Mary Dickman-Parris, Ray Lutheran, Ray; Epping Lutheran, Epping

Western Prairie dean: Rev. Kim Gifford, Peace Lutheran, Burlington

Synod Council

The Synod Council is an elected body of lay and clergy members from our Synod. The members are elected at Synod Assembly and make up the governing body of the Western ND Synod. The Council has 24 members: the Bishop, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, one lay and one clergy from each of the seven conferences in Western North Dakota, 3 members-at-large, one of which must be a youth elected by the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Board, and a non-voting representative from the LYO, Synodical Women’s Organization, and Lutheran Men in Mission.

Synod Council 2024-2025

Give Now

Western ND Synod Office

1000 Tacoma Ave Suite 300

Bismarck, ND 58504

(701) 223-5312

Newsletter Signup

Site Design by Flyway Media.

Who We Are...

Synod Statistics:

Synod Staff & Ministry Partners

Bishop Craig A. Schweitzer

Rev. Brad Dokken, Associate with the Bishop for Leadership, Candidacy, and Call

Rev. Tera Kossow, Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM)

Lesley Gorby, Associate with the Bishop for Administration

Murray Sagsveen, Synod Attorney

Matthew Nygard, Financial Specialist

Contract Staff

Rev. Kim Gifford, Events Coordinator

Joel Sandy, Communications Coordinator

Melissa Ramshead, LYO Coordinator

Deacon Beth Anderson, Synod Coaching Coordinator

ELCA Ministry Partners

Mission Investment Fund

Portico Benefit Services

Directories

Congregations

Conferences

Synod Council

Reach Out to Us