Pulpit Supply and Sermon Resources

Pulpit Supply

We recommend the following compensation for pulpit supply:

2024

One Service………………………………………$200.00 – $300.00

Each Additional Service………………………….$75.00

Plus the current IRS rate for the ROUND TRIP mileage

Note: The range of the pulpit supply recommendation has also been broadened. This is in recognition of the reality that the local context and the cost of living vary widely across the Virginia Synod. We encourage congregation councils to factor in the complexity of their context when determining where they fall within this recommended range. In addition, for some congregations the pulpit supply recommendations also serve as one of the guidelines used to determine honorarium gifts for funerals and weddings. We believe that the 2024 recommendation is an accurate reflection of the actual time and effort expended in pulpit supply.

Below is a list of Supply Pastors and Virginia Synod Commissioned Lay Preachers, with their contact information. Please note: Lay Preachers do not preside at the sacraments.

Click here for information on a congregation hosting a Lay Preacher.

If you are interested in serving pulpit supply, contact Rebecca Walls at walls@vasynod.org or by calling 540-389-1000

Full Communion Partners

Full Communion Partners in the ELCA include:

If you are looking to for a pulpit supply from any denomination outside of our full communion partners, please contact the Synod Office at 540-389-1000.

For more information and resources on Full Communion Partners in the ELCA, visit elca.org/Faith/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations/Full-Communion

Sermon Resources

The Office of the Bishop of the Virginia Synod provided sermon manuscripts for Sunday worship for several years. These sermons followed the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) texts and will be suitable to be read by a layperson in any congregation in the Virginia Synod. This ministry paused at the end of September 2022, but hopefully will relaunch in early 2024. The sermons that have been so graciously shared with the Virginia Synod are archived on this page for congregational use as needed. If you are looking for sermons that match the readings for Advent 2023 through Christ the King Sunday 2024, look at the tabs labeled (Year B). Thank you to all who have contributed over the years of this ministry!

The sermons provided below are intended for use in congregational settings where all other options for pastoral leadership have been exhausted; they are not intended to replace personal, pastoral leadership. We know that congregations may at times struggle to find someone to preach on Sunday morning and as a result find their congregation in need of appropriate resources to provide Sunday sermons. These written sermons will help provide biblically, theologically, and Confessionally sound proclamation in Virginia Synod congregations.

If you have a question about the sermon resources, please contact Pastor Colleen Montgomery, Director for Digital Ministries, at montgomery@vasynod.org.

Peace & Hope, a digital Synod Authorized Worshiping Community in the Virginia Synod, is an option for congregations looking for digital sermons to share in worship on a Sunday morning or as an online worship option. You can learn more about how the ministry of Peace and Hope (www.peacehopeva.org) might partner with your congregation by contacting Pastor Bryan Katz at: pastorbryan@peacehopeva.org.

Scroll down to find the list of available lay and clergy supply preachers and our Ecumenical Partners.