Study guide: Grief with no warning
Study Guides

Study guide: Grief with no warning

Death and transition are universal human experiences. Acknowledging our common mortality, some anonymous plainspoken philosopher coined the phrase: “Nobody gets out alive.” But that realization doesn’t lesson the pain that…

Study guide: Alaskan village tries to preserve its culture
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Study guide: Alaskan village tries to preserve its culture

Residents of Shishmaref, Alaska, may be our country’s first “climate refugees”—people forced to leave their homes because of rising seas attributed to climate change. But they probably won’t be the…

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Study guide: Church in rural America

At 28.1 percent, churches in rural settings make up the largest single demographic block among the ELCA’s nearly 10,000 congregations. Every ministry context has its challenges and opportunities, but ministry…

Study guide: On giving up and taking on
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Study guide: On giving up and taking on

Lent is the season when we seek to draw closer to Jesus by taking on simple disciplines for the 40 days (not including Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday….

Study guide: Called, gathered and sent
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Study guide: Called, gathered and sent

Missionaries have been part of our Christian faith since the resurrected Jesus gathered with his followers on a mountaintop in Galilee to give them the Great Commission. But the work…

Study guide: Recovery and the church
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Study guide: Recovery and the church

Our world is full of broken people and individuals who are flawed, right? And aren’t we all right there among them? Some of our brothers and sisters are suffering from…

Study guide: Seminary status check
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Study guide: Seminary status check

For centuries in Europe, and since 1826 in the Americas, Lutheran ministers and thinkers have found that seminaries are the place to learn and grow into church leaders. As the…

Study guide: Small congregations share strengths, struggles
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Study guide: Small congregations share strengths, struggles

Many of our congregations are struggling with the same three interrelated difficulties: a smaller pool of members, a shrinking financial base, and fixed costs from an older building that may…

Study guide: Our New Year’s reformations
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Study guide: Our New Year’s reformations

We stand at the threshold of another year—365 breathtakingly wonderful days in which to begin new projects, complete old ones, improve ourselves and live our lives differently. But as we…

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Study guide: The face of the church is changing

Pastors, bishops, congregations and other leaders across our country are adapting and innovating to keep up with a shifting religious landscape. Fewer people are coming to church, and a rising…

Study guide: Debunking myths about ELCA Good Gifts
Study Guides

Study guide: Debunking myths about ELCA Good Gifts

Improving lives of families and communities in developing nations—that’s one of the primary objectives of ELCA Good Gifts. The program approaches this through a comprehensive strategy involving education, sustainable development,…