List of ELCA synods

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) consists of 65 synods which are configured into nine regional offices. Each of the synods of the ELCA elects one bishop and three synod council officers (vice president, secretary, and treasurer) at its Synod Assembly to oversee the spiritual and organizational activities of its member congregations and elect representatives to the ELCA's churchwide assembly.^[1][2]

A map of the nine ELCA regions. Note that the Slovak Zion Synod falls under Region 7 and the Bahamas and the Caribbean under Region 9.

Region 1 (Northwestern United States)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Alaska Synod	Alaska	Timothy Oslovich[3]	7,806[4]	30[4]
Northwest Washington Synod	Northwest Washington	Shelley Bryan Wee[5]	29,340[6]	98[6]
Southwestern Washington Synod	Southwest Washington	Richard E. Jaech[7]	23,365[8]	84[8]
Northwest Intermountain Synod	Eastern Washington, Idaho	Meggan Manlove[9]	18,704[10]	89[10]
Oregon Synod	Oregon	Laurie A. Larson Caesar[11]	26,252[12]	109[12]
Montana Synod[d]	Montana	Laurie A. Jungling[13]	28,667[14]	123[14]
Totals			134,134	533

Region 2 (Southwestern US and Wyoming)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Sierra Pacific Synod	North & Central California, Northern Nevada	Jeff Johnson [15]	34,286[16]	180[16]
Southwest California Synod	Southwest California	Brenda Bos[17]	20,888[16]	114[18]
Pacifica Synod[g]	Inland Empire (CA), Hawaii	David C. Nagler[19]	23,384[16]	103[20]
Grand Canyon Synod	Arizona, Southern Nevada	Deborah K. Hutterer[21]	38,182[16]	88[22]
Rocky Mountain Synod[d]	Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, West Texas	Meghan Johnston Aelabouni[23]	49,652[16]	154[24]
Totals			166,392	639

Region 3 (Minnesota and the Dakotas)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Western North Dakota Synod	Western North Dakota	Craig A. Schweitzer[25]	54,946[26]	169[26]
Eastern North Dakota Synod	Eastern North Dakota	Tessa M. Leiseth[27]	88,328[28]	201[28]
South Dakota Synod	South Dakota	Constanze Hagmaier[29]	96,880[30]	202[30]
Northwestern Minnesota Synod	Northwest Minnesota	Bill Tesch[31]	82,479[32]	221[32]
Northeastern Minnesota Synod	Northeast Minnesota	Amy Odgren[33]	53,584[34]	132[34]
Southwestern Minnesota Synod	Southwest Minnesota	Dee Pederson[35]	102,163[36]	232[36]
Minneapolis Area Synod	Minneapolis (MN)	Jen Nagel[37]	156,316[38]	141[38]
Saint Paul Area Synod	Saint Paul (MN)	Patricia J. Lull[39]	102,414[40]	105[40]
Southeastern Minnesota Synod	Southeast Minnesota	Regina Hassanally[41]	108,067[42]	166[42]
Totals			845,177	1,569

Region 4 (Central United States)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Nebraska Synod	Nebraska	Scott Johnson[43]	87,686[44]	234[44]
Central States Synod[a]	Kansas, Missouri	Susan Candea[45]	41,541[46]	165[46]
Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod	Arkansas, Oklahoma	Michael Girlinghouse[47]	7,156[48]	50[48]
Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod	North Texas, North Louisiana	Erik Gronberg[49]	18,197[50]	94[50]
Southwestern Texas Synod	Southwestern Texas	Susan Briner[51]	31,507[52]	123[52]
Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod	Texas Gulf Coast, South Louisiana	Michael W. Rinehart[53]	30,345[54]	104[54]
Totals			216,432	770

Region 5 (Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Metropolitan Chicago Synod	Chicago (IL)	Yehiel Curry[55]	69,073[56]	171[56]
Northern Illinois Synod	Northern Illinois	Stacie Fidlar[57]	57,139[58]	143[58]
Central/Southern Illinois Synod	Central & Southern Illinois	S. John Roth[59]	34,956[60]	121[60]
Southeastern Iowa Synod	Southeast Iowa	Amy Current[61]	79,208[62]	136[62]
Western Iowa Synod	Western Iowa	Lorna R. Halaas[63]	42,754[64]	121[64]
Northeastern Iowa Synod	Northeastern Iowa	Kevin T. Jones[65]	63,259[66]	145[66]
Northern Great Lakes Synod	Upper Michigan	Katherine Finegan[67]	21,487[68]	79[68]
Northwest Synod of Wisconsin[b]	Northwest Wisconsin	Martin R. Halom[69]	77,924[70]	195[70]
East-Central Synod of Wisconsin[b]	Eastern Wisconsin	Ann Edison-Albright[71]	64,208[72]	118[72]
Greater Milwaukee Synod	Milwaukee (WI)	Paul Erickson[73]	59,143[74]	119[74]
South-Central Synod of Wisconsin[b]	Southern Wisconsin	Joy Mortensen-Wiebe[75]	81,011[76]	133[76]
La Crosse Area Synod	La Crosse (WI)	Felix Malpica[77]	29,513[78]	73[78]
Totals			679,675	1,553

Region 6 (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Lower Peninsula)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Southeast Michigan Synod	Southeast Michigan	Donald P. Kreiss[79]	34,448[80]	106[80]
North/West Lower Michigan Synod	North & West Michigan	Craig A. Satterlee[81]	30,565[82]	109[82]
Indiana-Kentucky Synod	Indiana, Kentucky	Timothy M. Graham[83]	43,760[84]	176[84]
Northwestern Ohio Synod	Northwest Ohio	Daniel G. Beaudoin[85]	62,108[86]	160[86]
Northeastern Ohio Synod	Northeast Ohio	Laura Barbins[87]	44,966[88]	164[88]
Southern Ohio Synod	Southern Ohio	Suzanne D. Dillahunt[89]	56,262[90]	180[90]
Totals			272,109	895

Region 7 (New England, New Jersey, New York, Eastern PA)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
New Jersey Synod	New Jersey	Tracie Bartholomew[91]	44,875[92]	156[92]
New England Synod	New England, Northeast New York	Nathan D. Pipho[93]	38,163[94]	172[94]
Metropolitan New York Synod	New York City, Hudson Valley, & Long Island	Paul Egensteiner[95]	54,403[96]	187[96]
Upstate New York Synod	Upstate New York	Lee M. Miller, II[97]	43,888[98]	161[98]
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod	Northeast Pennsylvania	Christopher DeForest[99]	99,369[100]	254[100]
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod	Southeast Pennsylvania	Bryan J. Penman[101]	59,786[102]	148[102]
Slovak Zion Synod[c]	Slovak heritage (non-geographic)	Wilma S. Kucharek[103]	2,916[104]	20[104]
Totals			343,400	1,098

Region 8 (Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Western PA)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod	Northwest Pennsylvania	Michael Lozano[105]	16,892[106]	75[106]
Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod	Southwest Pennsylvania	Kurt F. Kusserow[107]	54,163[108]	157[108]
Allegheny Synod	Allegheny Region (PA)	Paula J. Schmitt[109]	27,130[110]	114[110]
Lower Susquehanna Synod	Lower Susquehanna (PA)	James S. Dunlop[111]	73,915[112]	225[112]
Upper Susquehanna Synod	Upper Susquehanna (PA)	Craig A. Miller[113]	25,571[114]	119[114]
Delaware-Maryland Synod[e]	Delaware, Maryland	William J. Gohl, Jr[115]	49,897[116]	160[116]
Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod	Washington, D.C. Southern Maryland, Northeast Virginia	Leila M. Ortiz[117]	24,834[118]	72[118]
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod	West Virginia-Western Maryland	Matthew L. Riegel[119]	9,501[120]	59[120]
Totals			281,901	981

Region 9 (Southeastern US, the Caribbean)

Synod Name	Area	Bishop	Membership	Congregations
Virginia Synod[e]	Virginia	Phyllis Milton[121]	30,212[122]	151[122]
North Carolina Synod	North Carolina	Timothy M. Smith[123]	50,501[124]	187[124]
South Carolina Synod	South Carolina	Virginia S. Aebischer[125]	40,105[126]	147[126]
Southeastern Synod	Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee	Kevin L. Strickland[127]	35,062[128]	139[128]
Florida-Bahamas Synod	Florida, The Bahamas	Pedro M. Suarez[129]	43,302[130]	166[130]
Caribbean Synod[f]	Caribbean	Vivian J. Davila[131]	3,538[132]	33[132]
Totals			202,720	823

Notes

• ^a Name is formatted this way to avoid confusion with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
• ^b Name is formatted this way to avoid confusion with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
• ^c Synod is Non-geographic, consisting of congregations of Slovak heritage
• ^d Some congregations in Northwestern Wyoming have elected to be a part of the Montana Synod instead
• ^e Excludes regions part of the Washington metropolitan area
• ^f Most member congregations of the Synod are located in Puerto Rico but also has members in Bermuda and the US Virgin Islands
• ^g Not to be confused with Pacifica, California