ELCA Press Releases
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America denounces the deadly attacks perpetrated yesterday against people at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur.
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.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a message addressing political violence.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a statement on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing racial profiling in immigration enforcement.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a letter to President Donald Trump and members of Congress expressing support of “our Jewish-American and Israeli siblings who have suffered because of the Oct. 7 attacks,” yet voicing “profound horror regarding the catastrophe in Gaza and the wider crisis in the Holy Land.”
Augsburg Fortress Publishers announced a significant leadership transition. The Board of Trustees, with the approval of the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, unanimously elected Andrew DeYoung to be the organization’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2026. DeYoung will succeed Tim Blevins, who will retire on August 31, 2026, after more than two decades of dedicated service.
The Rev. Lucille “CeCee” Mills was elected Aug. 1 to serve a six-year term as secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly being held July 28–Aug. 2 at the Phoenix (Ariz.) Convention Center.
The Rev. Yehiel Curry was elected July 30 to serve a six-year term as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly being held July 28–Aug. 2 at the Phoenix (Ariz.) Convention Center.
.avif)
