ND Synods Receive LDR Grant
Pilot Project to Add Disaster Capacity Builder Position to the 2 ELCA Synods of North Dakota
The Western North Dakota Synod and the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are pleased to announce a renewed partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR).
The two ELCA synods have received a grant of more than $300,000 from LDR to support a three-year pilot project that will add a Disaster Capacity Builder staff position to serve in the two synods. The Western and Eastern North Dakota synods are the largest Protestant denominations in the state of North Dakota. This new staff position renews a relationship between ELCA synods and LDR in North Dakota that has an extensive history that concluded abruptly in the wake of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota bankruptcy in January 2021.
Bishop Schweitzer is excited about new possibilities for ministry in North Dakota that hasn’t been as prominent in recent years. “Since the tragic closure of Lutheran Social Services in North Dakota, Bishop Moon Leiseth and I have been working with Lutheran Disaster Response’s national leadership to find a new path forward. It’s just too important to the ministry God is calling us into across North Dakota to ignore the significance of an LDR presence in the state.” Says Bishop Schweitzer. “During recent wildfires in western North Dakota, we were reminded of the vital role the church has in offering support following devastating disasters like these. And this year, we have once again seen the significant role that the Lutheran church plays in disaster response during natural disasters across the United States this year. Lutherans show up, they are often the first ones in and the last ones out, ensuring that lives are restored, and communities are back on their feet once again.”
Disaster response work is not the only part of this renewed relationship between the synods and LDR. Advocacy and community building will also be a prominent part of the ministry.
“What might the church do together during days of blues skies, when natural disasters seem like a remote possibility?” offers Bishop Moon Leiseth about the renewed possibilities available to each synod’s mission and ministry. “We hope that this new chapter in our church’s relationship with LDR through a physical LDR presence in North Dakota again will give congregations and communities resources and tools to thrive, even during seasons without natural disasters. Bishop Schweitzer and I believe this grant will help us better connect our congregations to important advocacy work that we are called to do together as people of faith – locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Often times, people of faith don’t know how to, or don’t feel confident using their voices in the public square. The truth is, our public voice is incredibly important to how we live out our faith on a daily basis, not just when we are inside of a church building. Working directly with a ministry of our church like LDR, we will be able to explore new and more impactful ways for us to share the love of Christ Jesus with our neighbor.”
A job description is available on each synod’s website - wndsynod.org and eandsynod.org. Both bishops believe this person will begin serving in early 2025.
The Western North Dakota Synod and Eastern North Dakota Synod are two of 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a church with nearly 3 million members in more than 8,500 congregations across the United States and the Caribbean. In North Dakota these two synods serve nearly 400 congregations with more than 100,000 members in every county of the state. More information on the mission and ministry of the synods can be found at synod’s websites - wndsynod.org eandsynod.org
