Each year the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) asks congregations to provide information about their people and activities. This year’s deadline to do so is March 1, 2023.
Find all the resources you need at the ELCA’s Annual Congregation Report page, including FAQs, online Form A & C Parochial Reports as well as ways to update your ELCA Congregational Leadership Directory.
Read MoreHow do Christians address controversial civic issues?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreThe Psalms become our words when we don’t know how or what to pray. They give hope when all we have are sighs. This month, however you’re feeling—at home, work or school—take time to sit with your feelings. Ask your family how they’re feeling, listen to one another and trust that God holds you, no matter how you feel.
Read MoreGod, our refuge, come to the aid of all in need following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Give strength to those who search and wait, heal the injured, and soothe with your tender care all who cry out in grief. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
Read more resources in this post.
Read MoreIt’s brave and smart to seek help if you’re living with stress, depression, anxiety, or mental health struggles – but accessing an in-person counselor isn’t always easy or even possible.
That’s one reason the ELCA-Primary health plan EAP benefit has expanded to include Talkspace, digital confidential online counseling with licensed therapists via text, video, or audio. Read more on myPortico.
Read MoreIn this post from Lutheran World Relief, find a suite of resources to help you guide your congregation in their response, and more info at lwr.org/quake.
Read MoreA new poll by Morning Consult, released in January, showed that only 16% of Generation Z adults (ages 18-25) said they were proud to live in America.
Looking at all adult age groups, 52% said they were proud to live in America and 73% of the oldest generation, Baby Boomers, said they were proud to live in the U.S. Even millennials, the next closest age group to Gen Z, saw 20% more of its members saying they were proud to live in America, although still a minority at 36%.
Read MoreAll active Grand Canyon Synod rostered ministers are required to participate in professional boundary training every three years. Retired rostered ministers are not required. The Office of the Bishop has partnered with CongregationU to provide Boundary Awareness Training for $29.00.
Click here to take this course by 2/15/2023, and email your certificate of completion to office@gcsynod.org by 2/28/2023. Learn more in a letter from Bishop Hutterer in this post.
Read MoreHow Is God’s invitation to discipleship lived out in a democracy?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
Read MoreFor anyone in our ELCA interested in telling stories—stories of God, ourselves and others—join the ELCA Mission Support Team on Tuesday, 2/7/2023 5-6:15pm MST, 4-5:15pm PST, for “The Story Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us.” Info flyer here, and access the Zoom link here.
Read MoreAs we enter Black History Month, be sure to visit the ELCA Justice Portal and find worship resources, educational tools and ways you can work toward racial justice in our church and our society.
Read MoreThe science of taste is fascinating, perhaps because food is a universal part of our daily lives. We eat to live and, for many of us, sharing a meal with others brings a whole new sense of joy to our daily lives. Food tells stories and we use the flavors of food to experience it in all sorts of different ways.
Read MoreI was telling my granddaughter the other day that a good portion of artistic skill lies in how you see things. I have an artistic eye, but because of my tremor, I don't do much with it anymore. However, it got me thinking there are other things that are so much in how we see things, like generosity.
Read MoreThe churchwide office entered into an agreement with Bravura Technologies for a customized event app that could incorporating the PDF navigation and annotation capabilities of the Foxit PDF editor. That agreement includes the option for synods and ELCA-related organizations to build an event app using Bravura’s platform for $550/event. For more information about the Bravura offering, view this Bravura flyer as PDF.
Read MoreThe churchwide office has negotiated a new 3-year agreement with Guidebook.com to offer their mobile event app building platform with a couple changes. Last year Guidebook raised their prices across the board for the first time in close to a decade. For more information, view this Guidebook flyer in PDF or view this post. A Wednesday, February 1, 2023 webinar is also available.
Read MoreHow are we as Lutheran Christians called to civic engagement, including in the arenas of government and political life? What is the proper relationship of the church with government, and what is not?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore these questions and more by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith."
Read MoreThe January, 2022, bimonthly e-newsletter for ELCA congregational and synodical leaders is here, featuring: Stories of Faith in Action; New year checklist for Portico financial and health benefits; Risk control technologies; and IRS issues standard mileage rate for 2023.
Read MoreELCA Worship shares their news for January, 2023, featuring: Sundays and Seasons, Compelling Preaching Initiative, Call for Songs for the Global Achtliederbuch, All Creation Sings , Resources for multi-religious ministry, Music that Makes Community, Invitation to join the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Finding our Rhythm, in Fullness of Time Valparaiso University April 17-19, Worship resources from Augsburg Fortress, and more.
Read MoreELCA is offering a webinar with practical stewardship tips on Wednesday, 2/1/2023, 5pm MST, 4pm PST. Click here to join via Zoom.
In this increasingly post-pandemic world, rostered and congregational leaders might well explore some of the nuances of giver motivation with the upcoming webinar “Practical Stewardship Tips,” which is free and open to all.
Read MoreAt the beginning of this month, the U.S. House of Representatives elected a new Speaker. Typically, electing a new Speaker occurs rather quickly, needing only one vote, but this time the situation was different. While Representative Kevin McCarthy (Republican from California) was the early favorite, it took fifteen votes for him to be elected Speaker. This is the first time in 100 years that the election for Speaker took more than one vote.
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