A season of growth
St. Mark Lutheran Church in Van Wert, Ohio, is digging deep in its community outreach. The congregation has partnered with the local juvenile court to have junior high and high…
St. Mark Lutheran Church in Van Wert, Ohio, is digging deep in its community outreach. The congregation has partnered with the local juvenile court to have junior high and high…
Ministering to some 700 National Guard and Army troops during New York City’s severe COVID-19 outbreak might seem daunting. But not to Anthony Stephens, an ELCA pastor and an Army…
Series editor’s note: Throughout 2020, “Deeper understandings” will engage the ELCA’s commitment to authentic diversity. Leila Ortiz will continue on this theme in the next issue. —Kathryn A. Kleinhans, dean of Trinity…
Debt from unpaid or uninsured medical bills causes thousands of people to spend their life savings, jeopardize their retirement, go into poverty or declare bankruptcy. Sometimes all of the above!…
“Sanctuary” means different things to different people. Perhaps that is a strength that can be brought to the ELCA’s self-designation as a “sanctuary church.” Individuals, congregations and synods are able…
I think of a man walking slowly out of town with his head down. It’s night. His whole body heaves with emotion—inconsolable, completely alone. In a crumpled ball on his…
Like many Lutheran programs, ELCA outdoor ministries have faced challenges in determining the most effective way to serve, and be led by, people who are often marginalized, said Don Johnson,…
Our new reality has taken over with blinding speed. Life has gone from normal to “wash your hands” to “shelter in place” in what now seems like an instant. Businesses…
As a young girl, I was always thrilled when my mother took my brother and me to visit the library. The stacks seemed endless, and I loved that there were…
By the time asylum-seekers reach the Welcome and Respite center in Phoenix, they’ve migrated hundreds or thousands of miles to safety. The majority come from Central America, with a growing…
For nearly six years, St. Mark Lutheran Church in Fargo, N.D., could find only temporary spaces to gather for worship. Now the congregation has found a place that could be…
Such hunger in a nation as prosperous as ours grieves God and shames all of us. Yet ending hunger here is easily within reach. Doing so would cost less than…
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.