OREGON
Quick Facts of the Oregon Synod
One of 65 synods of the ELCA
One of 6 synods of Region I
Divided into 13 clusters
Number of congregations: 118
Developing worshipping communities:6
Baptized membership: 46,230
Total attendance at worship/week: 16,588
Interns: 5
Rostered Clergy
114 serving in congregations; 34 in specialized ministry; 100 who are retired
Rostered Lay Leaders
4 diaconal ministers; 2 deaconess; 4 associates in ministry
Partner Synod
Western Iowa Synod
Partner Synods are groups of two [or three] synods from different locations in the ELCA working to form community and partnership.
The Oregon Synod is in a Partner Synod relationship with the Western Iowa Synod. For information about that synod, visit their website.
Global Relationship-Companion Synod
The Evangelical-Augsburg (Lutheran) Church in Poland
The Oregon Synod carries out its global mission through a companion synod partnership with The Evangelical-Augsburg (Lutheran) Church in Poland. Through the mission support sent on to ELCA Global Mission and missionary sponsorship, the Oregon Synod and synod congregations work to support the work of missionaries in all parts of the world.
Campus Ministry
Lutheran Campus Ministry, Oregon State University
Taiwan Ministry
Taiwan Lutheran, Beaverton
Chinese Ministry
Heavenly Peace Lutheran Fellowship, Portland
Mission Starts
Grace Lutheran, Portland; Good Spirit, Portland; St. Matthew Lutheran, Central Point; Church of Living Waters, Burns;
Synod Authorized Worshipping Community
Soul Café, Hood River
Quick Facts of the ELCA
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America resulted from a union of three North American Lutheran church bodies: The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America. The three churches agreed to unite in 1982. They formed a 70-member Commission for a New Lutheran Church, which planned the merger. The plan was approved by church conventions in 1986, and the ELCA constituting convention was held April 30-May 3, 1987, with the church actually beginning operations on January 1, 1988.The ELCA meets in assembly every two years; at its 2001 Churchwide Assembly it elected its third bishop, The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, who was re-elected at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly held August 6-12 in Chicago.MEMBERS:
- Baptized Members: 4,850,776
- Communing and Contributing Members: 2,256,700
- Congregations: 10,549
- Synods: 65 in nine geographic regions
- Members of Color
African-American/Black: 54,354
American Indian/Alaska Native: 7,095
Arab/Middle Eastern: 1,779
Asian/Pacific Islander: 21,950
Latino/Hispanic: 39,157
Multiethnic: 12,261
Other: 11,096
- Clergy: 17,694 (3,140 female; 570 people of color)
- Associates in Ministry: 1,082 (867 female; 215 male; 18 people of color)
- Diaconal Ministers: 105
- Deaconesses: 62
- Missionaries: approx. 270 adult missionaries serving in over 48 countries, of which 79 are self-funded volunteers
- Campus Pastors and Ministries: 185 campus ministry sites supported by synod and/or churchwide funds
- Federal Chaplains: Approximately 706
(383 Retired Military, 96 Armed Forces Active Duty, 183 Reservists,
37 Veterans Affairs, 7 Federal Bureau of Prisons) - Chaplaincy, Pastoral Counseling and Clinical Education: Approximately 965 ecclesiastically endorsed ordained and lay rostered people serve in the areas such as general health care, correctional, substance abuse, long term care chaplaincy and clinical education ministry.
- Theological Seminaries and Deaconess Community:
8 Seminaries
2 Seminary Extension Centers
1 Deaconess Community - Colleges and Universities: 28
- Schools:
14 High Schools
296 Elementary Schools
1573 Early Childhood Programs - Social Ministry Organizations:
280 parent corporations, providing service to 6 million people in 3,000 communities, and serving one in 50 Americans every year - Camps and Retreat Centers: 145, serving 450,000 yearly
(summer programs 175,000, retreats and conferences 275,000)
- ELCA Churchwide Current Fund Results:
2005 Revenue $81,791,720
2004 Expense $78,317,968 (plus Church Council Designated funds of
$4,000,000) - Total 2005 Income of Congregations: $2,676,901,588
- Average Giving Per Confirmed Member: $598.75