The Rev. Erin Jones, LAMPa’s communications and advocacy engagement manager, has accepted a call to serve as Director for Evangelical Mission in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod.

“LAMPa has been blessed by Pastor Erin’s dedication, her passion for justice and her commitment to the gospel,” said Director Tracey DePasquale. “As a result, the people and lands of Pennsylvania and beyond for whom she poured out her gifts have been blessed by God’s love.”
Jones served as a pastor in Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod and represented the synod on LAMPa’s policy council before joining the staff in 2023.  She begins her time with the synod Dec.  8.
“At a time when many signs of participation in the church have been declining, LAMPa has seen increased engagement — in our networks, events,  resources and calls to action,” DePasquale said. “Erin’s skills, talent and dedication have been key to that growth.  Beyond helping to manage our ever-growing advocacy portfolio, her experience as a pastor has enabled us to more effectively equip rosterd leaders for public witness.  When trust in the public square has been in short supply, and the demands for our voices and on our attention constant, Erin’s prophetic vision and pastoral presence were gifts I could always rely on. Our whole Witness in Society team will miss her. I am just glad she is not leaving Pennsylvania!”
“It has been a privilege to work with LAMPa as an office, the ELCA Witness in Society team in general, and Tracey in particular,” said Jones.  “The passion and care for our neighbors, creation, and the vulnerable in our midst is palpable as LAMPa and Witness in Society engages in this work. Tracey has the clearest vision out of anyone I have encountered in ministry of how we can be church together for the sake of the world God loves. I have been grateful to learn from her and do that work together. In this new context, I am looking forward to expanding the lessons of compassion, connection, and justice into how we create community and support leaders and advocates here in SWPA. I hope the connections built between the synod and LAMPa will remain strong, and an example of how we can better tell the story of Jesus in new, expansive, and inclusive ways, revealing God’s promises of grace and peace here and now. “

“Pastor Jones is already a beloved part of our synod’s life, and she brings with her a deep love for this region, a pastor’s heart, and a passion for helping congregations discover where the Spirit is leading next,” Bishop Melissa Stoller shared in an announcement to the synod.  “Her ministry with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, along with years of pastoral and teaching experience in both Pennsylvania and California, has shaped her into a thoughtful, relational leader who delights in connecting people, stories, and communities.

“Since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2018, Pastor Jones has listened closely to the hopes and struggles of our congregations and neighbors. She has walked alongside communities facing economic change, generational shifts, and the quiet grief that comes when familiar ways of being church feel uncertain. At the same time, she has witnessed the generosity, faithfulness, and resilience that make this synod such a beautiful expression of Christ’s body. In her new role, she will support congregational vitality, nurture leaders, encourage creative mission, and help us tell and live the story of Jesus with renewed courage and joy.”

Along with the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, we give thanks for Pastor Jones’ gifts and her willingness to answer God’s call.  Please join us in thanking her for her ministry at LAMPa and pray for her as she begins this new chapter of ministry with the church in Pennsylvania.

Leave A Comment