by WELCA staff
At a virtual meeting on April 18, 2026, Women of the ELCA executive board members took a range of actions, including offering Interim Executive Director Jennifer Hockenbery the position of Executive Director and recommending approval of a proposed churchwide budget for 2027.
Hockenbery’s offer was contingent on the approval of the ELCA’s Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry. The offer was approved by Bishop Curry and formally accepted by Hockenbery in May 2026. Hockenbery had been serving as interim executive director of Women of the ELCA since July 2024.
One important part of Hockenbery’s interim work was to guide the staff and board in creating a strategic plan. This spring, during her report to the board, Hockenbery highlighted projects and activities of the staff over the previous six months that are within WELCA’s strategic plan. These included:
- Connecting to 74 new women through the Belong button on WELCA’s website.
- Receiving nearly $60,000 in grants to promote beloved, WELCA’s Campus Ambassador program.
- Creating Just Prayers Just Prayers booklet available – Gather Magazine
- Attending the Faithful Resistance March in February 2026 in Washington, D.C., with participants from United Women in Faith.
- Creating a new scholarship category for traditional students.
- Rebuilding the Racial Justice Network and creating a monthly racial justice newsletter and holding monthly forums on the topic.
- Conducting a popular “Fact and Fiction” and “Craftivism” webinar (online seminars).
- Continuing the excellent work of Gather and Café, which have both won multiple awards in 2026.
Financial picture improving
Executive director Jennifer Hockenbery reported that as of January 2026, Women of the ELCA paid off almost its entire debt from 2023 and 2024. She added, “Our successful S.A.L.T. (Sharing Abundance, Love and Thanks) campaign allowed us to finish the 2025 financial year with no new debt.”
In fact, Board treasurer Jennifer Armstrong-Schaefer reported that the first close of fiscal year 2025 showed that WELCA revenue was greater than expenses. “While this is a very important step in reversing years of debt accumulation, “[WELCA] revenue for the 2025 fiscal year – $1,668,384 – was still below the budgeted revenue amount of $1,860,000.” Armstrong-Schaefer said.
Armstrong-Schaefer also noted that although regular offerings and Thankofferings had decreased, SWO convention offerings had increased.
“We are grateful that SWO’s S.A.L.T.-ed their SWO convention offerings,” Executive Director Jennifer Hockenbery said.
WELCA President Myrna Wells-Ulland added: “It’s good news that we came in with revenue over expenses, but [this was] because expenses were cut. There was still not enough revenue to do all the things we want to do such as in-person conference of presidents or conventions.” To help WELCA ministries continue to grow, “we can continue to remind people to S.A.L.T. all of their offerings,” Wells-Ulland said.
The board approved a variety of guidelines from the Fundraising Taskforce, including encouraging donors to participate in Faithful Friends, WELCA’s monthly giving program, and to continue to “salt” (increase) their offerings to WELCA’s churchwide organization.
Katie’s Fund update
The Katie’s Fund Campaign ended in 2025, with more than $900,000 raised in gifts and pledges. As of June 11, 2026, the Campaign met its goal of $1,000,000 in gifts and pledges! Hockenbery told board members that interest on this money has gone to a total of $45,000 in Katie’s Fund grants distributed in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026.
Thanks to Katie’s Fund, “there are some really great things happening,” executive director Jennifer Hockenbery said. Katie’s Fund grant recipients are making a real difference in people’s lives, she explained. As one example, recipient Staci Stought has successfully launched “Unnamed No More,” which creates resources and workshops that ELCA congregations can use for ministry with victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and child abuse, as well as resources for children’s safety within churches. Other examples: Women from the Florida-Bahamas SWO are using a Katie’s Fund grant to meet with women in the Guyanese Lutheran Church, and ELCA seminarians are using a Katie’s Fund grant to come together for racial justice training.
Help for synodical women’s organizations
Both the board and staff are committed to work together with synodical women’s organizations that have been struggling to get members for an active board. For example, Hockenbery and WELCA intern Kamila Gutierrez have been working with the Greater Milwaukee SWO, which is back on more solid footing with strong leadership. Armstrong-Schaefer is looking into a possible return of the Allegheny SWO (disbanded in 2024), where some units continue to gather and contribute. Board member Sheena Foster is exploring leadership development and ways to increase younger leaders within Metro Washington D.C. SWO. “In general, we want SWO’s to know that we want to help support them. They should feel empowered to do things differently in order to thrive into the future,” said Hockenbery.
2026 Gathering updates
The board is looking forward to the 2026 Triennial Convention and Gathering. Of the nearly 1,000 registrants, one-third are first-time attendees. More than 160 people have registered for the Run, Walk and Roll event in Des Moines. And after reaching full capacity, paid registrations for a special BoldCafé evening event at the Gathering closed.
The board voted to designate offerings at the triennial convention and gathering as follows:
- Convention offerings: 50 percent to WELCA where needed most, 25 percent to AMMPARO and 25 percent to the Network of ELCA Colleges And Universities.
- Gathering offerings: 50 percent to WELCA where needed most; 25 percent to Lutheran World Relief; 25 percent to local food banks through the Des Moines Area Religious Council.
In other actions, the board:
- Approved sending the proposed FY 2027 budget of $1,665,000 for approval by voting members at WELCA’s 13th Triennial Convention, which will be held virtually July 13-14, 2026. Budget hearings will take place before (on June 28) and during the convention.
- Continued board’s discussion of the Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers’ book, See Me, Believe Me, which guides readers to deepen allyship with congregational leaders of color.
- Discussed building up WELCA special units at ELCA seminaries.
- Approved a request from the executive board’s Racial Justice Committee that a member of the WELCA Racial Justice Advocacy Network’s elected leadership fulfill at least one of the non-board member positions on the board’s Racial Justice Committee, beginning with the 2026-2029 triennium.
The executive board is set to meet again at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, Sunday, July 12, 2026, before the virtual convention takes place July 13-14, 2026, via Zoom.