Last summer I participated in the McGrath Institute Summer Liturgy Series, “Will They Come Back After COVID?: Disaffiliation, Affiliation, and the Liturgy.” At the same time, I was teaching a course with Dr. Bronwen McShea called Reform, Renewal, and the Role of the Lay Faithful. One of the most important
If Your Church Attendance is Stagnant Right Now, It’s Not All Bad There are times when a church attendance plateau is a victory. I believe many churches are in a season of stagnation, and it’s not all bad. 6 Reasons It’s Good to Do a Survey of Your CongregationNow may
The only time I tried to hurt my brother—who was older, stronger and didn’t try to hurt me back because it would have been too easy—was in high school when he was living with our dad and I was living with our mom and he didn’t show up for a
For the rabbis, there is seemingly no higher value than learning. But is all learning encouraged? The famous mishnah on today’s page that opens the second chapter of Chagigah warns against the study of certain subjects: One may not study (dorshin) forbidden sexual relations with three nor the act of
The Paradox of Freedom The dialectical ills we last discussed cannot be cured overnight; and in the end only Christ can cure them, who alone grounds and fulfills the analogy of freedom, showing us how divine and human freedom go together, calling humanity to follow him in voluntary obedience. In
All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, a disciple is a person who believes in the ideas of a leader and tries to live according to those ideas. Jesus
DOMESTIC | ENVIRONMENT | INTERNATIONAL | MIGRATION | MIDDLE EAST | CIVIC ENGAGEMENT | GETTING INVOLVED Every public policy decision has an effect on us and on our neighbors, even neighbors living across the country or around the world. This compels us as church to “unite realism and vision,
Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Friday,