United Kingdom – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) held its 71st Annual Synod from November 14-15 in Tottenham, north London, England, during which time Rev. Tapani Simojoki was installed as Chairman and the church body continued work towards a new structure and name change. The synod theme was “The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Chairman Simojoki was elected during the ECLE’s 2024 Annual Synod, but the church practices a year of overlap between outgoing and incoming Chairmen—hence his installation at the 2025 Annual Synod. Chairman Simojoki succeeds Rev. George Samiec, who had declined to stand for another term at 2024’s synod. Rev. Samiec was first elected ELCE Chairman in 2019, and further served world Lutheranism as the European Region’s representative on the International Lutheran Council’s (ILC) board of directors from 2019-2025.
The ELCE’s Annual Synod ended with a Divine Service, during which Rev. Samiec installed Rev. Simojoki as Chairman. Rev. Samiec served as celebrant, and Rev. Simojoki preached for the event. “It’s easier to say than to feel that the joy of the Lord is our strength,” he said. “The good news for the ELCE and for all Christians is that this joy does not describe our own cheerful feelings, but rather the unquenchable joy that we have in the Lord at all times: the joy of Christ’s death for our sins and the gift of eternal life by His resurrection. Since Jesus is Lord, we have this joy always, and no one can take it away from us.”
Following his installation, Chairman Simojoki installed other ELCE officials who were elected during the synod, including the church’s body treasurer, Dr. Cynthia Lumley, as well as others elected to serve on various committees.
Among other business, the Annual Synod saw the ELCE’s Executive Council report on work towards a name change for the church body, which will better reflect its presence in more regions than just England. To that end, the church is taking steps to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United Kingdom (ELC-UK). Following the synod, the ELCE reported that the Charity Commission has now approved the constitution of the ELC-UK. Continued work towards the transition to the new structure will continue in 2026.
This year’s synod also reaffirmed an earlier decision which will see the title of the church body’s leader change from “Chairman” to “Bishop” under the new structure.
In addition to written greetings from sister churches across the world and from the ILC, the ELCE also received welcomed several church representatives in person. These included General Secretary Patrice Legbanon from the Lutheran Church in Africa – Benin Synod (Église Luthérienne en Afrique—Synode du Bénin – ELA-SBe), as well as Rev. John Fiene and his wife, Solvej, of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The latter were present to report on the Lutheran Mission in Ireland, an ELCE project supported by the LCMS. The mission in Ireland is currently served by ELCE Chairman Simojoki, and has mission sites in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Cork, Ireland.
In light of his new responsibilities as Chairman, Rev. Simojoki is stepping down as editor of the ELCE’s magazine The British Lutheran. This year’s Annual Synod therefore saw the announcement of Hanna Mitchell as the magazine’s new editor.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in England is a member church of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
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