Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of LCC Synod Office

National—From the outside, the work of Lutheran Church–Canada’s Synod Office can sometimes seem quiet. There may not always be a major announcement or event to signal what is happening behind the scenes. But throughout the year—and especially during this busy season—a great deal of work is taking place across the Synod Office as staff carry out the varied responsibilities entrusted to them by the Church.

LCC’s staff is relatively small, but the work is wide-ranging. From preparing Board materials and mailing documents to supporting congregations, developing mission initiatives, preparing publications, managing finances, and responding to countless questions and requests, staff members are continually working to serve the Synod and its congregations.

This is a glimpse behind the scenes at some of that work.

Keeping the Synod Moving

Administrative work forms an important part of the daily rhythm at the Synod Office. With upcoming meetings of the Workers’ Benefit Board of Directors, LCC Board of Directors and the Pastoral Ministry Council, administrative staff are currently preparing dockets. This does not stop other responsibilities of mailing documents to calling congregations, preparing the 2026 Annual Directory for release later this month, updating contact information for pastors and deacons, coordinating office care . . . The Canadian Lutheran is moving through its own production process as well. Staff are proofreading the magazine and preparing the finalized mailing list for the printer. Meanwhile staff are assisting new Regional Pastors with resources and procedures, and helping to plan the 2027 Pastors & Deacons Conferences. And then there is the steady stream of inquiries and requests from pastors, congregations, members, and synod staff.

Supporting the Work in the Field

As we journey to the mission field, International Missions is currently focused on coordinating with mission personnel and partners, preparing ministry support proposals for partners and donors, and bringing those pieces together as the 2027 international mission budget takes shape. This work takes place largely out of public view, but it connects the Synod Office with missionaries, partner churches, and ministries around the world.

Domestic Missions has recently been on the road, including travel through Saskatchewan, meeting with pastors and congregations and learning more about local mission opportunities. Conversations ranged from Street Reach Ministry and outreach to the Oromo community in Regina, to childcare ministry in Warman. The visit also included preaching, Bible study, participation in a circuit service, and the privilege of bringing the gifts of God to shut-ins.

These visits are an important part of the mission work: listening, learning, encouraging, identifying opportunities, and walking alongside congregations as they proclaim Christ in their communities. More detailed stories will be shared in the coming weeks.

Family Ministries: Equipping Leaders

Family Ministries continues to equip congregational leaders and build a disciple-making culture. Leaders from across Canada have been gathering online to share ideas and resources for Sunday School, Advent and Christmas ministry, and other aspects of family life in the congregation and home.

One new opportunity on the horizon is a young adult conference planned for June 3–6, 2027, in partnership with and hosted at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario. More information about the conference will be shared as plans develop. Young adults, save the date!

Finance & Advancement: Strengthening the Work Behind the Work

To support all these mission and ministry opportunities, proper funding is needed.

The Finance department is presently working on several initiatives that may not always be visible to the wider synod but are essential to supporting congregational and synodical ministry.

Finance is working on mission project updates, improving applications for planning and reporting, preparing for assessment invoicing, and training team members to maintain efficiency through staff transitions, while advancement assiduously coordinates funding initiatives.

Some of these processes may be administrative in nature, but they provide the structure necessary for other areas of ministry to function well.

Communications: Connecting the Synodical Family

Communications touches nearly every part of this work.

Behind articles, emails, publications, website updates, announcements, photographs, or social media posts is a process of gathering information, following up with people, editing and proofreading, coordinating with staff and congregations, and determining how best to communicate what is happening throughout the synod.

Much of that work is also about making the work of others visible.

LCC Communications recognizes that you would not have known that all of this and more are taking place at LCC’s head office, so we are currently working to bring readers more glimpses of the people and ministries behind the scenes, from congregational life and mission work to the administrative and operational responsibilities that make synodical ministry possible.

The goal is not simply to report what LCC is doing, but to help the Synod’s members see how the various parts of our church body are working together in service to Christ and His Church.

A Small Staff Carrying a Large Responsibility

Taken individually, none of these tasks may seem especially remarkable. Taken together, they reveal something important about the work of the Synod Office.

The staff of Lutheran Church–Canada is not large. Yet its responsibilities stretch across Canada and beyond. There are meetings that never become news stories, emails that will never be published, phone calls that solve a problem before it becomes visible, and countless small acts of coordination that allow the work of the Church to continue.

These are only some of the things happening at the Synod Office right now.

Behind every meeting, publication, phone call, email, budget, mission visit, and resource is a staff member working to serve the Church and support the work entrusted to LCC.

It may be a small staff—but there is no shortage of work. And by God’s grace, there is also no shortage of opportunities to serve.

“For the body is not one member, but many.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:14

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