Save the date and join us for the 2026 Northern Illinois Synod Assembly on June 12-13, 2026, at Augstana College in Rock Island!
Although the Northern Illinois Synod Assembly has traditionally been held on Father's Day Weekend, Synod Assembly will now be held on the second full weekend in June every year to avoid falling on Juneteenth.
Registration for voting members is now open and will close on May 12, 2026. Registrations will not be accepted after the May 12th deadline.
- Each voting member is requested to register with their own email address that will be used for communications and voting.
- Each voting member will need to have their own mobile device throughout the whole assembly, such as a cell phone or tablet with internet capability and access to email. The synod's registration computers on-site may be available in a limited capacity for some voting.
The non-refundable registration fee is $125.00. This includes lunch and dinner on Friday as well as all of the expenses of running a successful assembly.
- Congregations are responsible for the expenses of all Lay, Youth or Young Adult, and Minister(s) serving their congregation.
- Ministers not under call and all visitors are responsible for their own expenses.
All registrations are required to be paid via credit card at time of registration. This registration process has greatly reduced the staff time needed for synod events. If your congregation is not able to pay via credit card, please call or email Laura Bergren at the synod office, 309-794-4004 and via email.
Please note that registrations must be submitted individually. If registering multiple people, you may need to clear your cookies, use separate browsers, or only submit three at a time to avoid being locked out.
Also, please note that refunds will not be provided for those with unexpected scheduling conflicts. Substitute voting members may be accepted up until June 8th.
All meals provided by Augustana College can accommodate all dietary needs. If someone from your congregation is not comfortable eating Augustana's food, you can contact Laura Bergren at the synod office for registration options.
Assembly Information
Friday - June 128:00 a.m. Registration |
Saturday8:30 a.m. Plenary III |
The theme for 2026, including this year's Synod Assembly, is Going Deeper: Naming, Claiming, and Proclaiming. We will continue to consider hard questions of faith and to what God is calling us in today's world.
Our guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Laurie Skow-Anderson, the same guest speaker from our Congregational Resourcing Event. She has served as Bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin and previously served as their Director of Evangelical Mission.
Our Churchwide Representative is Rev. CeCee Mills, Secretary of the ELCA. We are excited to have one of our new officers of the ELCA as our churchwide representative.
Our 2026 Synod Assembly Worship Offering is a collective commitment to nurturing new faith communities by investing directly in the two Synod Authorized Worshipping Communities (SAWC) in the Northern Illinois Synod. Your gifts equip the leaders of our SAWCs with the resources they need to meet the needs of their communities.
Our 2026 Synod Assembly In-Kind Offering will support the vital work of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. You are invited to participate either by donating $25 gift cards from grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants (listed on our synod website) which are brought to Synod Assembly or by purchasing items from LSSI's Mindful Giving wish list. Your generosity directly equips this life-changing work.
Bulletin of Reports
The Bulletin of Reports will be released no later than May 12, 2026. This extensive resource will include all of the reports needed for informed voting, including the budget proposal, the resolutions, the list of nominees, compensation guidelines, and the constitution draft. Also included are descriptive reports from synod committees, subcommittees, and ministry partners.
Synod Assembly Forums
To help all voting members be prepared for Synod Assembly, we are hosting three forums online the week before Synod Assembly:
- The Budget Forum will be Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 p.m.
- The Resolutions Forum will be Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:15 p.m.
- The Constitution Forum will be Thursday, June 4th at 6 p.m.
Each of these forums will be recorded and available for viewing before assembly.
Synod Assembly Resources
