The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber was installed this weekend as the first pastor of public witness for the ELCA.
She was called to the role of pastor of public witness by the Rocky Mountain Synod, whose bishop, Jim Gonia, has supported her ministry since she first applied to seminary.
Read MoreKen Carder learned that when people with dementia are isolated from their community, their condition worsens. He recognized that people with dementia weren’t at the center of his own pastoral care efforts.
Seeking to change the status quo and demonstrate how congregations can join in ministry with people who have dementia, Carder created a class at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., where he serves as guest professor, called “Dementia Through a Pastoral Theological Lens.”
Read MoreFor many, taking time to rest—whether it’s an extended retreat or simply a pause in a busy workday—can be a challenge.
“So many of our society’s dominant narratives mitigate against rest,” said Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a professor of theological and social ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. “I really think that the capacity to hear the Spirit and to [flourish] as a person are built partly by having rest.”
Read MoreFor many years, I gave little thought to the complexity of my being Osage, Lutheran and gay. Growing up in the Osage nation and learning about my Osage ancestors, history and customs; following my path to self-acceptance as a gay man; embracing the Lutheran Christian faith—these seemed to be three quite different aspects of my story. And though they overlapped chronologically, they didn’t always connect.
Now, after years of reflection and with more experience interpreting my own story, I have begun to understand how all this made me who I am.
Read MoreIn this Living Lutheran profile, we meet Ben Iboshi, who attends Augustana Lutheran Church, Portland, Oregon, is a senior at Grant High School in Portland, and founder/chair of the Youth Leadership Academy to End Gun Violence.
Read MoreThis year will mark the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. That day holds great significance for people in different ways including the families of those who died in the attacks and in rescue efforts; those killed because of the resulting military conflicts; and those who are/were subsequently targeted because of their religious or cultural identity.
Read MoreElizabeth W. Corrie’s Youth Ministry As Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence (Fortress Press, 2021) is a rare work, especially in the field of youth ministry (or, in keeping with the book’s message, “ministry with youth”). Incorporating pop culture as well as theological and historical images, Corrie’s approach is both theoretical, stimulating the mind, and eminently practical, offering ideas that can be implemented immediately.
Read MoreIn her August column in Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes: “This is the faith which declares that through pandemics, droughts, floods, famines, deadly bigotry, war, all the death-dealing things in nature and the human heart, life—the abundant life that Jesus promises—will prevail. Plant something in the summer.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3CGLepk and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3iDH4qd.
Read MoreFor over two decades, the ELCA has been present in southern Haiti. Lutheran Disaster Response is working in those communities to meet relief needs. In this post we share a letter from The Rev. Daniel Rift, Director of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response Fund.
For many Haitians, their only source of aid throughout their lives has been the church. After the earthquake, presidential assassination and storms, many of those churches are in ruins, as we learn in this article and podcast from the New York Times.
Read MorePresiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton wrote to the church, “With much sadness and shock I share with you the news of the sudden passing of Bill Horne, my friend and Vice President of the ELCA. He died Saturday afternoon of a suspected heart attack, according to the city press release. Please join me in praying for his wife Loretta and the rest of his family during this difficult time. We will always remember Bill as a faithful servant of God.”
Read MoreAs design thinking is utilized to solve big-problems and ultimately redesign systems, the process of design thinking itself must be examined closely to mitigate the causes of inequity. Design thinking as a field often refuses to acknowledge power imbalance or the exclusive nature of many design processes. That is where equity design comes in.
Read MoreIn this episode of ELCA World Hunger’s Hunger Policy Podcast, Patricia Kisare, international policy advisor for the ELCA, and Kaari Reierson, the ELCA’s associate for corporate social responsibility, join Ryan Cumming, the program director for hunger education, to break down some of the myths and realities about US aid and the church’s witness when it comes to this part of the federal budget.
Read MoreEspecially as temperatures and wildfires are soaring all over the country, it is clear that our climate crisis is reaching a tipping point. Our Christian call and vocation include caring for creation, and Bishop Eaton encourages us to find ways to be part of the solution to this dire situation. Start with a read or re-read of the ELCA Social Statement, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice.
Read MoreAfter reflecting on the 10,000 Year Clock and speaking with a prominent Lutheran theologian, Elise Seyfriend anticipates the future with optimism.
Read MoreThe Lutheran World Federation Council has elected Estonian theologian Anne Burghardt as the next general secretary of the global communion of Lutheran churches. We share her Living Lutheran profile in this post.
Read MoreJoin the discussion on the next Connections Call sponsored by Lutherans Restoring Creation, which will advocate for the reduction of greenhouse gases for the health of all. Tuesday, 8/17/2021, 5 pm MST/PDT.
Join them as they discuss the development of a Sample Memorial to go to Churchwide Assembly 2022 asking our ELCA Advocacy office to specifically advocate that government leaders and public servants prioritize a reduction of greenhouse gases by 50% no later than 2030. More info here.
Read MoreKelly Sherman-Conroy writes, “As the Team Leader of MYLE (Multicultural Youth Leadership Event) and group of amazing leaders of color who I am graciously working alongside, we want everyone to know what MYLE is so that this life changing opportunity for our youth of color can experience a Beloved Community like no other.”
Read MoreRev. Dr. Megan Rohrer will be installed as the fifth Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod on Saturday, 9/11/2021 at 2 pm MST/PDT Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, CA.
Your prayers and presence are requested at the livestream on this special site: spsbishopinstallation.com. Read their profile at Living Lutheran.
Read MoreMany bishops have had interesting and varied career paths to their current calls. But most of those paths don’t travel through Hollywood. But before entering ministry, she spent 18 years working in production for Warner Bros. Television.
Brenda Bos of Glendale, Calif., was elected June 5 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Southwest California Synod.
Read MoreJust as the Olympians are surrounded by family, friends, mentors, and entire countries, we too are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. This week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encourages us to "run like the wind."
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