News

"Out of my distress I called on the Lord" (Psalm 118:5).We are a nation in distress. We are a church in distress. The coronavirus has killed 103,000 of us. The virus of racism has taken hundreds of thousands more throughout our history. Now these two deadly viruses converge. Under...

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on the church to join with faith communities across the United States in lament and remembrance, and on our elected leaders to observe Monday, June 1, as a day of mourning to honor the more than 100,000 people who have died from COVID-19.

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reaffirms its commitment to combating racism and white supremacy following the recent murders of Black Americans. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor,...

“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you” (Genesis 9:9).Dear church, In today’s lectionary text, Genesis 9:8-17, Noah receives God’s covenant. The rainbow becomes a sign of the irrevocable promise of God’s faithfulness and mercy — of God’s peace for all creation. So,...

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. —I Corinthians 12:12 May 13, 2020 Dear church, Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! During the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am...

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread within new regions of the United States and across the globe, the ELCA has decided to cancel sending Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) volunteers for the 2020-21 program year. The program was scheduled to begin in August.

Facing an increase of coronavirus cases in East Jerusalem,Augusta Victoria Hospital and other East Jerusalem health systems are in critical need of financial resources to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Sin and captivity, manifest in threats to the environment, are not the last word. God addresses our predicament with gifts of 'forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation' (Luther, Small Catechism). By the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God frees us from our sin and captivity, and empowers us to...

Responding to the wide-ranging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA Church Council approved a special fundraising appeal during a teleconference meeting that convened April 8.

Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. Exodus 15:20 NRSV Over the past month, we have observed Women's History Month in the United States, a time for celebrating, honoring and reflecting on...

Dear church,The last couple of weeks have been trying ones for everyone across this church. Our synods, congregations and ministries are facing challenges that they’ve never faced before. Being church together means more now than ever before. The churchwide office is launching a comprehensive Covid-19 response across the ELCA beginning...

ELCA presiding bishop extends an invitation from Pope Francis to join in the Lord's Prayer tomorrow, March 25, at noon your local time.

For the first time in the history of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA Church Council and the ELCA Conference of Bishops held a joint meeting over multiple days. The purpose of the meeting was to nurture their relationship and foster dialogue around shared work that guides this church into the future to which God is calling it.

In her message to this church about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said that even though “this is a time of disruption. It is also a time to live and act as faithful people of God.”

The ELCA Church Council voted today, March 8, to remove “Vision and Expectations” from use in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Disciplinary standards for rostered ministers are outlined in “Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline.”

In 1527 the plague returned to Wittenberg, Germany. Two hundred years earlier the plague had swept across Europe killing up to 40% of the population. Understandably, people were anxious and wondered what a safe and faithful response might be. In answer to this, Martin Luther wrote "Whether One May Flee...

Deacon John Weit has accepted a call as assistant to the bishop, executive for worship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Weit has served in the role in an interim capacity since July 2019.

"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD...

The ELCA has announced a new initiative entitled Total Inclusion!: Widening the Welcome at ELCA Outdoor Ministries. The new program is designed to equip and empower outdoor ministry organizations as they move toward more intentional welcome of people who historically have been marginalized in the church — especially people of color, people with disabilities and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.

I am very dismayed and disturbed by President Trump's announcement of a "peace plan" that, I fear, will bring greater insecurity for Israelis and Palestinians instead of peace.