For times of pastoral vacancy or whenever regularly called pastoral leadership is not available, the WV-WMD maintains and provides lists (scroll down) of ordained clergy (deacons and pastors), seminarians (and candidates), and lay worship leaders (SLWL and BLWL) who may be available to "supply." Additional sources for "supply" worship leadership are found after the mentioned lists. Please read through the entire page (and the special COVID-19 information at right) to familiarize yourself with protocols and guidelines. To make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of this page, hit your browser's refresh/reload button.

Supply Compensation Guidelines

The WV-WMD Synod set a revised compensation schedule for pulpit supply at its 24 January 2015 Synod Council meeting. Since 1 March 2015, pulpit supply is to be compensated as follows. At its 6 February 2021 meeting, Synod Council created an addendum to the supply compensation guidelines covering remote and hybrid (remote & in-person) worship/preaching. If you are using remote or hybrid worship, please review, s.v., "Compensation & Remote/Hybrid Worship/Preaching."

• 1 service -- $125.00
  
• 2 services on the same day -- $160.00
  
• 3 services on the same day -- $195.00
• for each additional service -- $35.00
  
• Mileage is reimbursed at the 2024 IRS rate of 67¢ per mile―this is a 1½¢ increase from the 2023 rate.
  
• If you engage a supply preacher from a significant distance, it is appropriate to provide overnight lodging.

Licensed Reader Compensation

The WV-WMD Synod set, at its 19 May 2022 meeting, the compensation schedule for Licensed Readers in the Synodical Lay Worship Leaders program.

• 1 service -- $75.00
  
• 2 services on the same day -- $110.00
• 3 services on the same day -- $145.00
• for each additional service -- $35.00
• Mileage is reimbursed at the 2024 IRS rate of 67¢ per mile―this is a 1½¢ increase from the 2023 rate.
• If you engage a supply preacher from a significant distance, it is appropriate to provide overnight lodging.

Special Cases Affecting Compensation (Bishop, D.E.M., agency and institutional representatives)

When the Bishop of this Synod or the Director of Evangelical Mission is the worship leader/preacher, whether the person is to be compensated depends upon the circumstances. If the pastor of the congregation is present for worship, your gifts to mission support cover all of the costs associated with this visit---though a congregation may, at its option, remit a gift to the synod. When the pastor is not present, the supply preacher is to be compensated at the normal supply rate. Both the Bishop and the D.E.M. have the right to waive some or all the compensation associated with supply preaching costs. The bishop and D.E.M. may ask you, under some circumstances, to separate the mileage and the supply honorarium, making the check for honorarium out to the preacher and the check for the mileage out to the synod.

Many church agencies and church related agencies have similar policies. Please be sure to inquire what the policy is with respect to the person being engaged.

Compensation & Remote/Hybrid Worship/Preaching

The following applies if the service is being delivered either remotely or hybrid employing Zoom^®, Facebook^®, Youtube^®, etc.. If you are having trouble deciphering, click here to download examples of calculations.

• Single congregation: The rate is the same as for a standard supply with one service.
• Multiple-point parishes, coops, and shared ministries formally defined
• With single preaching circuit: The rate is the same as if the supply preacher were covering all of the congregations in the preaching circuit. Method of compensation follows the protocols regularly employed by the parish.
• With multiple preaching circuits: Assuming there is still only one transmission session, all participating congregations are counted as if they were a single circuit. Method of compensation follows the protocols regularly employed by the parish.
• Multiple congregations not in a parish: The rate is the same as if it were a circuit of multiple congregations. How the supply preacher is paid depends upon the call status of the supply preacher.
• If the supply preacher is not under call to one of the participating congregations/parishes, the total rate is divided evenly by the number participating congregations, and one of two methods of remittance may be used (as agreed upon in advance by the participating congregations/parishes and supply preacher):
• Each participating congregation remits its share directly to the supply preacher, or
  
• One congregation compensates the supply preacher the total rate, and the other congregations remit to that congregation their respective shares.
• If the preacher is under call to one of the participating congregations/parishes, one of the following conditions may apply.
• If the preacher is under call to a single congregation, the total rate is divided evenly by the number of participating congregations. The congregations to which the preacher is not under call remit their respective shares to the congregation holding the letter of call.
• If the preacher is under call to a parish, the parish shall count as one service, and each additional congregation shall count as an additional service. The total rate is divided evenly among the participating congregations (the parish counting as if it were one congregation). The congregations to which the preacher is not under call remit their respective shares to the parish holding the letter of call.

Additionally,

• Mileage, if travel is involved, is still included in the total calculation.
• If there are multiple transmission/recording sessions (e.g., one at 0830 and one at 1000), all congregations participating in multiple transmission sessions are counted as an additional service each.

Parameters

COVID

While the heightened level of precaution related to the pandemic has abated, a surge is always possible. We keep the guidance issued in February 2021 posted for the time being, knowing that it is dated. See the sidebar to the right.

Children's Sermons

Children's sermons should not be expected of supply preachers. Children's sermons are not defined by the rubrics as a standard part of the liturgy. They are also the hardest sermons to preach in terms of understanding the audience. A supply preacher usually does not know the children of the congregation. Is a given child at the preoperational stage of development (and how far along)? Concrete operational? Flirting with formal operational? Is the child shy, gregarious, adventurous, timid? Does the child have any particular triggers? What is the depth of the child's faith formation? How diverse is the group of children that may come up for the children's sermon? It is hard enough for the regular pastor or deacon to grapple with the complexities involved. Asking a supply preacher to do so is not only an unreasonable request but often a disservice to the children as well.

If a children's sermon is expected as part of the supply arrangement, this must be discussed in the first conversation (i.e., before the parties agree to the engagement) with a prospective supply preacher. Nobody is happy when the supply preacher shows up and is told, without warning, that a children's sermon is expected. In short, there needs to be an agreement up front about whether a children's sermon is part of the engagement. If the congregation wants a children's sermon from the supply preacher, and the supply preacher is happy to provide one, well and good. If, however, the congregation wants a children's sermon from the prospective supply preacher, and the supply preacher is unwilling to provide one, four options exist (with respect to the engagement of the supply preacher):

1. the congregation can drop the request for a children's sermon and engage the supply preacher;
2. the prospective supply preacher can accede to the wishes of the congregation;
3. the prospective supply preacher can opt not to accept the engagement; or
4. the congregation can opt not to engage the supply preacher.

Caveat: +Riegel does not do children's sermons.

Sacraments & Pastoral Acts

Holy Communion may only be celebrated by an ordained presbyter (pastor) on the roster of the ELCA or an ordained presbyter with ordination equivalency on the on the roster of a full-communion partner and in good standing. Special dispensation for lay Eucharistic presidency, under the policies of the ELCA, can only be granted under unusual circumstances and then for only six months at a time. At this time, there are no active dispensations for lay Eucharistic presidency. If your congregation has received a dispensation in the past, please contact Bishop Riegel to discuss your situation.

Holy Baptism, when administered in an emergency, may be performed by anyone. An emergency requires both imminent death and the unavailability of an ordained presbyter (pastor). Prompt reporting to the local pastor is required. When administered during the worship of the congregation—administration at other times is at the discretion of the pastor and should be rare—the regular presider is the pastor of the congregation. The same rubric for Holy Communion applies here.

A funeral is neither a sacrament nor a rite reserved to the clergy by either civil or ecclesiastical law. A Bishop's Lay Worship Leader may be engaged for a funeral when authorized by the pastor loci or the interim pastor loci.

A wedding is not a sacrament. Civil law, however, in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia limits who may legally conduct a wedding. Additionally, out-of-state clergy should ascertain whether bonding or some other requirement exists (as in the case of West Virginia).

Verifying Ecclesiastical Credentials

Before engaging a supply pastor, especially for sacramental or other ministerial functions, please contact bishop. Per our polity, the following may preside at altar in our congregations:

• ELCA Ministers of Word & Sacrament, assuming they are in good standing, i.e., still on the roster of ministers of Word & Sacrament and not otherwise under discipline (e.g., suspended).
• Full-Communion presbyters (pastors), assuming that they are presbyters of equivalent standing with our presbyters (i.e., ordained pastors) and are not otherwise restricted or inhibited by their judicatories. The ELCA has full-communion agreements with the UMC, PCUSA, RCA, UCC, TEC, and Moravians.
  
• N.B., not all UMC pastors are pastors. That may sound a little crazy, but the UMC has ordained elders (pastors) and local pastors (who are not ordained elders of the same rank). Local pastors of the UMC are not to be used. Now, this is important: if you don't ask about the class that a UMC pastor is in, the pastor may or may not tell you because the local pastor may not know the rules of the ELCA-UMC agreement.
• N.B., PCUSA is interesting in that they have teaching elders (pastors) and ruling elders (more like our council members). Again, only the teaching elders may preside at ELCA altars.
• Members of church bodies with which there is no established formal full-communion but which confesses the Unaltered Augsburg Confession only if pro loco et tempore authorization is endorsed by the bishop and approved by Synod Council.

Directories

Synodical Lay Worship Leaders

The WV-WMD Synod Council, at its 6 February 2021 meeting, adopted a new policy for Synodical Lay Worship Leaders (download the SLWL policy here). The adoption of the SLWL policy does not rescind or amend the existing BLWL policy; only the Synod Assembly can rescind or otherwise amend the BLWL policy. At its January 2020 meeting, Synod Council appointed the Select Commission for Synodical Lay Worship Leadership (The Rev. Sean Smith (chair), The Rev. Sally Bartling, and Stephanie Setley) to review the drafts for Synodical Lay Worship Leadership prepared by the bishop with report to the Synod Council with recommendations. Following successful completion of its work, the the Select Commission was discharged and reformed with The Rev. Sean Smith as chair and Paul Wangerin, The Rev. Ian Reid, and The Rev. Ruth Bullwinkle as members. This reformed select commission was charged with development of procedures related to the initiation of the Reader license.

There are two innovative aspects of the SLWL program. First, there are four different licenses (reader, apprentice preacher, journ preacher, and master preacher), each with its own norms and authorizations. Second, licensure exams replace the BLWL requirement for attendance at specific educational events.

Applications for the reader license are now being accepted.

To learn more about the SLWL program, explore the policies, and apply for license, visit the Synodical Lay Worship Leaders page.

Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders

Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders are equipped through the synod's training program and authorized by the synod for service under the Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders Program adopted by Synod Assembly 1989 (SA89.6.37) and most recently amended by Synod Assembly 2000 (review BLWL Policy here). This service in the territory of synod is at the invitation of the congregation's pastor or, if delegated, the congregational leader appointed for the task of coordinating supply preachers. When considering someone other than one listed, contact the bishop.

The WV-WMD Synod Council, at its 6 February 2021 meeting, adopted a new policy for Synodical Lay Worship Leaders. Applications to enter the roll of BLWLs are no longer being accepted.

Seminarians & Candidates

Seminarians in good standing and authorized by their seminaries (or, absent an authorization protocol, the Bishop) and those approved by an ELCA synod for ordination (deaconal or presbyteral) may also be engaged for supply preaching. They may preach but not preside at altar. The two closest seminaries to the bulk of our territory are United Lutheran Seminary (Gettysburg Campus), Gettysburg, PA, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. When considering someone other than one listed, contact the bishop.

Ordained Deacons Available for Supply

WV-WMD has one ordained deacon, The Rev. Dn. Mary Sanders, available for supply preaching. Deacons (on the ELCA roster of ministers of Word & service) who are in good standing in their own synod may be engaged for supply work under the same conditions as any other supply preacher. They may preach but not preside at altar. When considering someone other than one listed, refer to the guidelines posted for verification of credentials.

Ordained Presbyters (Pastors) Available for Supply

The names listed below are known to the synod as ordained presbyters (pastors or ministers of Word & Sacrament) in good standing in the ELCA or a full-communion partner. They may both preach and preside at altar. When considering someone other than one listed, refer to the guidelines posted for verification of credentials. When engaging an ordained presbyter for regular Sunday worship, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be part of the service. If the Sacrament will not be part of the Sunday service, it is recommended that the congretion engage someone in one of the other categories in the directory section of this page.

Ordained Presbyter	Base of Operations	Phone	E-mail
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Allen (TEC) (temporarily unavailable)	Fairmont, WV	304-830-2183	RevDrTJA@comcast.net
The Rev. Wm. Curtis Black	Wheeling, WV	757-617-5230	pastorcurtisinky@gmail.com
The Rev. Jacqueline Campbell (temporarily unavailable)	Fairmont, WV	304-365-0164	prjacq@comcast.net
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Ralph Dunkin	Wheeling, WV	304-280-0710	rwd300@yahoo.com
The Rev. Andrea Ernest	Frederick, MD	301-730-5625	revandreaernest@gmail.com
Chap. Courtney Erzkus	Morgantown, WV	717-881-4621	Courtney@LutheranMountaineer.org
Chap. Ben Erzkus	Morgantown, WV	717-881-4631	Ben@LutheranMountaineer.org
The Rev. Linda Lewis	Eastern Panhandle	443-789-6811	LALewis54@gmail.com
The Rev. Bob Lowden	Stephens City, VA	717-283-3764	bob@lowden.org
The Rev. Richard Moll	New Market, VA		RAMoll@shentel.net
The Rev. Thomas Omholt	Oakland, MD	202-368-0443	jetermn626@hotmail.com
The Rt. Rev. Matthew L. Riegel, S.T.M.	Morgantown, WV	304-680-5388	Bishop@WV-WMD.org
The Rev. Sherri Schafer	Wheeling, WV Franklin, WV	304-312-4222	sherri.schafer@elca.org
The Rev. R. Alvin Schafer (temporarily unavailable)	Wheeling, WV	304-280-0208	alvatas@gmail.com
The Rev. Dr. Alexander Sumo	Columbus, OH	614-218-6730	saq9000@yahoo.com
The Rev. John L. Sweitzer (PCUSA)	Burgettstown, PA	724-947-5749	sweitzer_john@yahoo.com

Other Sources for Supply

Seminaries

Congregations in the Eastern Panhandle might want to consider obtaining supply preachers from the Gettysburg Campus of United Lutheran Seminary. Congregations along the Ohio River might look to Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH. Seminary professors and staff may be available. Likewise, seminarians are often authorized by the seminaries to supply preach. Verify with the seminary that this is the case before engaging a seminarian.

Neighboring Synods

WV-WMD accepts the credentials of ordained presbyters (pastors) on the ELCA's roster of ministers of Word & Sacrament who are authorized by our neighboring ELCA synods for supply service. Caveat: this does not automatically extend to lay preachers, seminarians, Synodically Authorized Ministers, or ecumenical partners on the lists of other synods. Check with our synod office prior to making arrangements with any in these mentioned classes.

Also, not all synods, however, have the same supply policies and practices. Some synods, like our synod, expect the congregation to contact the supply preacher directly; on the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, some expect the congregation to go through the synod office, and the synod office assigns a supply preacher. Supply compensation also varies. Carefully review the information provided by each synod (and ask questions rather than make assumptions).

• Allegheny Synod
• Delaware-Maryland Synod
• Metro DC Synod
• Indiana-Kentucky Synod
• Northeastern Ohio Synod
• Southern Ohio Synod
• Southwest Pennsylvania Synod
• Virginia Synod

If a particular synod is not listed, you may visit the ELCA's "Synods" webpage to locate contact information.

Full-Communion Partners

The provisions of the ELCA's full-communion agreements provide for pulpit & altar fellowship as well as the interchangeability of clergy. The differences, however, between our respective rosters complicate this interchangeability. Prior to engaging a ordained or layperson for supply, contact the synod office to verify appropriateness.

When All Else Fails

When it is impossible to secure a supply preacher from any of the approved/recommended sources, two options remain open for non-sacramental services:

• The pastor or interim pastor may, with the concurrence of the congregational council appoint a member of the congregation to lead service and preach.
• Preferred, however, would be the a member of the congregation lead the service and, rather than preach, read a sermon from a source recommended by either the pastor, interim-pastor, or bishop.