Welcome
In the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we feed the hungry as we have been fed by Christ. In 2016, our synod became a Reconciling in Christ Synod. We welcome with full participation and inclusion all who are seeking God’s love and grace. We welcome all because God welcomes all, regardless of race or culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, or relationship status. We welcome all without regard to addictions, physical or mental health, imprisonment, socio-economic circumstances, or anything that too often divides us. Our unity is in Jesus Christ.
If you would like a more in-depth overview of our key synod efforts and mission priorities, click the link below.
A Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Abuse in the Church
On June 6, 2025, a work of art was installed our synod office: A Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Abuse in the Church. This mosaic serves as a visible sign of our church’s solidarity with survivors and our commitment to healing and accountability within the body of Christ. Created by artist Michele R. Gutlove in collaboration with survivors and ELCA leaders from across the country, the memorial gives voice to both grief and hope. As shattered fragments come together to form something whole and beautiful, the mosaic reminds us that healing begins when silence is broken, and community is formed in truth-telling. Its holy message is simple yet profound: We believe you. We stand with you. You are not alone.
The memorial is installed in a location that allows it to be viewed from outside our synod office. Visitors are welcome to come, pray, and reflect at any time. We invite all to witness this sacred space of justice, compassion, and restoration.
OUR LOGO
Launched in April 2021, our new logo (called The Diversity Tree) reimagines a tree in the shape of a heart. Its many different leaves — like the diverse members of a community — are fed by a sturdy trunk and the cross of Christ, representative of our understanding of the word of God. This, in turn, is nourished below by the water of our baptism — water which can also be seen as that of the Susquehanna River. Learn more about our logo and how to use it here.
OUR IDENTITY AND CALLING
As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ’s name throughout the world.
We are a church whose unity is in Jesus Christ, who gathers us around word and water, wine and bread. Because we are grounded in God’s love and forgiveness, we are equipped to live and serve here and now, in the world, with all its complexities, tensions and ambiguities.
As a synod, we live into our calling by equipping leaders, encouraging cooperation, and engaging in new mission.
With over 217 congregations and worshiping communities and over 61,000 baptized members, our synod is one of the largest of the 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the fifth largest Protestant denomination in the United States.
It might make the concept of “synod” a little clearer if you think of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as our “country,” with the 65 synods being the “states.” Just as states are divided into counties, so our synod is divided geographically into conferences. Our churches would be the equivalent to a city or town.
Congregations/Worshiping Communities: 217
Baptized Membership: 61,027
Confirmed Members: 49,095
Average Sunday Attendance: 12,683 (onsite) 7,391 (online)
Ministers of Word and Sacrament: 358 (207 are retired)
Ministers of Word and Service (deacons): 35 (20 are retired)
Bishop: The Rev. Stephen R. Herr
Conferences: 13
Counties in Synod: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Franklin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry, York
Companion Synod: Konde Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Partner Synod: Northern Illinois Synod, ELCA
Spiritual Retreat Center: The Wittel Farm-House of Prayer in Elizabethtown
FY2026-27 Synod Budget Spending Authorization: $2.3 million
(Adopted by Synod Council January 31, 2026)
Land Acknowledgement: The territory served by the Lower Susquehanna Synod are unceded Indigenous land including the traditional homelands of the Susquehannock/Conestoga, Seneca and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Leni Lenape, and Shawnee Nations, and the connections of Indigenous Peoples to this land continue today. We have a responsibility to honor these connections and, as these words of acknowledgement are spoken and heard, we strive to understand our place within the past, present, and future of this land by reflecting on our relationships with the human and other-than-human relatives with whom it is shared.
For Lutherans, worship stands at the center of our life of faith. Through God’s word, water, bread and prayer we are nurtured in faith and sent out into the world. As an expression of Christ’s church, we invite you to join us on Wednesdays at 9:15 a.m. for worship in the Chapel at Trinity Lutheran Church, Camp Hill. Connected with and central to everything we do, worship unites us in celebration, engages us in thoughtful dialogue and helps us grow in faith.