Martin Luther’s assessment that we as God’s people are simultaneously sinners and saints has sometimes rankled. Nonetheless, the older I become, the more I acknowledge Luther’s honest insight—and my own…
News flash (that is no real news): Our church is changing. Congregations are getting smaller, finances are stretched, and there are fewer traditional rostered ministers available. What’s a denomination to…
Elected bishop of the Southwestern Washington Synod on June 14, Keith Marshall feels the Spirit’s call to keep “paying it forward.” He strives to share with others the love, hope…
As current ELCA executive director for Christian Community and Leadership, Philip Hirsch sees the Spirit calling the church in a new direction that simultaneously harks back to its roots. Hirsch,…
It’s Sunday at 9 a.m., and a small but diverse group assembles behind the bright bay windows of Pizza Quick, a counter-service pizza shop on the eastern edge of Tifton,…
“Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.” Many may remember acting out this rhyme by opening their thumbs and wiggling their…
Lectionary for July 7, 2024 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13 “All are welcome” proclaim the signs above the entrances to…
Kyle Svennungsen is a missionary in Bratislava, Slovakia, where, among other duties, he is pastor of the English-speaking Bratislava International Church. Its worship space in the city’s Old Town borough…
The Church Council of the ELCA met at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, Nov. 10–Nov. 13. The council welcomed ELCA Vice President Imran Siddiqui and 18 new members, elected by…
Focal verse “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Reflection As I write this note, my daughter will begin second…
Over the month of June, we posed a question to our social media audience every week under the hashtag #ELCAQuestionOfTheWeek, focusing on the theme of belonging. We began this initiative…
As president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Krish O’Mara Vignarajah has heard dozens of stories. But one story, connected to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, stood out—she spoke…
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