Mission Support - Central/Southern Illinois Synod

The Central/Southern Illinois Synod comprises 114 congregations doing ministry in two-thirds of Illinois and beyond. Our congregations support local ministry in their communities, and the mission support funds they forward to the synod office support ministry among our congregations and throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

For congregations wishing to send their mission support online, click on the button below and fill out the form. If you send the same amount each month, you can schedule your gifts to be sent automatically.

Mission Support Online

Each year, 50% of all mission support from congregations is used by the synod office to provide pastoral ministry, nurture the mission of the church, tell the story, and support ministries with partners. Congregations are invited to share their mission support plans with the synod office annually.

Providing Pastoral Ministry

Nurturing the Mission of the Church

Telling the Story

Supporting Ministries with Partners

This includes pastoral care for congregations and rostered ministers in times of celebration and times of crisis, as well as providing for pastoral leadership in congregations during times of transition. Bishop Roth and synod staff work with congregations through the call process, from the time of a pastor’s departure, until calls are extended to new pastors and deacons. This involves meetings with councils and call committees, reading ministry site profiles and rostered minister profiles, as well as arranging for interim and synod-authorized ministry appointments to congregations.

With the growing ease of video technology, connecting with one another across the synod has become more convenient and sometimes more frequent. More of the adult faith formation courses are online, allowing greater participation from around the synod. Online workshops for congregation presidents and treasurers equip leaders to serve the body of Christ, and the budget supports synod youth events and Leadership Lab. Nurturing the mission of the whole church happens through the work of candidacy, which is the process of preparing and approving candidates to serve as pastors and deacons in the ELCA, and through First Call Theological Education, a series of required learning retreats for pastors in their first three years of ministry.

As a synod we are called to witness to God’s love in Christ for the world in the way we present ourselves as congregations and as a synod. In 2023, $192,716 (27%) is dedicated to equipping the synod office and congregations to effectively communicate who we are and what we are about. Our full-time director of communications not only produces a twice-monthly synod newsletter, but also works with congregations on their own websites and video communications. Our entire synod staff is crucial for gathering and disseminating information about ministry as a synod and across the synod.

As a synod we cannot and do not wish to do everything ourselves. Our synod budget extends the scope of our ministry by financially contributing $181,388 to the ministry of other organizations like seminaries, campus ministries at universities, Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, and Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Bishop Roth cultivates our connections with ecumenical partners and sits on the boards of Lutheran Campus Ministry of Illinois and LSSI.