ELCA Press Releases

ELCA Conference of Bishops Elects Chair and Vice Chair
March 13, 2026

The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met March 3-7 at the Eaglewood Resort and Conference Center in Itasca, Ill. The conference is an advisory body of the ELCA that comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.

ELCA Introduces New Website
March 12, 2026

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has launched the new ELCA.org. The new website provides a central, unified location where current and potential members, church leaders and visitors can know and understand what it means to be an ELCA Lutheran. 

Bishop Curry Issues Statement on Iran War
March 4, 2026

In our Lenten journey, we are reminded of our dependence on God, and we are sustained by hope in the future peace God has promised. As war involving the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies and spreads, we lament how far off that promise seems. We do not know how many people have been killed, but we know the number will continue to grow. Early reports indicate that more than 100 Iranian schoolgirls and several U.S. service members are among them.

Bishop Curry and Faith Leaders Urge Humane Policies in DHS Negotiations
February 12, 2026

In a Feb. 9 letter to the U.S. Congress, ELCA Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry, along with other faith leaders, shared requests as Congress faces a Feb. 13 deadline to determine Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding.

Presiding Bishop Curry and Minnesota synod bishops condemn immigration activity
January 27, 2026

CHICAGO (Jan. 27, 2026) — Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry and ELCA synod bishops from Minnesota share a joint pastoral video message condemning aggressive immigration activity. The bishops acknowledge the uncertainty being experienced by many in Minnesota and in other parts of God’s kingdom, and they remind this church that in our lament we still hold fast to the promises of Christ and the assurance that we are not alone.

Canada, Denmark, U.S. Lutheran bishops issue joint statement supporting Greenlandic people
January 16, 2026

The national bishops of Lutheran churches in the United States, Canada and Denmark wish to send the Greenlandic people their full support in an unusually difficult situation.

ELCA Observes National Day of Racial Healing
January 14, 2026

In observance of the 2026 National Day of Racial Healing, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in partnership with Augsburg Fortress Publishers, will host “Just Us Narratives: A Night of Centering Multiracial Voices Across the ELCA” on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 6-8 p.m. Central time. The free program will be available online and in person at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Celebration Campus in Naperville, Ill.

Bishop Curry Issues Statement on ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
January 9, 2026

Alongside our siblings in Christ in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota and all who have been impacted by aggressive immigration enforcement and violence by federal law enforcement agents, I mourn the shocking shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7, 2026. I join calls for a thorough investigation into this case, accountability for the shooting and a de-escalation of ICE enforcement across the United States.

Deacons Included in New ELCA, Episcopal Clergy Exchange Guidelines
January 8, 2026

Marking a quarter-century of full-communion partnership, The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) now welcome the exchange of deacons in updated clergy exchange guidelines.

Bishop Curry Issues Statement on Venezuela
January 7, 2026

There is concern across this church about the Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. military action in Venezuela and what has or will follow. I believe that this Sunday’s celebration of Jesus’ baptism, and our own, can provide understanding, guide our prayers and promote faithful action at this time. The baptism of our Lord reminds us that Jesus is God’s own beloved child, who has come to fulfill an age-old promise to bring justice and peace to the nations (Isaiah 42:1).  

A Prayer for Venezuela
January 3, 2026

We come before you with hearts that are heavy yet hopeful, lifting up the people of Venezuela and the very complicated realities they face in these challenging times.

Bishop Curry Issues Statement on Terror Attack on Jewish Community in Australia
December 14, 2025

Many of us awoke today to the horrific news of yet another deadly attack on the Jewish community, gathered for a Menorah lighting ceremony marking the beginning of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Australia.

Bishop Curry Issues Statement on Brown University Shooting
December 14, 2025

As students prepared for finals yesterday at Brown University, they found themselves a part of the ever-increasing epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. and globally. We grieve the shooting that ended two lives, injuring many others and traumatizing a community dedicated to learning, inquiry and shared life.

ELCA Conference of Bishops Gathers in Minneapolis
October 15, 2025

The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Oct. 5-7 at the Hilton Minneapolis. The conference — an advisory body of the ELCA that comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary — met following the installation of Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

ELCA Church Council Welcomes New Members
October 9, 2025

The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met at the Hilton Minneapolis, Oct. 2-3. The council welcomed 19 new members who had been elected by the 2025 Churchwide Assembly. The meeting was held in advance of the Oct. 4 installation of Yehiel Curry as presiding bishop of the ELCA at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

ELCA Statement on Deadly Attacks in the UK
October 3, 2025

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America denounces the deadly attacks perpetrated yesterday against people at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur.

Yehiel Curry to Be Installed as ELCA Presiding Bishop
September 25, 2025

The Rev. Yehiel Curry will be installed as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. Central time at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn. Curry will be the first Black presiding bishop of the ELCA.

A Message from Bishop Eaton on Political Violence
September 11, 2025

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a message addressing political violence.

ELCA Statement on Supreme Court Ruling That Allows Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement
September 11, 2025

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a statement on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing racial profiling in immigration enforcement.