As a student at Roanoke College, Lily Pingel, a member of Grace, Waynesboro, completed an honors project on the race, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Virginia Synod.
As of 2020, the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was 95% white in race, which reflects the larger denomination (VA Synod 2022). The ELCA’s whiteness highlights a disconnect between a stated ELCA-wide goal, racial diversity, and church demographics. Focusing on the Virginia Synod, this project investigates two questions: (1) Why is the ELCA so overwhelmingly white in race? and (2) Why has the ELCA failed to meet its goal of 10% diverse membership?
If you are interested in learning more about what Pingel discovered when she interviewed leaders and surveyed congregation members, download her paper using the link below.
