New England Synod Bishop's Bulletin

New England Synod Bishop's Bulletin, June 2025 Assembly Recap

Christ the Living Water: Telling. Connecting. Transforming.

What a joy and privilege it was to preside as chair of the New England Synod Assembly, May 30-31, 2025, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. I was delighted that 365 voting members from the Synod and 75 guests from the synod and beyond gathered together in a positive spirit of collaboration, openness, and fellowship. I sensed a genuine enthusiasm among the faithful to be together as the Church of Christ expressed as the New England Synod. Together we were nourished by services put together by the Worship Team which opened and closed our assembly and helped us celebrate Holy Eucharist and the Ordination of Pastor Mark Glazener into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

On Friday, two fantastic keynote speakers led us deeper into the Assembly theme of “Christ the Living Water.” Our first keynote speaker, Bishop Leila Ortiz (Metro Washington D.C. Synod), introduced us to the idea of ecclesial estuary waters. She invited us to imagine these rich, living, flowing waters that are neither saltwater nor fresh water but a third way dense in life and possibility. In ecclesial estuary waters she invited us to move beyond “either-or” thinking which is limiting and stifling and move instead into “both-and” thinking which is life-giving and nourishing. One example of stifling “either-or” thinking is purity questions that demand a choice be made between two concepts that people may hold in opposition such as “contemporary worship” vs “traditional worship.” Bishop Ortiz invited us into the flowing and living ecclesial waters where the Holy Spirit uses “both-and” thinking to enrich, enliven, and nourish the body of Christ. How can each of us be fully who we are, how can we bring our entire selves and bodies into the holy mix of ecclesial estuary waters, and allow the Holy Spirit to work new resurrection, possibility, and community?

Dr. Lisa Dahill (Hartford International University) offered the second keynote address and offered sobering statistics about the dangers waters of the world currently face from human caused pollution and global climate change. She warned that we are turning the living waters created by God into dead waters stained by our sin. To reconnect with creation, and as a way to participate in God’s good creation, she invited us to imagine moving outdoors for both worship and specifically for the celebration of holy baptism. She invited us to imagine baptisms in the outdoor living waters around our congregations as a sign of God’s love and power poured out upon the entire creation.

Judith Roberts, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the ELCA offered greetings from the ELCA Churchwide organization and provided the Churchwide Report. On Saturday morning she led a workshop on DEI initiatives in the ELCA. I give thanks for this church’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at a time when DEI programs are being cut and prohibited by the federal government. We can celebrate this commitment as a countercultural witness to God’s kingdom that includes all peoples of the world.

As part of the Churchwide report, Ms. Roberts introduced a video from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in which Bishop Eaton shared the pain she felt at the closing of her home congregation in Cleveland, Ohio. She confessed that though she had always taught that the church is the people and not the building, the closing of her home congregation and the selling of its building was indeed painful. At the same time, however, she gave thanks for resurrection hope she felt as a new congregation emerged in the place of hers, and several others, that had closed. She encouraged us with the reality that the church is both dying and being resurrected.

We heard verbal reports from partners in ministry who reminded us that “We are Church Together.” Reports were given by Ascentria, Camp Calumet, the Synod’s Antiracism Collaborative Board, the Step Up Center at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Providence, Rhode Island, Thrivent, United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia & Gettysburg, and the ELCA Foundation. I give thanks for the New England Synod’s partnership with these ministries which both enrich our Gospel life and help us be the hands and feet of Christ for our neighbors.

In my Bishop’s Report address to the Assembly on Saturday I offered reflections on each of the three themes I identified as my priorities in my ministry as bishop: 1) Telling the story of Jesus, 2) Nurturing relationships, and 3) Doing Racial Justice. Nearly one year into my call as bishop I remain convinced those three priorities are as important for us to consider as ever. The full text of my report is available on my blog at: Bishop’s Report to the New England Synod Assembly – Bishop Nathan D. Pipho.

Included in my report was my introduction of the Associates and Office Staff. Your Mission Support dollars supports this fantastic team of disciples who work for you. I suggested that if a congregation makes a fatal mistake in their ministry it’s that they either wait too long, or don’t reach out, to the synod staff who are an invaluable resource for them. Too often, congregations operate with the mentality that “we are church by ourselves” which is a lie from the pit of hell and should be rejected in the name of Christ. The truth is we are Church together and nurturing relationships with the Synod staff, and with each other, is vital for successful and creative ministry. Check out our Synod website for a link to the staff: Synod Staff.

Our Synod Vice President Cassandra Wilson gave her report on Saturday immediately after my report and introduced members of the Synod Council. She began by identifying herself as a great great granddaughter of slaves which was in response to the invitation I gave in my report to each person to do the internal work of understanding how they have either been privileged or oppressed by the system of white supremacy and racism. After this poignant introduction, Vice President Wilson shared several initiatives of the Synod Council, including reviewing Compensation Guidelines, opening grant applications to dates other than just December 15th, and the creation of a Synod Constitution Review Committee. She announced her commitment to hosting monthly Zoom meetings for Council Presidents and Vice-Presidents covering a variety of topics to help our lay leaders in these important positions. She also announced that, in an effort to learn more about the ministries of the synod, she planned to visit each of the synod’s 15 conferences in the next two years. I give thanks for Casey’s strong commitment to lay leadership development and inclusivity in the work of the Synod Council.

Doing the business of the New England Synod, the Assembly adopted a budget for 2026 and overwhelmingly approved two memorials. On Friday, the Assembly approved “For an End to the Occupation and Recognition of Palestinian Statehood in the United Nations.” The first resolved reads: that the New England Synod memorialize the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to encourage its members continue to advocate for the human rights, justice, and peace for all Palestinians and Israelis … The full text of the memorial can be found here: 25-01 NE Synod Memorial to the Assembly on End of Occupation (2025).pdf - Google Drive.

On Saturday, the Assembly approved a second memorial entitled: “Memorial to Authorize ELCA Participation in National Legal Actions in Support of Vulnerable Communities.” The first resolved reads: “That the leadership of the Churchwide Organization, which may comprise the Presiding Bishop, Vice President, Secretary, the Church Council, the Conference of Bishops, and legal staff, be fully authorized to represent the ELCA in national legal matters when needed.” The full text of the memorial may be found here: 25-02 Memorial to authorize ELCA participation in national legal actions.pdf - Google Drive.

At this point I want to give a special shout out to Martha Whyte for her incredible work organizing all the logistics of the Assembly. Her expertise, knowledge, and precision all led to an incredibly smooth assembly in which nearly 450 people gathered seamlessly and smoothly to worship, pray, reflect, grow deeper in faith, learn more about each other, and do the work of the church – all within a relatively short amount of time. Martha was supported by our outstanding office staff of Lyn Wasilewski, Marianne Uva, and Donna Alsheimer who were also on-site to provide exceptional support. Thank you, team, for your great work!

A quick note about next year’s New England Synod Assembly which will return to the normal assembly timeframe of the end of the first week in June. A caveat, however, is that there is some conversation about the possibility of shifting the assembly back one day from a Thursday to Saturday timeframe (June 4-6, 2026) to a Friday to Sunday timeframe (June 5-7, 2026). This idea comes from members of the Synod Council who would like to make the Assembly as accessible as possible for lay members to attend, recognizing that asking lay people to take two days off work to attend Assembly on Thursday and Friday is a commitment not possible for everyone to make. Stay tuned.

To close, let me say that I am honored, humbled, and delighted to serve as your bishop and this synod’s pastor. I give thanks for incredibly talented, faithful, and collaborative pastors, deacons, licensed lay ministers, lay leaders, and partners in ministry who love Christ and Christ’s people. Being together in Assembly was an affirmation to me of the giftedness and abundance we experience as the New England Synod. As we move now into the beautiful summer months in New England, I pray each of you is blessed with abundant moments to rest, relax, and experience more fully Christ’s grace always poured out upon each of us. To God be the glory!

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Pipho

Links to videos & documents from the 2025 New England Synod Assembly.

The Rev. Nathan Pipho

New England Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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New England Synod Bishop's Bulletin, May 2025

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
I recently attended a social event designed as an icebreaker for the LGBTQIA+ community in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Several queer friendly organizations were each given two minutes at the event to introduce their organization to the participants. One of the speakers was a pastor of a queer welcoming and affirming church in Worcester of another denomination. She used her two minutes to clearly, explicitly, and powerfully announce God’s love in Jesus Christ for all queer persons and all gathered for the event. More sermon than invitation, she told the crowd that God’s love included each of us and that we all were welcome to come to her church to experience God’s love.

When the time for presentations concluded I introduced myself to the pastor and thanked her for her witness.

Our brief conversation was interrupted three times by people approaching us to thank the pastor for her words and ask how they could connect with her congregation. These people were genuinely excited to learn more about her congregation and connect with faith in a new and hopeful way. Her mini-sermon had clearly landed.

A few days later, the New York Times published an article (“An Age of Extinction is Coming. Here’s How to Survive” – April 19, 2025) in which Ross Douthat suggested that the digital revolution in which we are living, the age of the internet, smartphones, and emerging era of artificial intelligence, is forcing the human race into what evolutionary biologists call a “bottleneck” – a period of rapid pressure that threatens cultures, customs, and churches with extinction.

Douthat wrote: “Surviving the bottleneck will depend on intentionality and intensity. Any aspect of human culture that people assume gets transmitted automatically, without too much conscious deliberation, is not going to make it.”

Let that thought sink in ...

As I read Douthat’s article I thought about the church. What does it mean for us to intentionally, and with intensity, tell the story of Jesus? What are the ways we can cut through the noise to speak God’s love announced in Christ in clear and compelling ways? How can we articulate clearly and compelling God at work in our local ministries for the sake of the Church’s ongoing witness?

The pastor at the LGBTQIA+ icebreaker event inspired me, and so many others, with her intentionality and intensity in preaching God’s love. She didn’t wing it. She was prepared with notes. She intentionally used her two minutes to publicly proclaim God’s love announced in Jesus Christ with a genuine intensity that moved people to find out more about her church and how they could participate in God’s love. It was a Book of Acts, apostle boldness, moment. Following in the Apostle Paul’s footsteps, she went to where the crowds were gathered (in an event venue far from any Church) and preached Jesus Christ.

Telling the story of Jesus has never been an optional elective for Christians. Telling the story of Jesus is imperative for the survival of the church. The Lutheran insistence on justification by grace through faith, that God’s love is announced to us in Christ as a complete gift of grace apart from any works of our own, must be told intentionally, and with intensity, so that the Lutheran witness exists on the other side of the “technological bottleneck.”

Now, let me be clear: the survival of the church does not rest with any one of us. The Church already has a savior and his name is Jesus. That said, in a mystery of faith, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just say “abracadabra” and then “poof” the church is formed!

The Book of Acts witnesses that the church was first formed in the same way the church will survive and prosper today: by Apostles going forth to preach the message that Jesus Christ, the crucified and buried one, is resurrected and living! As the Apostle Paul wrote: “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Faith comes from hearing. The Church does the speaking.

For the sake of ongoing Lutheran Christian witness to God’s love announced in Jesus Christ, how can you tell the story of Jesus intentionally, and with intensity, in new ways? Where are the opportunities in your community to speak God’s love for people who don’t know if God loves them? What are the ways you can show up where the crowds are gathered to tell them that God loves them, each of them, all of them!?

For the sake of Christ, and for the sake of those lonely, isolated, afraid, suffering, and hurting in our communities, I pray you will be bold in clearly and powerfully speaking God’s love for all peoples. With intentionality, and intensity, announce the unconditional grace and mercy of Jesus Christ! With the boldness of the apostles of the early church, proclaim that Christ is alive leading all people from death to life.

Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Bishop Pipho

The Rev. Nathan Pipho

New England Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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New England Synod Bishop's Bulletin, April 2025

Holy Week …

I fell in love with Jesus during Holy Week.

Every year as a boy, my parents took me to Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services.

It was during those powerful liturgies I fell in love with Jesus who entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to shouts of hosanna as people waved palm branches and exalted him as the Son of David … who then knelt before his disciples as he washed their feet and commanded them to love another just as he had loved them … who shared a last meal with his friends and even with Judas who would betray him … who prayed in the garden and was arrested … who stood trial before Pilate … who was sentenced to die while the crowds released an insurrectionist … who body was ultimately broken and crucified on the cross … all leading to the Easter morning joy of the resurrection.

I fell in love with Jesus during Holy Week.

As the Church prepares to gather once again around the central story of our faith, we will do so with a range of traditions and practices. My own approach to Holy Week has evolved from the days of my childhood parish to my second call to parish ministry.

As a boy, I remember the Palm Sunday we followed a donkey down the road to experience what it might have been like in the crowd as Jesus entered Jerusalem. As a teenager, I turned up the organ as loudly as I could as I played “All Glory Laud and Honor” as the congregation waved their palm branches and processed into the worship space. In my first call, I shortened the gospel reading to emphasize Palm Sunday as the entrance into the story that would unfold over the course of the rest of the week and I put out sign-up sheets, creating as many ways to participate as possible for my congregation to participate in the story during the Holy Week services. In my second call, we read or sang the full passion according to the synoptic gospel on Sunday and then read or sang John’s passion on Good Friday. I grew to appreciate reading the full passion story on both Palm Passion Sunday as presented by the synoptic gospels and then again John’s passion on Good Friday. Two presentations of the passion during Holy Week proclaiming the fact that this is the central story of our faith.

In my boyhood congregation I remember the power of receiving the absolution and the forgiveness of sin on Maundy Thursday and the time when, with our sins forgiven, I intentionally went up to a woman in the congregation who had said hurtful things about me and I shared peace and forgiveness with her. In my first call, for many years we borrowed a practice from my dearly departed colleague Pastor Tim Stein where instead of washing feet we washed each other’s hands as a sign of service. The whole assembly participated. In my second call was the first time I experienced members of the congregation washing each other’s feet. In every place, I remember the haunting stripping of the altar as we left the church in silence.

On Good Friday, as a boy we experienced a Tenebrae liturgy as we read the passion of Jesus, interspersed with hymns, as the church gradually darkened until we read of Jesus’s death and the church was completely dark. And then, for a second night in a row and unlike services the rest of the year, we departed in silence. I repeated the Tenebrae tradition in my first call where I also experienced the “Seven Last Words from the Cross” three-hour liturgy for the first time. It was an ecumenical liturgy hosted by the United Methodist Church from Noon to 3:00 p.m. and local clergy each preached a sermon on one of the “seven last words” from the cross. The first couple years I only attended for my “word” and perhaps the word before or after, but then as a devotional practice I started staying for all three hours. In my second call, guided by scholars who suggested John’s gospel presents not a suffering servant of the synoptic gospels, but a triumphant king firmly in control and who had intentionally chosen the cross, I came to think of Good Friday not as a tearful funeral day, but as a solemn and triumphant coronation day. Certainly one where we observed the death of Jesus on the cross, but also as one where we celebrated Christ’s accomplishment of salvation. “It is finished” not the last gasps of the dying, but the exclamation point on salvation accomplished.

The tradition of the Easter Vigil was one I learned about in seminary and internship. I instituted the tradition in my first call and was glad to connect with a well-established tradition of the vigil in my second call. In both places, I was fond of the liturgy of readings occurring in halls where A.A. groups, English as Second Language courses, neighborhood associations, musical groups, and other community groups had gathered throughout the year. Reading stories of God’s deliverance in the place where community groups also gathered was a profound witness and connection to God who continues to work new life in the world today.

I fell in love with Jesus during Holy Week.

It’s been said that a successful marriage requires falling in love with the same person again and again. In a way, the same can be said about faith. Faith is about falling in love with Jesus over and over, knowing that as we do so Jesus is always completely in love with us.

Regardless of how your congregation observes Holy Week, I pray you will participate fully and fall in love again with Jesus. I pray you will fall in love with the crucified and risen Jesus who continues to proclaim that life is found in mercy; God’s love is found on the cross; and Christ’s resurrection is found in the Church, the living body of Christ today, living out the story of salvation. I pray you will fall in love with Jesus who is always in love with you.

Hosanna to the highest!

Bishop Pipho

The Rev. Nathan Pipho

New England Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America