Leadership

Faith in Action

Two religions, one building

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…

Mission & Ministry

“I believe in myself now”

Savannah (last name withheld) and her two brothers entered foster care as young children. When they were adopted by a prominent South Carolina couple, they expected a stable and loving…

Faith in Action

Open doors

For years Marsha Harris worked at various congregations—first as a layperson and then while waiting for her first call—before a class attended by only a handful of people made her…

Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Mahareta (Meta) Paubert Kaurin

Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fircrest, Wash. Nurse and co-founder and executive director of Nofy i Androy (NiA) I pray that people who can’t find food will have enough and have healthy…

Voices of Faith

A “maverick” for the church

Editor’s note: This year the ELCA celebrates 50 years of Lutheran women’s ordination in the United States, 40 years of the ordination of Lutheran women of color and 10 years…

Voices of Faith

Vulnerability changes you

I had my first encounter with vulnerability as a college freshman. My dorm mate, Susan, had the uncanny ability to ask thoughtful, challenging, personal questions—the type no one had ever…

Prayer Ventures

Prayer ventures: April 4

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer for the day from the ELCA resource Prayer Ventures, which can be downloaded here. These petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life…

Faith in Action

Cloaks and palms

From Spirit in the Hills Lutheran Church in Spicewood, Texas, to First Lutheran Church of San Diego, some ELCA congregations are adding clothing donations to their Palm Sunday processionals, linking…

Faith in Action

My take: Lutheran witness needed now, more than ever

In March 2016, I was asked to write an article for Living Lutheran about the emerging split in our nation’s culture, especially the widening gap in our political ideologies. Since…

Mission & Ministry

A network of care

It was a distressing situation: a family divided by more than 2,000 miles and facing dire health situations on both ends. In Tucson, Ariz., John (last name withheld), a father…

Voices of Faith

It takes a village to raise a pastor

Editor’s note: This year the ELCA celebrates 50 years of Lutheran women’s ordination in the United States, 40 years of the ordination of Lutheran women of color, and 10 years…

Mission & Ministry

They bring the good news

Over the past half-century, the meanings of “ministry” and “minister” have changed dramatically for many Lutherans. “Minister” used to refer exclusively to an ordained man, also called “reverend,” “pastor” or…