A worshiping community in northwest Wisconsin reaches out to those who “aren’t interested in walking into a church building.” | more »
Public church
Here are a few suggestions on how you can help congregational members and groups develop sustained relationships in service to the needs of others. | more »
It is not important that we get the world to come to the church. Our calling is to bring the thirsty and the water of life together. | more »
“What would you do if you didn’t have the four walls and the container that basically makes ‘the us and the them’?” | more »
An ELCA congregation in Chicago connects with their artistic, urban community. | more »
Help families move beyond denial; acknowledge the devastating impact of the abuse on all family members. | more »
After a failed attempt to kill Hitler, the authorities treated Bonhoeffer the way any government would have treated an insurgent. | more »
The Reformation and Vatican II breakthroughs provided radical new possibilities for all kinds of people to serve within the church and to make significant vocational contributions to society. | more »
It is clear that "The Bible" is not trying to let the biblical stories speak for themselves; it is trying to make a case for one narrow vision of Christianity. | more »
Cathedral in the Night welcomes everyone who worships, “rain, sun, snow or shine.” | more »
Volunteers from the South-Central Wisconsin Synod get creative when it comes to spreading the word about ELCA World Hunger. | more »
One person’s trash is another’s opportunity to serve their neighbors.
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The 1960s and early ‘70s was a time when Lutherans in America met with a cross section of American Indians and formed a national board.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking a truth, an ugly truth that did not match the dream. | more »
When she was a teenager, Jen Engquist, center, visited Uganda, and since then she's been pursuing her passion for international development and social justice. | more »
Are you looking for a meaningful present for someone special? Check out these gift ideas! | more »
In South Hadley, Mass., Cathedral in the Night is a worshiping community without walls. How do you or your congregation take your faith beyond the walls of your church? You might also want to read: On the waterfront Not going... | more »
ELCA congregations in Seattle celebrate Thanksgiving as an interfaith community. | more »
Here are some ways you can simplify your Christmas and celebrate the blessed birth in an Earth-friendly manner. | more »
When we vote, we should vote not our own interests but instead the interests of others. | more »
These activities contribute to the health and well-being of congregations by building
on the strengths and confidence of those who are involved.
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Would that we might be able to come together around the love of neighbor just as we come together around the accomplishments of a ballplayer.
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These non-partisan resources can be used by individuals, small groups and in adult-education offerings. | more »
I do not often get to sit and talk with those who are in need. This time, it was more than a hand out. This time, it was true ministry. | more »
For this congregation, "living Lutheran" means going public with their faith. | more »
Jesus engaged in political talk. He listened to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, even though he didn’t agree with them. | more »
The church’s preparedness and response is a ministry of learning, walking and journeying together as we share our mutual gifts to give and to receive. | more »
Bread of Healing Empowerment Ministry is a safe place where people can come and tell each other the truth because they trust each other. | more »
What are we accomplishing as a congregation to make a difference for Christ in our mission field? | more »
I thought about how stunningly simple it was to pull off this small act of loving one’s neighbor. | more »
“Every time I am in the presence of those who are poor in this community I feel as if I am standing in the presence of the holy." | more »
The later years of life can be good at Beth-Anne Place, a community for seniors started by an ELCA congregation on Chicago's West Side. | more »
It seems to me there is no reason to save a Christianity that can be categorized and adequately described by any of today’s political descriptors. | more »
TV is a part of our lives from early childhood, but if I were to choose a faith based upon how it treats Christianity, I would probably find an alternative. | more »
The opportunities are many, from small gestures to large, roll-up-your-sleeves projects. Maybe it was such a natural thing to do that you did it without really thinking. How have you recently been an instrument of God’s work? You might also... | more »
The church on the inside is in relationship with congregations on the outside. | more »
Apparently there are three Mega Millions Lottery winners. I doubt that they are thinking about contributing to the ELCA. | more »
I suppose you never really know if what you say makes a difference. In the end, you can only hope. | more »
Those of us who hold to the true meaning of the word must continue to remind each other that it is something else, something different. | more »
Five hundred trees from around the world will be planted at the Wittenberg Center to honor the Reformation's 500th anniversary and the worldwide Lutheran communion.
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It’s easy to see God’s wrath in a disaster that strikes those whom we think are not like ourselves. | more »
We remember with gratitude our past, and yet move on, knowing that there is One who gives us the courage to travel the road ahead. | more »
If one-tenth of our congregations lived from this "hope and a prayer" mentality, I think we would live in a very different church. | more »
The potential for a wave of grace in a denomination with 4.2 million Lutherans who are spread out into about 10,000 congregations is tremendous.
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Welcome, stranger! New people are walking through the doors of Epiphany Lutheran, Eagle Lake, Minn., thanks to their innovative outreach program. | more »
It wouldn’t be something you could wrap and put under a tree. But it would be something that would make the world a better place if we all received it. What gift would you put on the list for all... | more »
Paper plates aren't just for picnics. Jennifer Crist used them to send a powerful message against childhood hunger to Washington. | more »
"Evangelism" and "angel" have the same Greek root, meaning "relaying
good news" — the good news you as an angel can share.
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During these hard economic times there are many people struggling in silence, their pain invisible. | more »
Lighting prayer candles in a bowl of sand becomes a popular part of a traditional Halloween neighborhood party. | more »
I thought God had too many other important things to worry about than a football lockout. Then I thought about it some more. | more »
I discovered that in visiting these prisoners I had actually experienced Christ serving me. | more »
I think we showed ourselves how we have been moved and continue to move into Mary's sandals.
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At the Churchwide Assembly, Renee Splichal Larson urges members of the ELCA to live out their baptismal calling — to strive for justice in all the earth. | more »
When I was in my teens, I had reached the conclusion that no matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough. | more »
We are a church full of trouble and inspiration; full of sinners claimed by Christ; full of people set loose in faith to serve in God’s world. | more »
Are you traveling to Orlando, Fla., this weekend? We hear there will be a few fellow ELCA members in town. If you are attending the 2011 Churchwide Assembly, what do you hope to gain from the experience?... | more »
As we sat there sipping our beer, my friend and I observed: “Hey, this is just like church!” It is painfully true. | more »
This Republican presidential hopeful has put Lutherans on the political map. I just hope the press gets their facts straight about her denominational background. | more »
It might not seem to make sense, but I believe that rooted in relationship, we discover the meaning of true freedom. | more »
Let us rejoice that it is a gift without need of war to create or defend it, a majority vote to decide who it applies to or walls to contain it. | more »
God often shows up in the classroom, on the athletic field, in the rehearsal room and in our non-Christian brothers and sisters.
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Daniel Kunz writes today that, “It is important to look for God in the faces of everyone around you, not just your family, friends or the people next to you in the pew on Sunday morning.” God’s love can be... | more »
It's in each breath breathed, each song sung and each new person greeted.
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It was a magical evening for my parents, who were thrilled to be invited to such a grandiose event.
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It wasn't about winning. It wasn't about losing. Rebekah Davis ran for a congressional seat to bring a Lutheran voice to the campaign. | more »
For Humble Walk Lutheran Church, Facebook is a viable way to connect with new and potential members. | more »
An ELCA military chaplain lives by the motto, "Bringing God to soldiers and soldiers to God."
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I was cynical about the qualities that make a good product, but charitable organizations might be wise to use these guidelines.
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I've never been in a war zone, but I've a feeling tornado-damaged Joplin is at least as bad as the worst of war zones. | more »
Bethany Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., will cancel its worship service on May 22 . Its members that day will go out to work and help in their community. Does your congregation have a creative... | more »
Members of Christ Lutheran Church in Cullman, Ala., were brought closer to their Episcopalian and Presbyterian neighbors following a tornado that destroyed their building on April 27. What event (planned or unplanned) has brought Christians in your community together?... | more »
In the video “The resurrected life,” Renee Splichal Larson shares about the signs of resurrection that she’s seen recently. “Sometimes resurrection looks like a smile from somebody, sometimes it looks like and feels like an embrace,” she said. “Sometimes it... | more »
Prayer, whether publicly or privately, comes in many forms, through words, meditation, dance, nature, writing or singing. | more »
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson wrote that Osama bin Laden’s death is “an occasion for solemn remembrance.” What’s your response? How does your Christian faith factor in to your consideration of bin Laden’s death?... | more »
Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson wrote, “We do God’s work, not because God needs us to do so, but because our neighbor does. We do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world.” How does God work through... | more »
Jesus turns to us and asks us to BE the neighbor. He doesn't specify to whom. Just BE. To whomever we encounter. | more »
It’s time to stop talking about nets and start addressing hunger and poverty, the root causes of malaria. | more »
The crucifixion of Jesus is both a scandal and a gift of life, both tragedy and ultimately our hope. The resurrection resolves dissonance into harmony. How can you share the song?... | more »
The experience is what you and your young people make of it. | more »
On April 9 we commemorate the death of German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. As Martin Marty points out in today’s lead article, Bonhoeffer was himself a bit of a paradox. What do you remember him for? What phrase, teaching or... | more »
He was a man of many paradoxes: a longtime pacifist and an inconsistent pacifist who became a conspirator in an assassination plot against Adolf Hitler. | more »
Does your congregation recycle? If so, what materials do you collect: paper, plastic, glass, compost, other? What have you learned from the process and what lessons or tips can you share with others as a result?... | more »
Our genetic makeup, and that of the world around us, is part of what God created and has given to us. | more »
The political use of the word bugs me so much because it has such deep and rich theological connotations. | more »
Our evangelism voices must rise to the same volume and frequency as those who have negative things to say.
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The question might be asked, why should we go to the bother of sharing Jesus with others? | more »
Today’s lead story, “Holding steady in Japan,” describes a number of ways that the ELCA is responding to the disaster in Japan. What’s one way you (as an individual or as a member of your congregation) have responded? What prompted... | more »
Sometimes we are like a family that shows kindness and supports each other, but never says the words “I love you” out loud.
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Loving those who persecute you is simply not the same as saying you should feel affection toward the people who have hurt you. | more »
When the gospel is misrepresented and grace ignored, believers may feel like victims and become suspicious of anything done "in the name of Jesus."
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In her blog entry, Kristen Birkey-Abbott writes that she realized at a certain point in her life that no job is more spiritual than another. In fact, she writes, we all have the same task: to be the face of... | more »
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” said Jesus in Matthew 5. The Greek term eirenopoioi could be literally translated as “peace-doers.” Who is a peacemaker that has blessed your life through his or her dedication to doing or making peace? How do... | more »
Even in the 21st century some Americans, and, yes, those who identify themselves as Christians, have found ways to express ugly feelings. | more »
The fact that a young child killed in the Tucson shootings had a life bracketed by violence has spiritual significance.
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Beware of thinking that you know what other people need or want. | more »
Some claim that being Lutheran is simply a matter of cultural heritage or theological training. Yet living Lutheran is not solely determined by the dish you bring to a potluck dinner or how you interpret the Scriptures. What does it... | more »
In our self-absorbed society it is time to shatter the glass, to look less at ourselves and more at our neighbor. | more »
Joining forces with a full communion partner in the community can help keep a congregation alive, especially in an age of declining membership.
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Ruby Delzer and Leslie Piercy inspired their congregation to embark on a journey toward shared ministry between Lutherans and Episcopalians. | more »
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