Seminary status check
Mission & Ministry

Seminary status check

For nearly 200 years, Lutheran seminaries in the United States have been educating pastors, missionaries and other church workers for service in congregations, social service agencies and other countries. Thousands…

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Mission & Ministry

A new kind of pastor

As seminaries rework the ways they train new pastors, congregations may have to alter their “image” of a pastor. “We look at the world around us, and the church, as…

Study guide: Recovery and the church
Spiritual Resources

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
Spiritual Resources

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…

Lectionary blog: The simple message
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: The simple message

Lectionary blog for Feb. 5 The fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Isaiah 58:1-9; Psalm 122:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did…

Lectionary blog: The haves and have-nots
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: The haves and have-nots

Lectionary blog for Jan. 29 The fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians; Matthew 5:1-12 All parents have things they say so often that, eventually, their…

I’m a Lutheran: Khadijah Islam
Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Khadijah Islam

“I’m a Lutheran” is a monthly profile featuring ELCA members around the world. The profiles showcase ELCA members in all their diversity, connecting one another through individual faith stories as…

Campus ministry becomes place of welcome after election
Mission & Ministry

Campus ministry becomes place of welcome after election

Students attending universities and colleges throughout the country understood the complexity of the November presidential election. When the results were tallied, many looked for outlets to express their feelings. ELCA…

Study guide: Small congregations share strengths, struggles
Spiritual Resources

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…

Lectionary blog: Baptism and life with God
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Baptism and life with God

Lectionary blog for Jan. 8 The Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 Before there was Jeff Foxworthy there was Jerry Clower, a Mississippi Baptist…

Study guide: Our New Year’s reformations
Spiritual Resources

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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Mission & Ministry

Praises sing to God the king

One  of the best presents at Christmas is often  taken for granted—the gift of music. Unlike other churches that rely on cantors, choirs or singers to lead worship music, Lutherans…