Sierra Pacific Synod | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | northern and central California, northern Nevada |
Headquarters | Oakland, California |
Statistics | |
Congregations | 182[1] |
Members | 43,068 (baptized, 2014)[1] |
Information | |
Denomination | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
Established | 1988 |
Current leadership | |
Bishop | Jeff R. Johnson |
Map | |
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Website | |
www |
The Sierra Pacific Synod is one of the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It covers central and northern California and northern Nevada and supports ELCA congregations throughout that region. It was headed by bishop Megan Rohrer who resigned on June 6, 2022.[2]
It is subdivided into nine conferences, each headed by a dean.[3][4]
The synod, like many ELCA synods, is a companion of a non-US Lutheran church. Sierra Pacific's companions are the Taiwan Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church of Rwanda, and the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.[5]
Bishops current and former:
Well known churches in the synod include St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United Lutheran Church. Both were suspended from the denomination in 1990 and then expelled in 1995 for ordaining gay and lesbian pastors. After the ELCA changed its rules on ordaining gay and lesbian pastors in 2009, they rejoined in 2011 and 2012 respectively.[10][11]
University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley was also reprimanded for calling a gay pastor, Jeff R. Johnson, in 1999. On September 17, 2023, Pastor Johnson was elected Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod. (Psalm 118:22-24)