March 3-7 I was in Chicago with the ELCA Conference of Bishops. You can read the press release below. We have had a great deal of transition with many new synod bishops elected last spring and a new presiding bishop and secretary elected last summer at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. There are also retirements, resignations, and new hires among the ELCA Churchwide staff. It was good to be together and to have some longer and more in-depth conversations.

We said goodbye to three retiring bishops, including Bp Patricia Lull, completing 12 years serving St. Paul Area Synod.

ELCA Conference of Bishops Elects Chair and Vice Chair

Itasca, Ill. (March 13, 2026) — The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met March 3-7 at the Eaglewood Resort and Conference Center in Itasca, Ill. The conference is an advisory body of the ELCA that comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.

In his presiding bishop’s report to the conference, the Rev. Yehiel Curry reinforced the priority area he has identified for his first three years in office: A connected church and sustainable church: Raising the bar together.

Curry described his vision of connection as a shared ownership across the church. “It is not mine. It is yours. It is ours,” he told the conference. “It is one of the three priorities that we lifted up as the ELCA that we said were important priorities to us. How do we take this one priority and in three years be certain that we [embody] it?

“Raising the bar together [ensures that] we know who we are, where we’re going, and we do it as a collective. I think that’s built for a better connection.”

Curry’s report also addressed the 2026 churchwide organization budget decrease of $3 million that resulted in reductions in staffing, grants, and travel and administrative costs. These shifts were designed to align personnel and resources with core mission priorities while minimizing disruption to essential functions.

An encouraging sign, he noted, was that the percentage of Mission Support received in 2025 surpassed the amount anticipated, allowing the churchwide organization to recalibrate projected budget gaps for 2026. But he also noted that the churchwide organization may face a $6.8 million budget decrease in 2027 and asked for the conference’s help in preparing for the future.

“I want to hear from you about how we can be nimble,” he said. “Many of you have asked me, ‘What should we do? What can I do to help?’ And I’m going to say to you today, the churchwide organization needs you. … I need to hear from you about those things we have to do and [what] we’ve been doing.”

Curry also updated the conference on the Vision team, now referred to as the Exploration team, which is working alongside the ELCA’s Research and Evaluation and Innovation teams on its current grant to support a unified approach to future-focused work.

In key business, the conference elected the Rev. Deborah Hutterer, bishop of the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod, as its chair. The Rev. Greg Busboom, bishop of the ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod, was elected as vice chair. Both positions are effective July 1. The conference adopted new three-year terms for these positions during this meeting. Previously, Curry and Hutterer were elected to four-year terms as the respective chair and vice chair in 2023.

Reflecting on the spring meeting Hutterer said, “Throughout the week we were reminded that our ministry as bishops is deeply relational. Through worship, Bible study, prayer, conversation and honest listening, connections were strengthened to one another, with ELCA seminary presidents and with the churchwide organization. We left encouraged by the Spirit’s work among us and by the shared calling that unites us in Christ.”

During the meeting, the conference:

• Approved recommendations from the Roster Committee on granting extensions of leave, non-stipendiary calls, and exceptions to the bylaw that requires an initial three years of congregational service. It also received a report of actions taken by the Roster Committee in the interim between conference meetings.

• Discussed a revised candidacy process proposed by the candidacy leadership development working group. Established during the conference’s spring 2022 meeting, the working group is exploring ways to adapt the candidacy process to the church’s current and future needs. The discussions resulted in modifications to the proposed revisions, with the conference continuing its work toward a more flexible, competency-based, relational candidacy process.
• Engaged in conversation with the seven leaders of ELCA seminaries about the future of theological education and leadership formation in the church. The conference and seminary leaders are committed to engaging in ongoing study and discernment together on these topics.

• Received a presentation on the ordination and installation process from Deacon John Weit, executive for Worship. The report focused on the bishop’s responsibility to oversee and preside at ordinations to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament and Ministry of Word and Service, and to provide for the installation of pastors and deacons.
• Received reports from the ELCA secretary and treasurer and updates from the conference’s various committees.

ELCA Conference of Bishops Elects Chair and Vice Chair

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.7 million members in more than 8,400 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org