This past Saturday, our Synod gathered for a worship service to celebrate the ministry of our Bishop, the Rev. Dr. Timothy Marcus Smith. He has served as our Bishop for the past ten years. He was installed as Bishop here, at Christ Lutheran, in 2015. It was a huge event, the sanctuary was packed, clergy from all over the state were robed and sitting in the front pews. It was an exciting day! He has served our Synod faithfully and on Saturday, we gave thanks for his ministry as Bishop.

Bishop Tim announced his retirement in February, and we gathered at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury to honor his ministry and to give him and his wife, Wendy, Godspeed for their next steps. The service was beautiful. Our own Mark Johanson and Phil Biedenbender attended to sing with the choir.

Bishop Tim has been a wonderful Bishop, leading us to address rostered minister debt, gender disparity in ministry, and a global pandemic. That, of course, is a fraction of what the position has involved. As he retires, he is encouraging us to look ahead and prepare for our next Bishop, who will be elected at this year’s Synod Assembly at the end of May.

In case you are not as familiar with the role of bishops in the ELCA, it is one of both spiritual guidance and administrative supervision. Bishops serve as shepherds of the church, guiding congregations, pastors, and synod leaders in their mission to proclaim the gospel and serve their communities. Their ministry is deeply rooted in scripture, shaped by Lutheran theology, and focused on nurturing faith, justice, and unity within the Church. They are deeply involved in the ordination and call process, administration and governance, and the connection to the larger Church.

In our tradition, the Church has three expressions: Churchwide, synods, and congregations. Churchwide is the global Church of which our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, has shepherded our denomination since 2013. Synods are geographical regions of congregations and ministries. The ELCA has 65 Synods. Some of them are designated by state, like North Carolina, and others are more regional. Each synod has a bishop who is elected by the people of that synod through a prayerful election process.

Christ Lutheran will send voting members to attend our Synod’s Assembly in May. We will get to hear about larger church matters and vote on them. We will vote to elect the next Bishop of our Synod. It will be a significant time of connecting, learning, and “being the people”. Once our new Bishop is elected, we will have the honor of hosting the installation service in November.

We give thanks for Bishop Tim Smith and his ministry these past ten years. We trust the Holy Spirit is working among us in calling our next leader.