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About the
Rocky
Mountain Synod
Our 176 congregations are as unique as our landscapes. From fertile farmlands and desert plateaus to craggy mountain peaks and green quiet meadows, from bustling cities to expansive ranchlands, the Good News is proclaimed.
The word synod comes from a Greek word meaning "to travel a common road––to walk together." The congregations, the people, and the ministries in our expansive geographical region of the Rocky Mountains––this is synod. We walk a common road–– together––as the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Rocky Mountain Synod is one of 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This geographic area includes 175 congregations within the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and El Paso, Texas. It is the largest synod, geographically, in the lower 48. The synod is further divided into ten conferences.
The Office of the Bishop
The Rev. James Gonia serves the Rocky Mountain Synod as its bishop. Our synod staff serves with the bishop from our offices in Denver, Colorado.
The Synod Council
The Synod Council serves as the board of directors and as the interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. It may make decisions between meetings of the Synod Assembly.
Contact Information:
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD
455 Sherman Street, Suite 160
Denver, CO 80203
map and directions
PHONE
303-777-6700
1-800-525-0462
FAX
303-733-0750
GENERAL EMAIL
email
Purpose/Goals/Guiding Principles (color)
Purpose/Goals/Guiding Principles (black /white)
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PURPOSE:
Every person,
every congregation,
every ministry,
boldly serving
God's mission in Christ.
GOALS:
 Identity
We understand and articulate our Lutheran/Christian identity and have an intentional plan to live it out.
Discipleship
We have a transformed culture that considers faith formation and discipleship to be for all ages.
Evangelism
We have a transformed culture around evangelism that says, “We have something to share.”
Congregational Health
We are healthy and able to go through transition and conflict in ways that lead to positive growth.
Connections
We increase synodical capacity to do God’s work by strengthening connections between and within all expressions of our church.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
We are Lutheran
- Grace-centered in Christ.
- Biblically and confessionally grounded.
- Our faith is renewed constantly in experience of the living Word through Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the cross and resurrection.
We are Church
- Our primary unifying practice is weekly worship around Word and Sacrament and a grateful response of personal giving, service and hospitality.
- As the Body of Christ, our interdependence is a gift of God that we are called to live out.
- Our stories, worship, service and gifts are regularly magnified beyond us through collaborative partnerships that are local, synodical, national and global through the ELCA and beyond.
We are Evangelical
- By the work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit we can be open, gracious, strong and forgiving toward everyone.
- The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a possession to be safeguarded, but a means of grace and blessing to be flung into a broken world like seeds scattered to the earth.
- Effectiveness in any ministry is measured by how far we extend the reach of the Gospel and the reconciling love of God beyond our walls.
We are Empowered
- God is working in each of us for a more faithful future. Every gathering in grace and every ministry has more capacity to reach beyond itself than we know and more capacity for change than we have imagined.
- Cultivating leadership that dares to increase our collective wisdom and facilitates needed change.
- The Mission and Vision is not ours, but God’s. We discern what God is doing in our midst and join God through our actions.
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