Thirty-Eighth Annual Synod Assembly of the Northern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
To: All Lay Voting Members, Ministers of Word and Sacrament, and Ministers of Word and Service of the Northern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Please be advised that the Thirty-Seventh Annual Synod Assembly of the Northern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be held onsite at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, on Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, 2026.
Date of Notice: April 11, 2026
The Rev. Lu Cantrell
Synod Secretary
2026 Synod Assembly Detailed Schedule
Our detailed schedule is hyperlinked to the reports that will be referenced during various times at assembly.
Friday • June 12, 2026
- 8:00 am - 10:00 am | Registration in Centennial Hall Lobby
- 9:00 am - 9:30 am | Choir Rehersal on Centennial Hall Stage
- 10:00 am - 11:15 am | Festival Worship in Centennial Hall
- 11:15 am - 11:30 am | Break
- 11:30 am - 12:30 pm | Plenary I in Centennial Hall
- Introduction and Greetings
- Credentials Report
- Assembly Instructions
- Approval of the Agenda
- Approval of the Consent Agenda
- Adoption of the Rules of the Assembly, Assembly Committee Appointments, and approval of the 2025 Synod Assembly Minutes
- Vice President Report
- Presentation of the proposed Synod Constitution
- 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Lunch
- There are tables set up on the lawn of Cenntinal Hall. For those wishing to eat inside, you are welcome to eat in the Bergendoff Ensemble Room. Retired Rostered Ministers are welcome to gather in Bergendoff 126. Youth and Young Adults are welcome to gather in Larson Hall.
- 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm | Plenary II
- Credentials Report
- Ministry Partner: LSSI
- 2027 Compenstaion Guidelines
- Churchwide Report from Secretary Lucille "CeCee" Mills
- Mission Moment: Greetings from an ELCA Military Chaplain
- Nominating Committee Report
- Election Committee Report
- Stretch Break
- Treasurer's Report and Presentation of the FY28 Budget
- Keynote with the Rev. Laurie Skow-Anderson
- Discussion on the proposed Synod Constitution
- 3:30 pm - 3:50 pm | Break
- 3:50 pm - 4:35 pm | Keynote Breakout Session A
- Congregations that begin wtih letter A - N will be in Wallenberg Hall in Denkmann Memorial Hall
- Congregations that begin wtih letter O - Z will be in Lindberg Center for Health and Human Performance
- 4:35 pm - 4:45 pm | Break
- 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm | Keynote Breakout Session B
- Congregations that begin wtih letter A - N will be in Wallenberg Hall in Denkmann Memorial Hall
- Congregations that begin wtih letter O - Z will be in Lindberg Center for Health and Human Performance
- 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | Transportation to the Gerber Student Center
- 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Dinner in the Augustana College Dinning Hall in the Geber Student Center
- 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Ministry Fair in Gavle Hall in the Gerber Student Center
- 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm | Transportation to Centennial Hall
Saturday • June 13, 2026
- 6:30 am - 8:00 am | Breakfast for those staying on campus in the Augustana Dinning Hall in the Geber Student Center
- 8:00 am - 8:30 am | Registration in Centennial Hall Lobby
- 8:30 am - 12:00 pm | Plenary III
- Service of Rememberance and Recognition
- Credentials Report
- Mission Moment: Nest Café
- Resolution - R-1: Walking with Creation as Neighbor through Worship and Action
- Break
- Election Report of General Ballot
- Action on the proposed FY28 Budget
- Mission Moment: St. John Joliet Spanish-Language Ministry
- Bishop Stacie Fidlar's Report
- Discussion and action on the proposed Synod Constitution
- Courtesy Report
- Annnouncements
- Service of Sending and Installation of Synod Staff
- 12:00 pm | End of Assembly
Assembly Information
Friday - June 128:00 a.m. Registration |
Saturday - June 138:30 a.m. Plenary III |
The theme for 2026, including this year's Synod Assembly, is Going Deeper: Naming, Claiming, and Proclaiming. We will continue to consider hard questions of faith and to what God is calling us in today's world.
Our guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Laurie Skow-Anderson, the same guest speaker from our Congregational Resourcing Event. She has served as Bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin and previously served as their Director of Evangelical Mission.
Our Churchwide Representative is Rev. CeCee Mills, Secretary of the ELCA. We are excited to have one of our new officers of the ELCA as our churchwide representative.
Our 2026 Synod Assembly Worship Offering is a collective commitment to nurturing new faith communities by investing directly in the two Synod Authorized Worshipping Communities (SAWC) in the Northern Illinois Synod. Your gifts equip the leaders of our SAWCs with the resources they need to meet the needs of their communities.
Our 2026 Synod Assembly In-Kind Offering will support the vital work of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. You are invited to participate either by donating $25 gift cards from grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants (listed on our synod website) which are brought to Synod Assembly or by purchasing items from LSSI's Mindful Giving wish list. Your generosity directly equips this life-changing work.
Bulletin of Reports
The Bulletin of Reports will be released no later than May 12, 2026. This extensive resource will include all of the reports needed for informed voting, including the budget proposal, the resolutions, the list of nominees, compensation guidelines, and the constitution draft. Also included are descriptive reports from synod committees, subcommittees, and ministry partners.
Synod Assembly Forums
To help all voting members be prepared for Synod Assembly, we are hosting three forums online the week before Synod Assembly:
- The Budget Forum will be Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 p.m.
- The Resolutions Forum will be Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:15 p.m.
- The Constitution Forum will be Thursday, June 4th at 6 p.m.
Each of these forums will be recorded and available for viewing before assembly.
