And God said, "Let there be Assignment"

So often we throw around church lingo like region and synod without explaining what that means for our lives and ministry. On February 20, members of the senior class received envelopes with a number inside: 1-9. The number stood for the region of the United States that individual would be called to. Each region (shown as divided by the bold lines on this map) includes portions of multiple states. We remember which region is where by looking from left to right and north to south, as though you're reading a book (in English):

Region One - the great Northwest, which stretches from Alaska to Montana.
Region Two - the coveted Southwest, which includes everything from Hawaii to Wyoming!
Region Three - most Luther students were placed here, the Dakotas and Minnesota.
Region Four - Nebraska straight south to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas.
Region Five - includes everything from urban Chicago through IA and WI to the UP of Michigan.
Region Six - Michigan to Kentucky!
Region Seven - Maine Lobster, The Patriots and New York
Region Eight - Western Pennsylvania and from Washington DC to West Virginia
Region Nine - Virginia to the Caribbean!

Whew. I hope I got that right.

In December, each senior going through the assignment process listed three regions he or she would prefer to be assigned to. And then they waited. :)

As you can see, February 20th's news about regions was a welcome snack for the students involved, but it left plenty of questions unanswered! Since then, each bishop has represented his/her 'synod'/sub-regional district at regional meetings to discern further placement. These areas out outlined lightly on the map, dividing the country's nine regions into 65 synods. Each has their own bishop and staff who will help connect graduates with congregations for interviews and calls.

Some synods are geographically small because they are dense with ELCA congregations. The Minneapolis Area Synod and St. Paul Area Synod are largely urban and suburban while the Rocky Mountain Synod spans entire states!

Seniors started receiving phone calls yesterday from Bishops welcoming them to a particular synod within their assigned region. Many are planning trips to visit their synod during Easter break and will be scheduling interviews with congregations soon!

I found this great map (above) at the ELCA website.

For more information about the first call process, regions and synods, visit the Synodical Relations link.