Dear Candidate,

Thanks be to God for you and for the gifts you will soon bring to rostered ministry in this church. This Guide to the ELCA Assignment Process addresses the completion of your candidacy process, the preparatory steps toward a regional and synodical assignment, and for most of you, a first call. Some of you are coming to this process having been rostered in other church bodies or returning to rostered ministry in the ELCA by way of reinstatement. For all of you we give thanks.

In the midst of completing your candidacy process and your seminary class work, we also ask you to begin preparing for assignment to a region and synod for call. Admittedly, this is a demanding time. It is also an exciting time. This booklet is given to you with the hope that you will see the assignment process as part of the ongoing discernment of your call to rostered ministry. The Churchwide Assignment Consultation is more than a draft. It is a prayerful process of discernment. We keep you in prayer during this time, and we ask for your prayers for all who participate in making these decisions. We trust the Holy Spirit is at work in each step.

This guide will address some of your concerns and answer some of your questions. We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to consult with your seminary, your synod candidacy staff, churchwide deployed staff in your region and central staff in Chicago. Our names and numbers are all included in the appendix.

Also included in the appendix are instructions for downloading Formatta Filler so that you can complete and send Forms A, B, C, and R electronically. When you send your forms to assignment@elca.org you will receive an e-mail confirmation that they have been received. If you need help using the on-line forms, please call Jeff King at 1.800.638.3522 ext. 5071. We expect to receive all forms on-line. We appreciate NOT receiving duplicate paper copies of the same forms. If for some reason, you must send correspondence by postal mail, please address to: Marcia Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 West Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.

First call assignment is often a time to reflect back with thanksgiving for God’s call and leading. May this be a blessed time of wonder, challenge, and opportunity in Christ’s service. It is a privilege to be a part of this process.

Please do not hesitate to call me at 1.800.638.3522 ext.2890 or e-mail me if you have concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Marcia Johnson
Associate Director
Synodical Relations/Vocation and Education