Luther's Political Theology
The Fall 2026 Synod Clergy Continuing Education Event
will be held at Priest Field, 9-11 November 2026. The Rev.
Dr. Anthony Bateza will present on Luther's political
theology.
This event is open to clergy and laity from all
judicatories. Registration is required. For more information
and registration link, visit our Education for
Clergy page.
WVCC Annual Assembly
Advance information on the West Virginia Council of
Churches' 145th Annual Assembly is now
available on our Education
for Clergy & Laity page. To be held 16 November
2026 under the theme "American Christian or Christian in
America.: Faithfully Following Jesus in a Time of Idolatry
and Division," the assembly will feature The Rev. Beau
Underwood, co-author of Baptizing America: How
Mainline Protestantism Helped Build Christian
Nationalism. Registration is now open; link posted
on our Education for
Clergy & Laity page.
Does Your Congregation Rent Our its
Facilities?
Churches are increasingly taking advantage of rental
income as they try to develop a sustainable economic
model. This tool will help you learn how to build a rental
model for long-term lease arrangements that works for both
your mission and your money. Download How to Rent Well: A Guide to Help
Churches with Renting Property.
Community Purchasing Alliance
Our friends at the Church Property Resource Hub have
shared information about the Community Purchasing
Alliance. You can it on our Congregations
page. Services that may be appropriate for your
congregation include copied, insurance, accounting
services, and discounts on other services and products.
Is Your Congregation Generating Revenue?
The Church Property Resource Hub has a new online book, What
About Taxes?!!! A Guide for Churches Starting to
Generate Revenue. When a congregation begins to
explore income generating activities through social
enterprise or renting property there often is anxiety
around tax status. We have created this tool to help you
ask the right questions related to the tax issues as it
concerns income generating activities and churches. Visit
our Congregations
page for download link.
Lecture: Martin Luther and the Called Life
The Rev. Dr. Mark Tranvik will lecture in Wheeling as
part of the Upper Ohio Valley Conference's Reformation
Weekend festivities. Tranvik is Professor of Reformation
History and Theology, Luther Seminary, and a respected
scholar whose most recent work has focused on vocation in
daily life. Open to all, the lecture we be held 10:00
a.m., Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Grace Lutheran Church
(Bethlehem), Wheeling, WV. There is no charge. An optional
$10 luncheon will follow (RSVP is required). A worship
service will take place after lunch. For more information,
visit our Education
for Clergy & Laity page.
Portico Health Plan Selection Approaches
Congregations and Clergy should be preparing to make
their health plan selections for CY2027. Information is
posted on our Clergy
Wellness page.
Mission Support for 2027
The mission support formula for 2027 has been posted on
the synod's Mission
Support page. You will also find there the mission
support request letter, the commitment forms, and
remittance forms.
Clergy Compensation for 2027
The Synod Council has published the Clergy Compensation
Guidelines for 2027 on the Clergy Compensation
page. You will find there the complete Clergy Compensation
Kit for 2027 and the Clergy Compensation Calculator for
2027.
Ethics
A dedicated Ethics page has been
uploaded, a move occasioned by approaching deadlines for
public comment on both
- reconsideration of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust
(2009) and
- reconsideration of Homelessness: A Renewal of
Commitment (1990).
Also included on the page is information about the Journal
of Lutheran Ethics, its podcast, and the upcoming
Lutheran Ethicists Gathering on AI.
Flooding
Information related to flood response and how you can
help is posted on our Social
Ministry page.
Go Tell It IN the Mountains
WV-WMD has received official word from Go Tell It IN the
Mountains, a Lilly funded initiative to promote excellent
preaching, that all its resources are available for use by
our clergy, lay preachers/readers, and those training to
be preachers. Seminars, workshops, and print material is
found on the Go Tell It IN the Mountain's website. To
learn more, visit our Education for Clergy
& Laity page.
Luther's Table Prayers
Psalm 145 (appointed in our lectionary for 2 August 2026)
includes the verses Luther employed in his table prayer for
blessing the meal. To learn more, click here.
Help! I Have To Plan Worship (without a
Pastor)
With new congregations entering pastoral vacancy, it is a
good time to remind everyone that the synod provides several
resources for worship planning. Visit our Worship
page to get started.
ELW Mass for Ordinary Time (Following Pentecost)
A new template and planners' edition for the ELW's Service
of Holy Communion in Ordinary Time following Pentecost has
been added to our Liturgy
for Ordinary Time (Season of Pentecost) page. It is in
MS-Word and can be cut and pasted into your congregational
worship bulletin. Simply insert your hymn numbers or
verbally announce them.
The Exchange
Occasionally, a congregation, agency, or individual will
have something they either want to sell, give away, or
acquire. To that end, we've set up The
Exchange, a place to post items and requests.
There are two items (a total of forty choir robes) now
posted on The Exchange. Check them out, and feel
free to contact the Synod Office if you have something to
request or post.
If you haven't checked out the members portal...
Don't forget to take a peek of the members
portal (click the button at right near the top of
this page). It's not password protected. We only call it
the "members portal" because it's mostly stuff that deals
with the internal workings of the synod. Visitors looking
for more general information about the synod, will
probably find the "guest portal" more interesting.
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