ELCA Global Mission 

Walking and working together, we seek to accompany our companions. Accompaniment is defined as walking together in a solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. The ELCA lives out accompaniment in relationships with global companions, striving to share God’s love and participate in God’s mission together:

  • Mutually: All of us have gifts to support God’s mission. There is no mission to, only mission with and among.
  • Inclusively: We seek to build relationships across boundaries that exclude and divide.
  • Vulnerably: Just as Jesus became vulnerable to us, we open ourselves to others.
  • Empowering: We seek to identify and correct imbalances of power, which may mean recognizing and letting go of our own.
  • Sustainably: To ensure local ministries last for a long time, we seek to embed mission in ongoing relationships and communities.

 

RMS Global Mission Committee Statement of Purpose

The Global Church Network promotes and supports connection between Rocky Mountain Synod ministries and individuals and the global church through communication, education, and immersion opportunities by:

  • Building connections with synod missionaries, including Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), communicating their stories with synod partners;
  • Attending to relationships with the synod’s four companion synods in Madagascar, promoting opportunities for learning and relationship-building; and
  • Partnering with other globally related entities, including synod missionaries, companion synods, the ELCA’s Service and Justice Home Area, Peace Not Walls, World Hunger, AMPARRO, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and the Border Network, to coordinate global engagement opportunities for individuals and ministries in the RMS.

Global Service Opportunities

ELCA Global Mission personnel serve in more than 40 countries in assignments that range from a few months to eight years or more. Positions fall into four categories of service:

Meet Our Missionaries

  

RMS Companion Synods

As a Glocal Church, we partner with Lutherans around the globe for the sake of relationship, ministry, and a shared witness in the Gospel. Every synod in the ELCA has a global companion synod we partner with in a spirit of accompaniment. The Rocky Mountain Synod has four companion synods in Madagascar.

 

About Madagascar

The island of Madagascar is about as far away from the Rocky Mountain Synod as you can get geographically, culturally, and economically. The Rocky Mountain Synod has been privileged to share in relationship with four companion synods in the Malagasy Lutheran Church of Madagascar. The four companion synods are: 

  • Mahajanga Synod
  • Antsiranana Synod
  • Avaratra Atsinanana Synod
  • Sofia Synod

All four of our companion synods are located in the northern third of the island. The Lutheran presence in this part of Madagascar is the result of migration from the traditionally Lutheran southern parts of the island by people in search of work and fertile lands. They are powerful evangelists! Several of the synods have experienced growth through their healing ministries and their zeal for the gospel. The Malagasy Lutheran Church’s Project Shalom is a health, literacy and agricultural ministry integrated with evangelism among Muslims in our partner synods and elsewhere in the country.

 

Betela Regional Seminary

Betela Regional Seminary serves all four of these synods and has been a primary focus of our financial support. Betela is included in the budget of the Rocky Mountain Synod and several fund raising projects have provided solar power and lighting, new student housing, an electric pump for the well, bikes for new pastors, and financial support for continuing education for their pastors, women theologians and catechists.

 

Seeds of Hope

Since April 2002, congregations and individuals have contributed to the Rocky Mountain Synod Companion Synod Project providing funds for solar lighting and power at Betela Lutheran Regional Seminary, bicycles for pastors, and funding for theological conferences which allow Malagasy pastors and women theologians to gather for discussion and support. Since its inception, Seeds of Hope has generated over $200,000 for projects in Madagascar. 

Global Church Resources 

Videos during offering or adult forum from an ELCA Missionary

Global Church Network Committee

  • Rev. Paul Schick (chair)
  • Rev. Pam Challis
  • Terry Cole
  • Rev. Brian Erickson
  • Rev. Teri Hermsmeyer
  • Peter Kapenga
  • Rev. Diana Linden-Johnson (Staff Liaison)

Global Mission Committee contact: Paul Schick (pastorpaul@communityofjoy.com)