Stewardship

Spiritual Resources

Seeing God’s word spoken

The word of God washes like waves over worshipers at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minn.  Sound waves, to be exact—and not just the kind you can hear.  Thanks to…

Voices of Faith

Bartolomé de las Casas

Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566) is a good example of what Lutherans call a “saint and sinner.” As an immigrant from Spain who came to Hispañola in 1502, Las Casas…

Living Faithfully

Beyond the rainbow flag

During LGBT Pride Month (June), many ELCA congregations pay special attention to issues around sexual orientation and gender identity. Because the LGBTQ community has often been ignored or even condemned…

Mission & Ministry

Camp for all

A couple of years ago, transgender students at Black Hills State University in South Dakota were threatened on social media. “They were friends of some of our students and we…

Living Faithfully

Let the little children come

Instead of wrestling with their parents in the back pews during worship, toddlers at Grace Lutheran Church, Apple Valley, Minn., sit up front in the sanctuary. They’re stationed a few…

Living Faithfully

Is America facing a “post-Christian” future?

In July 2017, the research firm Barna Group released “The Most Post-Christian Cities in America,” a report based on surveys of 76,505 adults in 100 American cities. The results? Portland-Auburn,…

Living Faithfully

New ELCA digital giving tools now available

Have you ever wished that giving to your congregation was an easier process? Even if your congregation has implemented online giving, you may have found yourself wanting to be able…

Living Faithfully

Rules for church

Parents of small children are likely to have a long do and don’t list for worshiping as a family: Don’t tear the pages out of the hymnal. Don’t climb under…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian and ethicist for many years at Duke University, once served as a weekend financial stewardship consultant for a Baptist congregation in Texas. He explored the unusual…

Voices of Faith

What it feels like being an anxious churchgoer

I grew up going to a Lutheran church several times a week, and it was one of my favorite things to do. I still love a good Lutheran liturgy, but…

Living Faithfully

Children-in-worship series: More than kids’ bulletins

Children today are, as we well know, increasingly tech-savvy. They are practically born with iPads in their hands, and, yes, they bring them to worship. We are often slow, congregationally…

Living Faithfully

Children-in-worship series: More liturgy, not less

Because liturgy is a way of living God’s story, giving our human response to that story and sharing that story, the more we expand our worship life, the richer we…