Synods in this Region

• 8A - Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod

  Bishop Ralph E. Jones

• 8B - Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod

  Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow

• 8C - Allegheny Synod

  Bishop Gregory R. Pile

• 8D - Lower Susquehanna Synod

  Bishop B. Penrose Hoover

• 8E - Upper Susquehanna Synod

  Bishop Robert L. Driesen

• 8F - Delaware-Maryland Synod

  Bishop Wolfgang D. Herz-Lane

• 8G - Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod

  Bishop Richard H. Graham

• 8H - West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod

  Bishop Ralph W. Dunkin

People in this Region

• Rev. Matthew Finney

  Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

  Frenchville, PA

• Rev. Brian Chaffee

  Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Greensburg, PA

• Rev. Virgil Cain

  Trinity Lutheran Church

  Smithsburg, MD

• Rev. Shawn Berkebile

  St. John Lutheran Church

  Abbotstown, PA

• Rev. Sean Smith

  Messiah and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

  Moundsville, WV

• Rev. Kelley Baxter

  St. Paul Lutheran Church

  Pine Grove Mills, PA

• Rev. Mike Louia

  St. Paul Lutheran Church

  Funkstown, MD

• Rev. Ryan Viands

  Christ Lutheran Church

  Madley, PA

• Rev. Erin Smith

  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

  New Castle, PA

• Rev. Jackie Roderick

  St. Peter Lutheran Church

  Lancaster, PA

What is this?

Every year, graduating seminary students in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America enter the call process to become leaders in the church. After their paperwork is submitted and they are approved by their home synod candidacy committees, the first round of the call process begins.

Each student is assigned to one of nine geographical regions. This assignment is carried out by a group of Bishops meeting at ELCA Headquarters in Chicago. Each candidate is assigned a region based on their preferences and each region's need.

To learn more about the call process, take a look at this blog series from seminarian Jennie Chrien.

What's next?

What usually follows the candidates' regional assignments is a gathering of bishops from each region who meet and place the candidates into their synods. This meeting can take place as soon as a few days after regional assignment, or as far as a few weeks later.

After synod assignment, bishops work to place candidates in a call in their synod. This process involves discernment on the synodical, congregational and individual level.

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