Interfaith Solidarity Statement on Refugees and Immigrants
We stand united as people of faith in our commitments to welcome the stranger and to care for the most vulnerable – commitments rooted in our common understanding of our Creator’s love for all and call to serve our neighbors.
Bishop Eaton Issues Response in Support of Jerusalem Patriarchs on Gaza
Recently, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued an urgent plea to the global church, “A Humanitarian Plea From the Churches of Jerusalem: Defending the Dignity andPresence of the People of Gaza.” I write to uplift the timely and crucial words of these beloved siblings in Christ in Jerusalem and to call on our church to respond in prayer, action and solidarity.
United Lutheran Seminary Transfers $100 Million Endowment to ELCA Foundation’s Ministry Growth Fund
The board of trustees of United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) has voted to transfer the institution’s endowment fund, valued at approximately $100 million, to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Foundation’s Endowment Fund Pooled Trust, also known as the Ministry Growth Fund.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Responds to Executive Orders on Immigration
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a video message in response to the executive order on immigration that rolled back guidance to immigration authorities in protected areas such as places of worship, schools and hospitals.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Responds to False Allegations
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a video message in response to false allegations made by Elon Musk about illegal payments made to Lutheran organizations.
Presiding Bishop Eaton Issues Statement on Immigration Executive Orders
Over the past few days, ELCA leaders and ministry partners have shared with me the immediate impacts of recent executive orders focused on immigration. I have heard about families frightened of being torn apart and from congregations fearful that their churches can no longer offer safety or support to their immigrant neighbors. I have heard from faith partners ordered to stop services to refugees and from businesses upended by workforce disruptions.
Presiding Bishop Eaton Issues Pastoral Message on Executive Orders
On Monday, our nation witnessed the peaceful transfer of power central to our democracy, followed by sweeping actions by the incoming Trump administration. Facing such changes, we receive guidance through Martin Luther's words in the Large Catechism.
ELCA Observes National Day of Racial Healing
In observance of the 2025 National Day of Racial Healing, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in partnership with Augsburg Fortress Press, will host a free online educational event Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time.
A Message from Bishop Eaton on the California Wildfires
Presiding Bishop Eaton Issues Pastoral Message on Syria
ELCA Church Council Considers Legislative Proposals for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly
The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gathered at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, Nov. 14-17. The council, which serves as the ELCA churchwide organization’s board of directors and interim legislative authority between meetings of a churchwide assembly, focused much of its work on preparations for the ELCA 2025 Churchwide Assembly.
Twenty-fifth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Twenty-five years ago today, Catholic and Lutheran representatives gathered in Augsburg, Germany, to sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), thereby resolving once and for all a central theological conflict of the Reformation.
ELCA Receives Lilly Endowment Grant for Children’s Ministry
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Curious Christian Children: Reimagining Kids in Worship, a new initiative of the ELCA's Ministry with Children.
ELCA World Hunger Celebrates 50th Anniversary With World Food Day Event
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will celebrate World Food Day and the 50th anniversary of ELCA World Hunger during a special online event, Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. The event will be hosted by the Rev. Amy Current, bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, and Imran Siddiqui, ELCA vice president.
ELCA Conference of Bishops Analyzes Churchgoing Trends in Planning for Future
The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Sept. 24-28 at the Lutheran Center in Chicago. The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.
ELCA Conference of Bishops Emphasizes the Need to Speak the Truth
The members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops speak with one voice to condemn the hateful, deceptive, violent speech that has too readily found a place in our national discourse
Bishop Eaton statement on Haitian community in Ohio
You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt
(Deuteronomy 10:19).
Christopher Johnson Appointed President and CEO of Portico Benefit Services
Christopher (Chris) Johnson has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Portico Benefit Services, a separately incorporated ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He will join Portico on Oct. 7.
Bishop Eaton Addresses Political Violence
Political violence has a long history but no place in democracy. This church belongs to God, and our unity in Christ is a grace-filled and healing gift in a fractured society.
Bishop Eaton Expresses Disappointment in Grants Pass Supreme Court Decision
Bishop Eaton speaks out against the Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which clears the way for onerous civil and criminal penalties for unsheltered neighbors forced to sleep in parks or on other public property.
