Back to Become a Leader

Home » Growing in Faith » Vocation » Become a Leader » Assignment Process

Dear Candidate,

Thanks be to God for you and for the gifts you will soon bring to rostered ministry in this church. The Assignment Process marks the completion of your candidacy process. We are here to help guide you through the preparatory steps toward a regional and synodical assignment, and for most of you, a first call. Some of you are coming to this process having been rostered in other church bodies or returning to rostered ministry in the ELCA by way of reinstatement. For all of you we give thanks.

In the midst of completing your candidacy process and your seminary class work, we also ask you to begin preparing for assignment to a region and synod for call. Admittedly, this is a demanding time. It is also an exciting time. Our hope is that you will see the assignment process as part of the ongoing discernment of your call to rostered ministry. The Churchwide Assignment Consultation is more than a draft. It is a prayerful process of discernment. We keep you in prayer during this time, and we ask for your prayers for all who participate in making these decisions. We trust the Holy Spirit is at work in each step.

We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to consult with your seminary, your synod candidacy staff, churchwide deployed Regional Coordinator and central staff in Chicago.

To print the Assignment Process Preparation sheet (to help you prepare), click here.

For the Candidate Paperwork Form (pages A, B, R, commentary) and the Rostered Leader Profile (RLP), click here.

All of the forms use Formatta Filler. You can download the Formatta Filler program under the Assignment Forms tab. If you need technical assistance please call me at 800-638-3522 ext. 2471. Forms are to be submitted electronically only (Candidate Paperwork Form should be sent by e-mail to assignment@elca.org and the RLP should be submitted electronically to the Mobility Database System as per the instructions on the form itself). We appreciate not receiving duplicate hard copies in the mail. In order to be included in an assignment process the Candidate Paperwork Form (A, B and R, commentary) must be e-mailed to our office. ***Simply submitting your RLP to the Mobility Database System will not get you on the list for Assignment.***

First call assignment is often a time to reflect back with thanksgiving for God’s call and leading. May this be a blessed time of wonder, challenge, and opportunity in Christ’s service. Please do not hesitate to call me at (800) 638-3522 ext.2471 or e-mail me at assignment@elca.org if you have concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Andrea Young 
Program Director for Assignment
Congregational and Synodical Mission Unit