2025 Assembly Highlights
June 13-14, 2025
Sioux City, Iowa
Friday morning: Pre-Assembly Workshops
- Honoring Neighbors Faith: various locations in Sioux City
Friday afternoon: Nativity Parish Center, Sioux City
- Land Acknowledgment presented by Tracy Gayer, Vice President
Western Iowa Synod
- Bishop Lorna Halaas opened Assembly at 1:30pm
- The Credentials and Elections Committee reported registrations of 202 voters and 21 visitors for a total of 223 attendees
- Victoria Flood, Churchwide representative and Pr Mike Kroona, Chair of Bishop Election Committee reviewed the Bishop Election process as governed by Western Iowa Synod Constitution Section S9.04.
- Stories of Making God’s Love Real in Western Iowa Synod were presented.
- Pr Chip Borgstadt, Synod Staff, presented Candidacy report.
- Recognition of 5 church anniversaries and 29 ordination anniversaries
- Worship with Bishop Lorna Halaas presiding and sermon by Rev Jeniffer Tillman, Campus Pastor, Waldorf Univ, Forest City.
Friday evening: Nativity Parish Center, Sioux City
- The Credentials and Elections Committee reported registrations of 217 voters and 22 visitors for a total of 239 attendees
- Elected 24 persons to Synod Council and synod committee positions*.
- Closed with evening prayer
Saturday morning: Nativity Parish Center, Sioux City
- The Credentials and Elections Committee reported registrations of 222 voters and 26 visitors for a total of 248 attendees
- ELCA Churchwide report – Victoria Flood, Sr. Director for Congregation and Synod Support, Development
- Passed resolutions*:
o #1 2025 Compensation and Care Guidelines
o #3 Bishop Emerita
o #2 Adopt the 2024 Revised Budget and the 2025 Proposed Budget
- Passed Memorial*:
o National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools
- Grants and endowments were announced
- Assembly offering totaled $14,991.50 for the Western Iowa Synod Pig Project and food programs in Western Iowa.
- Bishop Election concluded on the fourth ballot. Newly elected Bishop is Rev Scott Dalen. Installation will be Saturday, September 27.
- Bishop Lorna Halaas led the closing and installation of newly elected Synod council and committees.
*Resolutions and other reports are available on the Western Iowa Synod
website www.wisynod.org. Click on Synod Assembly