Strewn across our bed were the remnants of our toddler’s Christmas haul—stacks of new outfits, empty cardboard boxes, a tower of books, a stuffed reindeer. I turned to my husband…
Many churches boast of raising up a minister every generation or two, but at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa, six members are currently on the path to ministry—five as…
Last summer, during a special week for families at Outlaw Ranch in Custer, S.D., a small group of campers decided to cook tamales for everyone at camp—about 120 people. The…
Editor’s note: “There are no young people here” is a common refrain as some worry about the future of the church. But young adults are indeed active across the ELCA…
Seven years ago, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, located in the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, was pondering how to revamp their vacation Bible school program to serve as more…
Before Matthew Best even set foot in St. Stephen Lutheran, New Kingstown, Pa., on his first day as pastor, he saw what would become an important mission for the congregation:…
One of my 4-year-old son’s favorite pastimes is putting together his jumbo jigsaw puzzle depicting a dramatic NFL touchdown. On any given day, you’ll likely find him splayed out on…
It’s been a little over a year since the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, yet the significance of this event for the 31,000 Lutherans who attended and for those…
Editor’s note: “There are no young people here” is a common refrain as some worry about the future of the church. But young adults are indeed active across the ELCA and…
Gang violence. Domestic abuse. No means to put food on the table. These are the realities spurring Hondurans to migrate to the U.S. Many feel they have no other choice…
James Hazelwood didn’t grow up in the church. Still, the directors at El Camino Pines, a Lutheran outdoor camp north of Los Angeles, took a chance on this “unchurched guy,”…
Editor’s note: Todd Buegler, an ELCA pastor and the executive director of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, offers suggestions for congregations as they consider Vacation Bible School curricula. Last month,…
You have attempted to access a feature of this website that is only available to members of livinglutheran.org.
A free membership gives you a customized dashboard for curated content based on your interest, the ability to like and save articles, an optional subscription to a weekly email digest “LL Stories”, and more.
Already have an account? log in
If you are a subscriber to the LL Stories email digest from before the introduction of the new website in December 2025, your account is intact, but your password will need to be reset unless you have a login for another ELCA website.
If you have a login for another ELCA website like community.elca.org, directory.elca.org or others you can use the password associated with that login.
Logout
