Congregations, Ministries Join In Affirmation Covenant At the 2007 Synod Assembly, each congregation, institution and agency of the Northwestern Ohio Synod will be asked to join in an “Affirmation of Our Covenant to Reflect Our Unity and Shared Mission in Christ Jesus.” Below is a sample copy of this covenant.

 A Covenant to Reflect Our Unity 
and Shared Mission in Christ Jesus  

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”  (1 Corinthians 12:26-27)

“We best embody Christ when we work together.”
(Northwestern Ohio Synod Guiding Principle #6) 

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We join in the unity of this church when we receive the “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).  We are nurtured together in the faith as we hear the gospel proclaimed, receive the body and blood of Jesus, and as we reach out together in mission.  Our calling is to realize the unity God promises us, as Jesus says to his Father, “…so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:11)     

To nurture this unity, each congregation and ministry receives, from its relationship with the Northwestern Ohio Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

• the blessing of not walking alone (synod means walking together), for God created us to be in communion, and God does not desire for us to exist in isolation
• the presence, assistance, prayer support, and love of the Bishop and staff of the Northwestern Ohio Synod, and the resources and ministry network of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• the opportunity to work interdependently with other congregations, and with the wider church
• a wide variety of ways to participate in Christ’s ministry of witness and service across our country and around the world
• a connection to the whole Christian church throughout the world, the ingathering of believers from every nation across the globe 

In thanksgiving for the unity God gives us, each congregation and ministry commits itself to strengthen the ministry of the Northwestern Ohio Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by: 

• praying for partner congregations and ministries, the Northwestern Ohio Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church
• participating fully in the life of the wider church, availing itself to opportunities for learning, fellowship and shared mission
• encouraging its pastors and staff members to actively engage in fellowship with colleagues from other congregations and ministries
• working to grow in mission support, in order to enhance and develop ministries in the synod and churchwide expression.  Congregations also pledge to consult with the Office of the Bishop before reducing mission support
• praying for the unity of the church in Christ and for the embrace of the gospel “to the ends of earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Bishop Marcus C. Lohrmann	Rostered leader(s)
Assistant to the Bishop/Administrator	Lay congregational representative

 

Northwestern Ohio Synod Purpose Statement:
Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we who belong to the congregations, agencies, and ministries of the Northwestern Ohio Synod, will witness together to God’s creative and redeeming Word to all the world.

Northwestern Ohio Synod Guiding Principles:

1. Christ Jesus is Lord.
2. The cross is at the heart of the Lutheran understanding of the Gospel and will be the center of our life and work together as a synod.
3. All those who are baptized into Christ have a part in God’s mission to the world.
4. Mission requires effective, faithful and Christ-centered clergy and lay leadership.
5. Blessed by the Holy Spirit, God has given us the gifts we need to be the Church in mission.
6. We best embody Christ when we work together.

+ Soli Deo Gloria + To God alone be the glory +