Thirteenth triennial convention takes action on a range of issues and elects a new board

by Women of the ELCA

More than 200 Women of the ELCA voting members acted on a range of issues and elected a new churchwide executive board during the Thirteenth Triennial Convention, held virtually July 13-14. The voting body elected Sheena Foster (Metro Washington DC Synodical Women’s Organization), a nonprofit executive and CEO, as the churchwide president.

Women of the ELCA has a “remarkable legacy of faith, generosity, advocacy, and service,” said Foster, speaking to voting members before her election July 14, on the fourth ballot, (134-85) over Gwendolynn Edwards. “Yet we also know the realities before us: Our membership is aging. Financial challenges have tested our sustainability. Like many organizations, we are discerning what faithful leadership looks like in a changing world. But I do not believe this is the end of our story. I believe this is God’s invitation to rebirth for such a time as this.”

Foster continued: “My vision for Women of the ELCA is clear: to serve a vibrant, intergenerational movement where leaders of every age and background discover belonging, deepen their faith, and are equipped to act boldly in the name of Jesus Christ. That means honoring the faithful women who built this ministry, while intentionally welcoming the [next] generation. That means strengthening our financial future through faithful stewardship, strategic partnerships, and innovation. That means creating new pathways for leadership, service, advocacy, and discipleship, so that every leader knows she is seen, valued, and called.”

The voting body elected three more churchwide officers:
Gwendolynn Edwards (Nebraska SWO), vice president,
Miranda Searcy (Arkansas-Oklahoma SWO), secretary, and
Linda Clarke (Western Iowa SWO), treasurer.

Other board members elected to the 15-member churchwide executive board are:
Rev. Carmen Colon-Brown (Southern Ohio SWO),
Ginger Cutrell (Southeastern SWO),
Paula Dusseljee (Southeast Michigan SWO),
Noelle Eve Heinrich (New England SWO),
Maria Lokensgard (Southwestern Minnesota SWO),
Mary Ann Nelson (Southwestern Washington SWO),
Andrea Lindgren Oslikova (Lower Susquehanna SWO),
DaMisha McFarland-Pollack (Southeastern Iowa SWO),
Kristal Shipp (Southwest California SWO)
Risse Snelgrove (South Carolina SWO), and Dawn Talley (Northeastern Pennsylvania SWO).

All 15 board members, including the officers, will serve the organization for the 2026-2029 triennial term.

During convention plenary sessions, voting members took a range of actions, encouraging Women of the ELCA participants to:

· Become more aware of immigrant family detention and take such actions as requesting education and direction from AMMPARO and ELCA Advocacy; holding events to learn, pray and advocate, and sending letters advocating for the closure of family detention centers.

· Share information about and support “Faithful Friends,” the monthly donation program that supports the work of the churchwide organization.

· Support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders of the ELCA by celebrating the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) leadership formation program and actively working to uplift and empower the gifts of BIPOC leaders.

· Seek justice for neighbors by engaging in the ongoing work of Global Refuge, AMMPARO, ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response and other organizations that show mercy and care; speaking out against discrimination and prejudice; and standing up for the rights and dignity of all.

· Use creation care resources and include creation care as one of WELCA’s justice causes.

· Work together to commission, train, and support women to go and make disciples while serving courageously, thus imparting faith to the next generation.

· Observe September 30 as a National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools.

· Learn about the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women using resources from elca.org/truthandhealing

· Raise awareness of and fundraise for Kuwaa Mission, which supports building wells with clean water for the Kuwaa people in Liberia.

· Raise up healthy women and girls through education about physical, spiritual, and emotional health.

· Bring awareness of period poverty and take actions by making menstrual supplies available in church restrooms and donating menstrual supplies to food banks, women’s shelters, and homeless organizations. Click here for a complete list of 2026 memorials and resolutions adopted by the convention.

The voting body also:

· Received a greeting from Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry, who emphasized the importance of connection, sustainability and raising the bar together in the ELCA.

· Heard churchwide executive board members read a statement that acknowledged and apologized for the harm done to many, including nominees, during the 2023 Triennial Convention election process.

· Adopted constitutional changes (Article III, Section 2) that affirm each individual’s worth, changing some instances of the word “woman” to “person,” so as to read: “Recognizing that each person is created in God’s image and uses their varied gifts in diverse ministries, this community of women shall affirm in its life and work the worth of each person.” In Article III, section 14, the voting body added wording that welcomes membership, ministry, and full participation of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community “in the spirit of wholeness for the church.”

· Failed (139-75) to achieve the two-thirds vote needed to amend the constitution and bylaws allocation of one voting member per 50 congregational units, rather than the current allocation of one voting member per 25 congregational units. The amendment was proposed as a cost-saving measure “in hopes that the triennial convention can return to being in person again,” said Gwendolynn Edwards, Constitution Committee chair. The current cost of an in-person triennial convention—borne by the churchwide organization—is about $900,000. By contrast, a virtual convention can cost less than 1/10th of that amount.

· Adopted, by unanimous vote, a 2027 churchwide budget of $1,665,000.

· Enjoyed a Bible study led by the Rev. LeAnn Stubbs, assistant to the bishop for congregational discipleship/director for evangelical mission, Southeastern Iowa Synod. “You are fearfully and wonderfully made,” Stubbs told listeners. Describing how God knit us together in our mother’s wombs, Stubbs had listeners imagine God knitting them together with many colorful patterns and textures, adding pockets for all our gifts. Although today some voices in society would like to see women’s pockets and gifts taken away, God wants us to have our pockets and our gifts, she said.]

· Collected more than $3,600 in offerings, designating 50 percent for Women of the ELCA, 25 percent for the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities, and 25 percent for AMMPARO, the ELCA’s migrant ministry.