2023 Parochial Reports
In mid December, your congregation received an email from the ELCA Churchwide Office with information about submitting your Annual Congregation Report - otherwise known as Parochial Reports. These forms share important information about your congregation, and ultimately contribute to the greater knowledge of what ministry in the ELCA and our synod looks like. In turn, this gives all of us greater capacity to address the needs of our ministries and participate in the proclamation of the Good News.
The email your congregation received in December provided an overview of the process for submitting your report this winter, as well as links to submit your Congregation Report online.
Next week, your congregation will receive a packet through the mail containing Form A and Form C. These packets will include the paper form, financial worksheet, instructional documents, and your congregation’s password for their ELCA Community account (to access and submit these forms online.)
We strongly encourage your congregation to submit your forms online this year. “The system for online submission of annual congregation reports, accessible at elca.org/congregationreport, will open during the second week of January.
If you need to submit your forms on paper, you will mail the original completed forms to the synod office at 1800 55th Ave, Oakland, CA 94621. Whether you respond electronically or on paper, all forms are due no later than March 1, 2023.”
Our Synod Statistician, Lance Kelly, is available to support your congregation with any questions or concerns that may arise during this process, as well as provide your congregation with your individualized password. You can connect with Lance at statistics@spselca.org.
Thank you for committing to being church together!
2023 Bishop Reports
Each year, all Rostered Ministers in our synod submit a Report to the Bishop that provides updated contact information, reflections on your ministry in the previous year, and space to voice concerns, questions, or wonders confidentially with your Bishop.
All Rostered Ministers serving under call, retired, on disability, and on leave from call must submit a report.
As Bishop Claire is new to our synod, we encourage you to provide robust details in your report this year. These reports will also serve as a vital way to introduce yourself to the next Bishop elected in September of 2023
You can download a PDF of this year’s Bishop Report to complete at spselca.net/bishop-s-reports.
Upon completing your report, please email a copy to bishopreports@spselca.org with the subject line 'BISHOP'S REPORT' or mail a copy to the synod office at 1800 55th Ave, Oakland, CA 94621.
All reports are due no later than March 1, 2023.
This year, we have been blessed to contract with someone who is dedicated solely to organizing and updating our records of Rostered Ministers. This person began their work in December of 2022 and has diligently made progress on this important foundational work. However, because we are still understaffed and under-resourced in this year of transition, we cannot guarantee provision of a Rostered Minister Card in 2023. If you are in need of your leader number or proof that you are a clergy person in good standing, we ask this year that you contact us in the Office of the Bishop at the time of need and we will provide you with a letter.
This February, the Office of the Bishop is providing a Zoom workshop for all ordained (or soon to be ordained) persons regarding credentialing in the ELCA. In this workshop, Pr. Manda Truchinski will review the details of the Roster Manual of the ELCA including but not limited to sources of call, options of roster, and requirements of calling bodies. If you have ever been unclear about the requirements, options, or authority of your credentials as an ordained person in the ELCA this workshop may be helpful to you.
This workshop will be offered by Assistant to the Bishop Rev. Manda Truchinski on two occasions:
Wednesday, February 8th and Thursday February 9th, each day from 12:00pm - 1:00pm.
The meeting will not be recorded. To attend, register here. Registered persons will receive a Zoom link the Sunday before the workshops occur.