Synod Polity West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod Updated: 27 March 2025 |
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Governing Documents
The current governing documents of the WV-WMD Synod can
be downloaded here. N.B., both the Constitution
of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod and the
Bylaws West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
were amended at Synod Assembly 2023. The amended
constitution and bylaws are posted here.
Synod AssemblyIf you want to find out about Synod Assembly in general,
visit the new Synod Assembly
page. From there, you can access information about
specific synod assemblies. OfficersTerms begin for officers, synod councilors, and members
of the Consultation Committee and the Discipline Committee
on the first day of the third month following election.
This lists below will be updated to reflect the change in
seats at that time.
Synod Council
Synod Council meets regularly three to four times during the
year with special meetings held, often by teleconference, as
needed. The Synod Council is chaired by the vice president.
The membership of the Synod Council includes the four
officers of the synod and twelve voting members from around
the synod, representing a balance of clergy and laity,
geographical distribution, and age. The president of the
synodical women's organization serves as an advisory member
(with voice but not vote). "Until next regular assembly"
indicates that a vacancy appointment has taken place, and
those appointments continue until replaced by the next
regular Synod Assembly and seated shortly thereafter
according to the bylaws. New terms begin for Synod Council
on 1 September 2024. |
Seat |
Occupant |
Term |
Term Period |
Clergy MVMC |
The Rev. Dr. Mary Sanders | 1 |
2024-2027 |
Clergy PC |
The Rev. Daniel Collins |
n/a |
vacancy appointment |
Clergy OKVC |
The Rev. Tom Darr |
1 |
2022-2025 |
Clergy UOVC |
The Rev. Sean Smith |
1 |
2022-2025 |
Laity MVMC |
John Knoll |
1 |
2022-2025 |
Laity PC |
Rick Losh |
2 |
2024-2027 |
Laity OKVC |
Vivian Grate |
1 |
2024-2027 |
Laity UOVC |
Marilyn Jacobs |
1 |
2024-2027 |
Laity At-large |
A. J. Beckett | 1 |
2023-2026 |
Laity At-large |
Bruce Dalton |
2 |
2024-2027 |
Young Adult |
Mackenzie Rice |
1 |
2024-2027 |
Youth |
Evan Holbert |
1 |
2024-2027 |
WELCA (Advisory) |
Priscilla Horner |
n/a |
n/a |
ELCA Church Council |
The Rev. Tara Lynn |
n/a |
n/a |
Seat |
Occupant |
Bishop |
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Lynn Riegel,
S.T.M. |
Vice President |
Nancy Weeks |
Secretary |
Norma Gensler |
Treasurer |
Jim Nichols |
Clergy |
The Rev. Daniel Collins |
Laity 1 |
Rick Losh |
Laity 2 |
Bruce Dalton |
The Candidacy Committee oversees candidates for the
ministry, including reinstatements and reception of
ministers from churches with whom the ELCA does not have a
full-communion agreement. WV-WMD shares a joint candidacy
committee with Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, the
committee being called the Bisynodical Candidacy
Committee. Both synods appoint their own members according
to an agreement confected that the beginning of the ELCA.
The current membership is The Rt. Rev. Matthew Riegel, The
Rev. Sean Smith, The Rev. Ruth Bullwinkle, Tamara Riegel,
Jerry Bouquot, and Michael Grimm, and Julie Sandolfini.
Seat |
Occupant |
Clergy MVMC |
The Rev. Ruth Bullwinkle, Chair |
Clergy PC |
The Rev. Daniel Collines |
Clergy OKVC |
The Rev. Tom Darr |
Laity MVMC |
Cindy Murphy |
Laity PC |
Rick Losh |
Clergy UOVC |
The Rev. Devin Ames |
Laity OKVC |
Mark Thompson |
Laity UOVC |
Valerie Severini |
Members: Bruce Dalton, Paul Wangerin, and Janis Smith.
Appointed by the Executive Committee, the Synod Mutual
Ministry Committee (SMMC) is described in nebulous terms
in the required provision in the CBCR/WV-WD. In
meetings over the past year, SMMC worked out a plan to
make its work more effective and relevant to the life and
ministry of the synod. Synod Council took action to
request the Churchwide Assembly to amend the required
provision of the Constitution for Synods to allow
the changes sought by this synod.
Members: The Rev. Ruth Bullwinkle (chair), Nancy Weeks
(ex officio), the The Rev. Sean Smith, The Rev. Patrice
Weirick, and Paula Mitchell.
To learn what the Consultation Committee does, click here.
Seat |
Occupant |
Term Period |
Clergy 1 |
The Rev. Sherry Miller |
2024-2030 |
Clergy 2 |
The Rev. Karen Erskine-Valentine |
2021-2027† |
Clergy 3 |
The Rev. Ben Erzkus |
2021-2027 |
Clergy 4 |
The Rev. Nancy Knoll | 2023-2029 |
Clergy 5 |
The Rev. Kevin Mackey | 2023-2029 |
Clergy 6 |
The Rev. Ruth Bullwinkle |
2022-2028 |
Laity 1 |
Nancy Week |
2024-2030 |
Laity 2 |
Marvin Beckman |
2021-2027 |
Laity 3 |
Brian Felici |
2021-2027† |
Laity 4 |
John Knoll |
2022-2028 |
Laity 5 |
Lois Broyles |
2022-2028 |
Laity 6 |
Eric Valentine |
2023-2029 |
† Resignations tendered effective the convening of the 2025 Synod Assembly.
To learn what the Discipline Committee does, click here.
Seat |
Occupant |
Term Period |
Clergy 1 |
The Rev. R. Paul Schafer |
2024-2030 |
Clergy 2 |
The Rev. Sally Bartling |
2021-2027† |
Clergy 3 |
The Rev. Patrice Weirick |
2021-2027 |
Clergy 4 |
The Rev. Matt Holbert |
2021-2027 |
Clergy 5 |
The Rev. Ben Erzkus |
2023-2029 |
Clergy 6 |
The Rev. Randy Richardson |
2023-2029 |
Laity 1 |
Sylvia "Sue" Hoffman |
2024-2030 |
Laity 2 |
Richard Niehaus |
2024-2030 |
Laity 3 |
Pam Pritt |
2021-2027† |
Laity 4 |
Shawn Gilmore |
2021-2027 |
Laity 5 |
Cheryl Stemple |
2022-2028 |
Laity 6 |
D. Lynn Newman |
2023-2029 |
† Resignations tendered effective the convening of the 2025 Synod Assembly.
The WV-WMD Synod has four
conferences, three of them further divided into two
clusters each:
A full listing of the
congregations of each conference can be found here and in B12.01
of the Bylaws of the West Virginia-Western Maryland
Synod (click here to
access).
Various church-related entities have boards or other positions which are filled through the appointment of the Synod Council or the bishop.
Entity |
Position |
Occupant |
Term |
Appointment |
West Virginia Council of Churches |
Council |
The Rev. Randy Richardson | At Will |
Bishop |
Caroline Furnace |
Board of Directors | The Rev. Angela Lambert |
At Will |
Bishop |
WV-WMD Hunger |
Hunger Lead |
Mary Sanders |
At will |
Bishop |
Lutheran Campus Foundation at WVU |
Board of Directors |
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Riegel |
N/A |
Ex officio |
Region 8 |
Steering Committee |
Nancy Weeks |
At will |
Synod Council |
Region 8 |
Steering Committee |
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Riegel | N/A |
Ex officio |