Posts in ELCA
Annual Congregation Report Due March 1: What Every ELCA Community Needs to Know
Annual Congregation Report Due March 1: What Every ELCA Community Needs to Know

The Annual Congregation Report is due March 1 for all ELCA congregations, new starts, and synod-authorized worshiping communities. This report provides essential data about people, finances, and resources and ensures your congregation is included in synod and churchwide planning and reporting.

Congregations should submit the report online at elca.org/congregationreport using the ID and password mailed in mid-January. Instructions, Form A, and support resources are available at elca.org/reportinstructions. If you are not receiving ELCA emails, be sure to update your contact information to stay informed.

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ELCA, Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardComment
Intergenerational by Design: Women of the ELCA Expands Campus Connections
Intergenerational by Design: Women of the ELCA Expands Campus Connections

Women of the ELCA is expanding its intergenerational work through the Campus Ambassador Program, connecting with women on 10 college campuses this year. Grounded in inclusivity, anti-racism, and shared leadership, the initiative intentionally invites girls and women under 40 into new forms of participation while honoring the wisdom and gifts of long-time leaders. Learn more about intergenerational programs and how to get involved.

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ELCABrian FlatgardWomen of the ELCA (WELCA)Comment
For Such a Time as This: Discovering Passion and Purpose
For Such a Time as This: Discovering Passion and Purpose

In seasons of weariness or restlessness, passion can feel distant—or suddenly awaken us. Using the story of Queen Esther, Pastor Lee Ann Pomrenke reflects on how identity, timing, relationships, and self-interest converge to call God’s people into courageous action. This reflection invites readers to consider where the Holy Spirit may be stirring them to act for such a time as this. Read the full reflection, prayer, and discussion questions at Boldcafe.

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ELCABrian FlatgardWomen of the ELCA (WELCA)Comment
When Passion Calls Your Name: Listening for the Spirit’s Stirring
When Passion Calls Your Name: Listening for the Spirit’s Stirring

What happens when passion doesn’t emerge gently—but arrives suddenly, insistently, or even painfully? In this deeply personal reflection, the Rev. Angela T. !Khabeb explores vocation as something that often chooses us, shaped by life’s joys, griefs, and unexpected turns. Drawing on Scripture, ministry experience, and profound personal loss, she invites readers to reflect on how the Holy Spirit continues to ignite calling across seasons of life. Read the full reflection and discussion questions at Boldcafe.

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ELCABrian FlatgardWomen of the ELCA (WELCA)Comment
Free ELCA Coaching Opportunities in January: Support, Training, and Growth for Leaders
Free ELCA Coaching Opportunities in January: Support, Training, and Growth for Leaders

ELCA Coaching is offering a full month of free January opportunities for ministry leaders, including gatherings, workshops, formation offerings, and racial justice and wellness training opportunities—most requiring advance registration. Additional subsidized leadership trainings begin in April. These resources support leaders across the ELCA, helping strengthen ministry, deepen resilience, and remind us that nobody journeys alone. Learn more at elcacoaching.org/events.

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardCoaching, ELCA CoachingComment
Faithfulness Amidst Change: Pastor Kristin Engstrom’s Expanding Call in Global Mission
Faithfulness Amidst Change: Pastor Kristin Engstrom’s Expanding Call in Global Mission

Pastor Kristin Engstrom, ELCA global missionary, shares an update on her expanding call as ELCA Regional Representative for Madagascar and English-speaking West Africa. Her January 2026 newsletter highlights recent travels, companion church ministries, and how Lutheran mission is rooted in relationship and accompaniment.

Read the full newsletter, view additional photos and stories, and watch Pastor Kristin’s new ELCA video reflecting on global mission—all pointing to God’s faithfulness in changing times and our shared call to walk together in Christ.

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ELCA, Global Church, Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardPastor Kristin EngstromComment
From COP to Congregations: New Opportunities for Climate Faithfulness
From COP to Congregations: New Opportunities for Climate Faithfulness

January Good Green News highlights new opportunities to live out our faith through climate justice, learning, and community. From the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice to upcoming retreats, coffee conversations on environmental policy, and calls for eco-lectionary writers, there are meaningful ways for congregations and leaders to engage.

Explore resources, register for upcoming events, and learn how your congregation can take faithful action—read the full newsletter for details and links.

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ELCABrian FlatgardClimate Change, Lutherans Restoring CreationComment
January Mission Support Memo: Bridge-builder for Justice
January Mission Support Memo: Bridge-builder for Justice

Our January 2026 Mission Support memo connects us to Community Lutheran Church in Sussex County, Delaware where they are working to build-bridges for justice and love. Read about how they deeply care for their community through being a feeding hub, offering English classes and advocacy, caring for creation, and working toward dismantling racism, building equity, and empowering inclusion.

Learn how to join our new ELCA  Church Property Hub on Feb. 12th for Property Development 101 for Synods. In these times, staying connected through our stories seems vitally important, so please share your stories by contacting us at missionsupport@elca.org. Here is a pdf version too!

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ELCABrian FlatgardMission Support, ELCA Mission Support TeamComment
From Forest to Family: How Beekeeping Is Transforming Lives in Indonesia
From Forest to Family: How Beekeeping Is Transforming Lives in Indonesia

In the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, a simple yet powerful initiative is changing lives. Through a forest bee farming program supported by Lutheran partners, Pak Esli—a fisherman and father of two—has gained new skills, sustainable income, and hope for his family and community. What began as unfamiliar work has become a source of economic stability, environmental care, and shared opportunity for an entire village.

This story from ELCA World Hunger highlights how faith-rooted global partnerships support livelihoods that honor both people and creation. Read more at ELCA.org to explore how forest beekeeping is helping communities thrive while caring for the land God has entrusted to them.

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ELCABrian FlatgardHunger, ELCA World HungerComment
January 2026 Administration Matters: Start the Year Strong with Key Church Admin Updates
January 2026 Administration Matters: Start the Year Strong with Key Church Admin Updates

The January 2026 issue of Administration Matters offers timely guidance to help congregations and church leaders start the year with clarity and confidence. Highlights include Portico’s 2026 New Year Checklist for benefits administration, updated Internal Revenue Service mileage rates effective January 1, best practices for church benevolence programs, and practical insights on repurposing aging church buildings.

Also featured are tips for more productive meetings and essential considerations for secure digital giving in an increasingly complex online landscape. These concise resources are designed to support faithful stewardship, sound governance, and effective ministry administration. Read the full January 2026 issue of Administration Matters to learn more.

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardAdministration MattersComment
What’s New from ELEA This January: BRAVE Resources, Legal Updates, and Member-Only Tools
What’s New from ELEA This January: BRAVE Resources, Legal Updates, and Member-Only Tools

The January ELEA newsletter is full of resources to help Lutheran educators start the year strong. Highlights include the Lutheran Schools Week 2026 “BRAVE” toolkit, grounded in John 13:34–35; a call for workshop proposals for the 2026 Biennial Conference in Los Angeles (due January 16); member-only Community conversations; and timely employment law updates through Zywave.

The issue also features a School Spotlight on Peace Lutheran Preschool, upcoming events, and reminders about ELEA membership benefits. Read the full newsletter for links, tools, and opportunities to connect with educators across the church.

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ELCABrian FlatgardYouth and Young Adult, Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA)Comment
Living Out the Dream: Faithful Witness in the Way of Martin Luther King Jr.
Living Out the Dream: Faithful Witness in the Way of Martin Luther King Jr.

In this Voices of Faith reflection, Bishop emeritus Abraham D. Allende recalls gathering in Washington, D.C., on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and challenges the church to move beyond honoring his memory to living out his dream. Drawing on Scripture, poetry, and King’s deep grounding in the gospel, Allende reminds us that King’s vision was never only political—it was profoundly Christian, rooted in love of neighbor, repentance, and transformation.

As Lutherans, our baptismal covenant calls us to defend the dignity of every human being, resist discrimination, and work for justice and peace. This timely reflection invites us to examine how God’s love can shape our common life and witness today. Read more in Living Lutheran.

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ELCABrian FlatgardRacial Justice, Living LutheranComment
For What Shall We Pray?
For What Shall We Pray?

  • For an end to war, conflict, and uncertainty especially in Gaza, South Sudan, Ukraine, Iran, and Venezuela…

  • For peace and resolution in Minneapolis, and for safety for all residents…

  • For safety, dignity, and justice for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers…

  • For deescalation of tensions surrounding Greenland and international relations…

  • For victims of train crashes in Spain…

  • For those facing winter storms and extreme cold across the United States…

  • For newly-installed Bishop Imam Haddad and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land…

  • For Christian communities in Palestine and especially for schools…

  • For renewed unity in Christ among churches and denominations around the world…

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ELCA, Prayers, SpotlightBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Faith Lens: Repentance as Fulfillment
Faith Lens: Repentance as Fulfillment

In this week’s Faith Lens reflection for January 25, 2026, repentance is reframed not as shame or judgment, but as an invitation into God’s unfolding reign of justice, healing, and community. As Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, Matthew presents repentance as a turning toward hope—especially for those living under despair, exclusion, or injustice.

Drawing on Isaiah and Matthew’s Gospel, the reflection invites readers to consider who hears this good news most clearly today, how Jesus’ anti-imperial vision challenges the status quo, and how we are called—together—to follow, heal, and share the work of God’s kingdom.

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFaith LensComment
Lutheran Bishops Stand with Greenland: “We Are People, Not Property”
Lutheran Bishops Stand with Greenland: “We Are People, Not Property”

In a joint statement released Jan. 16, 2026, national bishops from Lutheran churches in the United States, Canada, and Denmark voiced strong support for the Greenlandic people amid growing international pressure on Greenland’s future. The statement affirms Greenland’s right to self-determination, peace between nations, and respect for international law, echoing the words of Paneeraq Siegstad Munk: “We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought.”

The bishops invite Lutherans to pray for Greenland and to contact elected leaders, urging them to respect the independence, dignity, and human rights of the Greenlandic people.

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ELCA, Bishop CurryBrian FlatgardChurch and Society, Bishop Curry Letters Comment
Here I Pod: What Faithful Advocacy Looks Like Today
Here I Pod: What Faithful Advocacy Looks Like Today

In this special episode of Here I Pod, Amy E. Reumann and Laurie Larson Caesar reflect on what faithful public witness looks like in today’s complex civic landscape. Their conversation explores how Lutheran theology shapes advocacy, accompaniment, and engagement in the public square.

This episode offers timely insight for rostered leaders and laypeople alike who are discerning how to live out their baptismal call beyond the walls of the church. Listen to the full episode via Living Lutheran.

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ELCABrian FlatgardLiving Lutheran, Advocacy, ELCA AdvocacyComment
Chalk on the Door, Light in the World
Chalk on the Door, Light in the World

In this Epiphany reflection, Mindy Roll explores what it means to bear witness in a neighborhood where the language of faith is unfamiliar—but curiosity remains alive. Through chalk blessings, children’s questions, and the story of the magi, she invites readers to see Epiphany as openness to God’s light appearing in unexpected places.

This gentle, poetic reflection encourages congregations and households alike to see their thresholds as places of welcome, wonder, and quiet proclamation: Christ is here. Read the full reflection from Living Lutheran.

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ELCABrian FlatgardLiving LutheranComment
Vocation in the Messy Middle: A Lutheran Witness in the Workplace
Vocation in the Messy Middle: A Lutheran Witness in the Workplace

In this I’m a Lutheran profile, Grace Carlic shares how her faith shapes her vocation as a workforce and public affairs specialist in the clean-energy sector. From creating inclusive pathways for people with disabilities to understanding grace as listening and finding common ground, Carlic reflects on what it means to live out love of neighbor in everyday work.

Her story is a powerful reminder that Lutheran faith is not confined to Sunday mornings—it is embodied through action, dignity, and hope in the world God loves. Read the full profile from Living Lutheran.

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ELCABrian FlatgardLiving LutheranComment
The ELCA 2025 Annual Report Cover Has Arrived: Just in Time for Annual Meetings
The ELCA 2025 Annual Report Cover Has Arrived: Just in Time for Annual Meetings

The ELCA 2025 Annual Report cover is now available for congregational use. Congregations are encouraged to use this cover for annual reports and meetings as a way to connect local ministry with the wider work of the ELCA.

The 2025 report highlights our shared life in Christ, grounded in Colossians 2:6–7, and offers a snapshot of how Mission Support, ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, and Where Needed Most help carry out God’s work across the church and the world. Download the cover and preview what’s inside.

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ELCA, Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardComment