Three as one
Faith in Action

Three as one

Decades before “teams” were popular in the workplace, a highly unusual one comprising three co-pastors was going strong at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia, Wash. Between 1977…
Lectionary blog: Please recognize the anointed
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: Please recognize the anointed

Lectionary for Aug. 11, 2024 12th Sunday after Pentecost 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25–5:2; John 6:35, 41-51 One of my favorite stories from Scripture is that…
Prayer ventures: July 31
Prayer Ventures

Prayer ventures: July 31

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life…
Lectionary blog: On appetites
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: On appetites

Lectionary for Aug 4, 2024 11th Sunday after Pentecost 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35 I’m just getting to the age where drastic steps are needed if…
“An important time to be the church”
Faith in Action

“An important time to be the church”

For Nathan Pipho, who was elected June 7 as bishop of the New England Synod, the top three priorities for his synod are clear: “Telling the story of Jesus, building…
What God has in store for us
Faith in Action

What God has in store for us

Jen Nagel believes the church is at a turning point. “I have the sense that we’re at a time of change for the Lutheran church—for all of Christianity,” she said….
2024 ELCA Youth Gathering: Day 2
Faith in Action

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering: Day 2

On the second day of the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, Lutheran young people gathered collectively and in groups across New Orleans to explore together the meaning of “Created to Be…
Greetings from the heart
Faith in Action

Greetings from the heart

You might consider Lona Lee Balduf a one-woman Hallmark store—and a whole lot more. Like Hallmark, she cares enough to send the very best—in her case, handmade greeting cards to…
A ministry of accompaniment
Faith in Action

A ministry of accompaniment

In the moments just before she learned she had been elected bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod, Meghan Johnston Aelabouni was sitting alone in prayer. Throughout the election process, she…
Perspective: A paradigm for the future church
Mission & Ministry

Perspective: A paradigm for the future church

At the end of Christendom, the church is in crisis. The conditions that allowed the growth of the church until the 1960s have collapsed. While nostalgia for that era continues,…
Lectionary blog: The ark and the law
Lectionary Blog

Lectionary blog: The ark and the law

Lectionary for July 14, 2024 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29 Much like the entrepreneurial world, the church-planting/new start world has a…