Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod
Encyclopedia
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the regional ELCA judicatory of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The synod covers Bucks
, Chester
, Delaware
, and Montgomery
counties as well as the City of Philadelphia
.
The synod, consisting of rostered leaders (pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses, and diaconal ministers) and approximately 172 congregations and missions, is located in an area rich in German and Swedish history, with the latter bringing Lutheranism (as missions of the Church of Sweden
) in the 1640s before the subsequent takeover of Tinicum (present-day Chester
) by the British and the formation of the Province of Pennsylvania under the Quaker William Penn
, who invited scores of people, mostly British Quakers and German Lutherans and Anabaptists (Amish
and Mennonite
), to settle the land. Its predecessor body, the Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States
, the oldest Lutheran synod in America, was organized in 1748 at Philadelphia by the Lutheran patriarch, Pastor Henry Melchior Muhlenberg of Trappe, Pennsylvania
. The synod is also the home of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
(LTSP), under which the ELCA maintains the main office of the seventh region, which oversees the ELCA's New England
, Upstate
and Metropolitan New York Synods, the Slovak Zion Synod
, New Jersey Synod
, and two of the ELCA synods in Pennsylvania.
The highest legislative authority of the synod is the Synod Assembly, which meets annually. The Synod Council is the board of directors of the synod and is its interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. The Synod Council normally meets five times every year and consists of 29 members. The Bishop is elected by the Synod Assembly and may serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. The other synod officers are the Vice President (who must be a layperson), Secretary, and Treasurer (either a layperson or a rostered pastor), all of whom may serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.
The synod's current office is located on the grounds of LTSP, having been moved from its previous office in Norristown, Pennsylvania
in 2008. Since the Called to Common Mission
with the Episcopal Church, it has been in ecumenical partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
, allowing the synod and the diocese to share both pastors and staff. Symbolically, the synod gave the diocese a baptismal font with the consecration of the new Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral located in Philadelphia's "University City" section (near the University of Pennsylvania
and Drexel University
). In 2006, the Rev. Claire Schenot Burkat, a Lutheran pastor who had been both on the synod's and diocese's "deployed staff," in support of the formation of new congregations, was elected as the synod's fourth bishop, and the first woman to hold the title. She was formally installed on October 14, 2006. Her co-consecrators included ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and the Rt. Rev. Samuel Colerman, former Episcopal bishop of Connecticut and former assistant bishop of Pennsylvania under the Rt. Rev. Charles Bennison
.
Geographically, the synod shares the same five-county area as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
, part of the larger Philadelphia Episcopal Area (which includes the Peninsula Delaware Conference), is also located within the geographic boundaries of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, but also includes territory located within the ELCA's Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, mostly the Lehigh Valley
and Pocono Mountains regions.
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, Chester
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Delaware
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, and Montgomery
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
counties as well as the City of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
The synod, consisting of rostered leaders (pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses, and diaconal ministers) and approximately 172 congregations and missions, is located in an area rich in German and Swedish history, with the latter bringing Lutheranism (as missions of the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
) in the 1640s before the subsequent takeover of Tinicum (present-day Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
) by the British and the formation of the Province of Pennsylvania under the Quaker William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
, who invited scores of people, mostly British Quakers and German Lutherans and Anabaptists (Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
and Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
), to settle the land. Its predecessor body, the Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States
Pennsylvania Ministerium
The Pennsylvania Ministerium was the first Lutheran church body in North America. With the encouragement of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the Ministerium was founded at a meeting of German-American Lutheran clergy on August 26, 1748...
, the oldest Lutheran synod in America, was organized in 1748 at Philadelphia by the Lutheran patriarch, Pastor Henry Melchior Muhlenberg of Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census. Augustus Lutheran Church, built in 1743, is the oldest unchanged Lutheran church building in the United States in continuous use by the same congregation...
. The synod is also the home of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is one of eight seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , located in Philadelphia . It was founded in 1864 but traces its roots further back to the first Lutheran establishment in Philadelphia founded by Henry Melchior...
(LTSP), under which the ELCA maintains the main office of the seventh region, which oversees the ELCA's New England
New England Synod
The New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a jurisdictional synod , consisting of all of the New England states , as well as the Lake Champlain area of eastern New York state...
, Upstate
Upstate New York Synod
Upstate New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is led by bishop Marie C. Jerge, and is a Companion Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, a partner synod with the Central/Southern Illinois Synod, and a Reconciling in Christ Synod....
and Metropolitan New York Synods, the Slovak Zion Synod
Slovak Zion Synod
The Slovak Zion Synod is one of the 65 bodies that make up the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is the only non-geographic synod in the ELCA, the only ELCA synod to have a congregation in Canada, and the only synod based on mission and outreach...
, New Jersey Synod
New Jersey Synod
The New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the local synod that oversees all of the ELCA's congregations in the State of New Jersey....
, and two of the ELCA synods in Pennsylvania.
The highest legislative authority of the synod is the Synod Assembly, which meets annually. The Synod Council is the board of directors of the synod and is its interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. The Synod Council normally meets five times every year and consists of 29 members. The Bishop is elected by the Synod Assembly and may serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. The other synod officers are the Vice President (who must be a layperson), Secretary, and Treasurer (either a layperson or a rostered pastor), all of whom may serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.
The synod's current office is located on the grounds of LTSP, having been moved from its previous office in Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
in 2008. Since the Called to Common Mission
Called to Common Mission
Called to Common Mission is an agreement between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , establishing full communion between them. It was ratified by the ELCA in 1999, the ECUSA in 2000, after the narrow failure of a previous agreement. Its principal author on the...
with the Episcopal Church, it has been in ecumenical partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania....
, allowing the synod and the diocese to share both pastors and staff. Symbolically, the synod gave the diocese a baptismal font with the consecration of the new Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral located in Philadelphia's "University City" section (near the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
). In 2006, the Rev. Claire Schenot Burkat, a Lutheran pastor who had been both on the synod's and diocese's "deployed staff," in support of the formation of new congregations, was elected as the synod's fourth bishop, and the first woman to hold the title. She was formally installed on October 14, 2006. Her co-consecrators included ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and the Rt. Rev. Samuel Colerman, former Episcopal bishop of Connecticut and former assistant bishop of Pennsylvania under the Rt. Rev. Charles Bennison
Charles Bennison
Charles Ellsworth Bennison, Jr. is 15th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.-Education and family:Bennison was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 30, 1943, and was baptized at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Hastings, Minnesota, on December 24, 1943. His father, Charles E...
.
Geographically, the synod shares the same five-county area as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, part of the larger Philadelphia Episcopal Area (which includes the Peninsula Delaware Conference), is also located within the geographic boundaries of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, but also includes territory located within the ELCA's Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, mostly the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and Pocono Mountains regions.
Bishops of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod
The following individuals have served as Bishops of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod since its inception in 1988 with the formation of the ELCA:- The Rev. Lawrence L. Hand (1983-1987, Bishop, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Lutheran Church in America [LCA]; 1988-1990, Bishop, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA)
- The Rev. Michael G. Merkel (1990-1994)
- The Rev. Roy G. Almquist (1994-2006)
- The Rev. Claire Schenot Burkat (2006- )