Living Lutheran shares a brief article about each of the following Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities, their mission strategies, and related associations:
African descent (African American, Afro Caribbean, African National)
Mindy Makant shares a poignant narrative in Living Lutheran about her son's traumatic car accident and the transformative power of remembering through a theology of the cross. She illustrates how a simple act of kindness—a firefighter giving her son a teddy bear—helped shift his memory of the event from trauma to gratitude, embodying the Lutheran belief that Christ is present in suffering, offering hope and transformation.
Read More
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa, has transformed its 1958 building into a model of sustainability. Through a comprehensive upgrade that includes solar panels and geothermal heat pumps, the church significantly lowered its carbon footprint and energy costs. This initiative not only garnered the church the 2024 Energy Saver award from Interfaith Power and Light but also sets a replicable example for other communities aiming to enhance their environmental stewardship. Learn more in this Living Lutheran article.
Read More
In this Living Lutheran article, we meet Cora Rose, an ELCA deacon and legal ministry attorney based in southern Oregon, wo serves as a vital community advocate providing legal aid and supporting local initiatives for those facing housing insecurity and other challenges. In her unique role, she integrates her legal expertise with her spiritual calling, making significant impacts on both individual and systemic levels, embodying a profound commitment to justice and community service.
Read More
The Table in Nashville, led by Pastor Dawn Bennett, emerges as a pioneering ELCA congregation focused on the LGBTQ+ community's spiritual needs. Highlighting the creation of the first LGBTQ+ Women of the ELCA unit, this congregation’s journey underlines the importance of acceptance, love, and spiritual healing for marginalized individuals within the faith. Read the full article in Living Lutheran.
Read More
In a candid interview with Living Lutheran, Ále Suárez, a Master of Divinity graduate, talks about their unique journey to ministry as a queer Venezuelan American, the transformative role of expressive arts therapy, and the necessity for the church to embrace love and inclusivity for marginalized communities.
Read More
In Living Lutheran’s "Beyond Evangelism: Sharing What Matters," Anthony Bateza explores a nuanced approach to sharing the gospel, focusing on the therapeutic aspects of Lutheran theology rather than conventional evangelism.
Dr. Bateza reflects on the discomfort with traditional evangelist roles and the fear associated with being perceived as coercive. He suggests a shift from a caricatured evangelism to sharing theological depth and substance, emphasizing love, justice, and humility in faith communities.
Read More
The ELCA Association of White Lutherans for Racial Justice convened in Minneapolis from March 1-3, focusing on combating white supremacy within the church. The assembly, themed “Building Power Together,” led to a name change to better reflect the group’s mission and included workshops, worship, and strategic planning towards racial justice. Participants engaged with community members from George Floyd Square, emphasizing the importance of action in local communities and the necessity of hesed in justice work.
Read More
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Living Lutheran is highlighting a few of the many programs and ministries that support women and promote gender justice. Visit these resources to explore how these programs bring awareness to, serve and equip women, and stay tuned throughout this month to learn more: Women of the ELCA, Justice for Women Resource Page, and 50 Years of Ordained Women.
Read More
In part one of an interview, Living Lutheran spoke with Rachel Young Binter about how embodied spiritual practices inform her work as pastor of the Corner House, the Lutheran campus ministry of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. The second part of her interview focuses on the specifics of those practices, resources she recommends and a meditation she offered our readers.
Read More
In this Living Lutheran article, get introduced to Elizabeth Gilbert, of First Lutheran Church, Cincinnati. Gilbert is a product data scientist withCisco and former co-chair of the Gather Network.
Read More
We share this Living Lutheran article, which spotlights the ELCA's 35-year mission alongside Central American Lutheran churches, addressing social and environmental issues. It highlights the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod's educational and advocacy efforts against climate change, the Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras' focus on education, the Augustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala's women's education program, and the Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope's work on gender issues and community development.
Read More
In this video, the new “Deeper understandings” editor Kristin Johnston Largen previews the direction of the Living Lutheran department for the 2024, as well as her first entry in the series, publishing next week on LivingLutheran.org.
Read More
We’re halfway through January and some people are now thinking about their already-broken New Year’s Day resolutions. Never fear, as noted in this Living Lutheran article that first posted in 2017, there’s still time to explore how insights from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism might “reform” some common resolutions, creating “New Year’s reformations.”
Read More
Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, The Lutheran ran this article in its May 8, 1968, edition. The piece is a first-person account by then-Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago student Harold Wesley Varner, who was feet away from King when he was killed. Varner, who died in 1996, served as a Lutheran pastor in the 1960s and 1970s.
Read More
Samuel L. Jones earned the rank of Eagle Scout more than 60 years ago but because he came from a low-income single family home, he didn't receive his medal. Through the persistence of a friend from church, he finally did. Read more about this inspiring Lutheran and his powerful story at Living Lutheran, or watch a video on YouTube.
Read More
Living Lutheran and its predecessors have been telling the stories of God’s people living their faith for nearly two centuries. The formats, distribution frequency and even church bodies represented have changed for these publications—but the core mission, to share the good news through Lutherans’ stories, hasn’t.
Read More
Discover fresh ways to engage with Advent this year, as featured in Living Lutheran. Dive into a variety of innovative resources created by the ELCA, from the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod's new podcast, "The World Is About to Turn," to Church Anew's convenient "Advent in a Box" package, and the enduring appeal of Luther Seminary's traditional daily devotional. These creative tools offer meaningful experiences to deepen your Advent journey, whether at home, in church, or on the go.
Read More
Living Lutheran shares this table prayer for Advent.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the one who is, who was and who is to come. At this table you fill us with good things. May these gifts strengthen us to share with the hungry and all those in need, as we wait and watch for your coming among us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read More
Living Lutheran will soon cease production of its print publication. Living Lutheran’s final print issue will arrive in mailboxes the first week of December. Content will shift to an all-digital platform, with new articles appearing daily (no subscription or login required). View livinglutheran.org for more info.
To continue to receive content, you can sign up for LL Stories, a free email digest, at livinglutheran.org/subscribe, and get Living Lutheran stories sent right to your inbox.
Read More