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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
With more than 62 million people uprooted from their homes by violence and poverty, the world has not seen so many refugees since World War II. This gives people of…
The late comedienne Joan Rivers was famous for her line “Can we talk?” It’s a great question, but it certainly begs another: “Can we listen?” In our nation’s often-polarized climate,…
Congregations live in the tension of these two opposing principles: Ministry is mostly not about money, but most ministries require money to run. How is your congregation doing? Download a…
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