Who We Are
The Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative is a ministry of the Upper Susquehanna, Northwest Pennsylvania, and Allegheny Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This Initiative is the first tri-synod cooperation in our region and is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment “Compelling Preaching” Initiative.
Our territory is large and special. We cover 30 counties, about 40% of the land mass of Pennsylvania, and are all within or adjacent to the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania. The vast majority of our congregations are located within rural communities and are engaged in ministries helping those in need.
Because we are a tri-synod cooperative ministry, The Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative is overseen by a Steering Committee. Each of the bishops for the three synods have voice and vote on that oversight committee and each synod has equal representation on the Steering Committee.
Beginning September 1, 2024, Rev. John Kratz was hired as the Director of the Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative. His years of pastoral experience, previous work in developing lay leaders, and Lutheran background all prepared him for this unique calling.
In our grant application we noted:
WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE SERVE: Located in the rural mountains, hills and valleys of central and northwestern Pennsylvania, we are three of the smallest synods of the 65 synods (geographical, administrative and oversight judicatories) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3.3 million members. Most of the churches in our three synods are small and rural, with roots in farming communities, small coal and timber towns and small rust-belt cities such as Erie, Johnstown and Williamsport. We are proposing a project partnership of the Allegheny, Northwestern Pennsylvania and Upper Susquehanna Synods to more effectively meet the needs for compelling preaching of existing and aspiring preachers and congregations within our Appalachian territories. The Allegheny Synod is submitting this application as the grantee. Our Bishop has named this project, “Go Tell It IN the Mountains” to reflect our Appalachian Mountain heritage. We anticipate this partnership will fulfill our vision of a compelling preaching initiative in our small and medium-sized congregations spread across 30 mostly rural Pennsylvania counties (nearly 50% of the counties in the state). Our target participants will include approximately 156 ordained clergy, 65 lay preachers and 293 ELCA congregations.