Video Contest
Judging Criteria:
How to Win

What does it mean for you or your congregation to live Lutheran?

Coffee. Potlucks. Gathering for word and sacrament. Rolling up our sleeves and doing God’s work with our hands. ELCA members don’t sit on the sidelines! We’re everyday evangelists who bring the gospel message with us wherever we go.

So, what does this mean for you? How do you live Lutheran in today’s world? Grab a video camera and share your story now.

Want to win one of our great prizes? To be eligible, your video must:

  • Be 30 to 90 seconds in length

  • Have the following introduction: “My name is [fill in the blank], and this is how I live Lutheran.” Or “Our congregation is [name/city/state], and this is how we live Lutheran.”

  • Include a reference to the theme for the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly: “Freed in Christ to Serve”

  • Include the ELCA brandmark at the opening or close of your video

  • Include the contest URL: www.livinglutheran.com/contest

Note: You can insert this file in your video to fulfill the last two requirements. (Right-click and select “Save target as…” on PCs.)

Need more help? Keep these ideas in mind:

  • Creativity and ability to inspire. We welcome stories that inspire, make us laugh and make us cry. Think small as well as big when planning your video entry. Living Lutheran happens in those little interactions between friends or strangers, as well as in recovery efforts after a natural disaster. Use your creativity to share your faith story.

  • Reference to the 2011 Churchwide Assembly theme: “Freed in Christ to Serve.” As you consider what it means to “live Lutheran,” keep in mind that the theme for the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is “Freed in Christ to Serve.” Think about what this freedom means to you as you film your story of living Lutheran. Be creative in how you include that reference.

Theological background on “Freed in Christ to Serve”

ELCA members are actively engaged in the world in God’s name. But why do we do this work? What compels us as the ELCA to raise money for those affected by the Pacific earthquake and tsunami or to plant new congregations in Seattle and Philadelphia? It’s not to call attention to ourselves, but to be about God’s healing of a broken world. We act not out of obligation, fear or guilt but out of gratitude for all we have been given.

Even in the midst of change, the ELCA is the church it has always been, one that is renewed daily in the freedom that comes along from Jesus Christ. The liberating power of the gospel releases us from our human limitations, so that we may reach out in love to our neighbor. Thanks be to God! We are freed in Christ to serve.

“Freed in Christ to Serve” expresses the very heart of our faith. Freedom is God’s gift that has been flowing to us and through us since the day of Christ’s death and resurrection. Through word and sacrament, freedom flows to the center of our being, transforming our very life and making us into servant vessels of the Spirit’s liberating work.

Winning entries will be announced at the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Aug. 15-19 in Orlando, Fla.

First- and second-place winners in the Congregation and Individual Categories will be selected by staff of LivingLutheran.com. Third-place winners in the Congregation and Individual Categories are chosen based on the most popular votes received from this site’s registered users.

To vote or upload a video, you need to be a registered user of LivingLutheran.com. Join Now!