The 2026 Synod Assembly for the Southeastern Iowa Synod will take place on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids. Join Bishop Amy Current, synod staff, and leaders from across the synod for a meaningful two-day gathering of celebration, fellowship, and important synod business.

This year’s assembly will be centered around the theme: “Peace be with you” (John 20:19), inviting all participants to reflect on Christ’s gift of peace and to carry that peace into our communities and ministries. In addition to worship, workshops, and fellowship, the 2026 Assembly will include the election of the Synod Bishop.

SYNOD ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

Watch this video from Keith Jones, Synod Council Vice President, to learn more about this year’s assembly. The video can also be downloaded to share with your congregation or ministry.

Prayer Shawl & Quilt Invitation

As part of the preparation for the Synod Assembly, the synod is inviting congregations to contribute handmade prayer shawls and quilts that reflect this year’s theme, “Peace be with You.” These pieces will help surround the Assembly in prayer, comfort, and symbolic care, either as keepsakes for participants or to be shared afterward with people and organizations in need. Learn more about how your congregation can participate and contribute through the button below.

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Synod Assembly Events

Registration is Now Open

Register through the button below.

REGISTER FOR SYNOD ASSEMBLY

How to Write Resolutions & Memorials

The Synod Reference and Counsel Committee will host a webinar for anyone interested in writing and submitting a resolution for the 2026 Synod Assembly. The webinar will take place on Thursday, February 26, at 6:30 PM. Registration is required using the button below. Please note that the deadline to submit a resolution for consideration at the assembly is March 31.

REGISTER FOR WEBINAR

Pre-Assembly Zoom Sessions

Monday, May 11

  • 6:00 PM — Synod Assembly Orientation, including Bishop Election Overview (Zoom Link)

  • 7:30 PM — Resolutions, Memorials, and Synod Constitution for Action by the Assembly (Zoom Link)

Tuesday, May 12

  • 6:00 PM — 2027 Synod Budget and 2027 Compensation Guidelines for Rostered Ministers (Zoom Link)

Bishop Election 2026

The Southeastern Iowa Synod will elect a bishop at the Synod Assembly. Discernment and hearing the call of the Holy Spirit happen to us as individuals and communally. While it will be the Assembly Voting Members that take action at the Assembly, the whole synod has a role in the process of electing the bishop. Learn more through the button below.

BISHOP ELECTION INFO

Voting Member Materials

Synod Assembly Offering:
Supporting the Tanzania Companion Synod Program

The 2026 Synod Assembly theme, Peace Be With You, calls us to live into Christ’s promise of peace through relationship, generosity, and shared mission. In that spirit, this year’s Synod Assembly offering will support our Companion Synod Program in Tanzania and will be shared equally between the Pare Diocese and the Mwanga Diocese.

Our companion relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania is rooted in mutual accompaniment and trust. Gifts from this offering will support ministries identified by the Pare Diocese and the Mwanga Diocese, each with unique gifts and ministry contexts. Synod Assembly Offering gifts will support strengthening congregations, nurturing leaders, and sustaining the church’s witness in their local communities.

We invite all who gather for Synod Assembly, and all throughout the synod, to join in prayer for our companions in Tanzania and to give generously as a sign of Christ’s peace with you, with them, and with the whole church.

GIVE A GIFT
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Frequently Asked Questions