RSS News feed from the ELCA
A Statement on the Killing of Tyre Nichols
"Christians in their longing for Christ find themselves deeply immersed in the sufferings of the world. Christians are not aloof spectators, watching the world's troubles. ... [F]aith leads us into solidarity with suffering." —ELCA social statement, The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries (2013)
As the nation watches another video exposing police violence against a Black man after a traffic stop, there will be great suffering and despair emerging from across the United States. In just over a week we have witnessed mass gun violence in California – twice – and the shooting of a protester at a future police training site in Atlanta. Each of these tragedies inspires grief, not only for the lives lost and forever altered but also for our loss of confidence in a system that continues to fail us, over and over.
It's important to remember that images are powerful and can retraumatize communities. The anticipated video footage of 29-year-old Memphis resident Tyre Nichols being beaten promises to stir many emotions and reawaken the grief of tens of millions of Americans who have seen this in their own communities. It will feel personal for those who have witnessed this trauma inflicted upon their own families.
As Americans, we must all face this problem. Together we must cry out, much as Rachael wept in loud lamentation, "How long, O Lord?"
How long, O Lord, will we need to suffer at the hands of injustice?
How long, O Lord, will we hear of lives taken by another shooting and fear for our own lives and our families' lives?
How long, O Lord, will we fear a system that is supposed to protect all lives?
Dear church, now is the time to focus, listen, learn, counsel, advocate for just reforms, and lament a grief that seems relentless, that is awoken again with each act of tragedy and injustice across this nation.
In Christ,
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3 million members in more than 8,700 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. The ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Jocelyn Fuller
Sr. Director, Strategic Communications
773-380-2547
Jocelyn.fuller@elca.org
A statement on the ordination of the first female Palestinian pastor in the Holy Land
Dear church,
On Sunday the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) will for the first time ordain a woman into pastoral ministry, Sally Azar. I invite you to join in the celebration by watching this short documentary about what women's ordination means for the ELCJHL, and the livestream of the ordination service, which will begin at 7 a.m. Central time.
At the service Lutherans from all over the world will gather at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem to bear witness to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in that place. I will be honored to participate, along with 18 of our synod bishops and church leaders, in this hopeful occasion in the life of Christ's church.
The ordination of the first woman in Palestine is no accident. It is the result of the prayerful discernment, theological reflection and concerted effort of the ELCJHL — the first member of the Lutheran World Federation to adopt its Gender Justice Policy. This is an example for us all.
In 2020 the ELCA celebrated the 50th anniversary of U.S. Lutheran churches' decision to ordain women. This celebration continues through the work and witness of our church — and of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) — for gender justice and women's empowerment. We give thanks for the LWF's steadfast commitment to the ordination of women into pastoral ministry as a calling of God and a gift to Christ's church.
Let us pause this Sunday to reflect, rejoice and recommit ourselves to accompanying each other in the challenges and joys along the way. Sally, we pray for you especially. Now and always may God bless and keep you — and, through your ministry, all whom you are called to serve.
In Christ,
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Statement of the Lutheran World Federation, Jan. 18, 2023: "First Palestinian Woman to Be Ordained as Pastor" | The Lutheran World Federation
Sally Azar was a Bible study leader at last year's ELCA Churchwide Assembly Bible: CWA22 Bible Study | Sally Azar | July 17, 2022 3pm CT | ELCA Churchwide Assembly 2022 - YouTube
ELCA Foundation Announces Partnership with Fund Evaluation Group LLC
CHICAGO — The ELCA Foundation is pleased to announce a new partnership with the investment consulting firm Fund Evaluation Group LLC (FEG).
Previously, the Foundation worked with Graystone Consulting to provide reporting and oversight of three core portfolios — the Ministry Growth Fund, Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Trusts. The decision to switch providers was driven mainly by a desire to enhance the service model; what has historically been research-based, objective consulting will now follow an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) model, aimed at building and maintaining portfolios that will specifically meet the ELCA's goals.
"Following an extensive search analyzing the services of a variety of investment consulting firms, we are excited to begin our work with FEG," said Annette Shoemaker, interim president and CEO, ELCA Foundation. "Given the complexities of the markets and the fiduciary responsibility the Foundation maintains for so many ELCA organizations and ministries, we believe that utilizing an outsourced chief investment officer alongside traditional investment consulting services will not only provide increased oversight of our gift pools going forward but introduce us to new investment strategies and vehicles. FEG brings years of foundation experience to our team, and we look forward to working with the firm."
In the traditional investment consulting model the consultant provides advice and guidance on managing assets but the final investment choices lie with the Foundation's Investment Committee. In an OCIO model the consultant will make investment decisions in line with the committee's strategic guidance, providing daily supervision to the portfolios. This, in turn, will provide additional management and faster decision-making for the donation investments.
The FEG partnership will not disrupt the existing investments held with Portico Benefit Services, which will remain a vital investment adviser within the Ministry Growth Fund. Portico invests in a manner consistent with the faith and teachings of the ELCA. FEG will complement these existing funds with sophisticated alternative strategies common among larger, institutional investors like the Foundation, such as private equity, private debt, private real assets and other alternative strategies. FEG will further monitor and manage the risks of the entire portfolio, helping to ensure that no unintended risks are taken and driving growth of the portfolio.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3 million members in more than 8,700 worshipping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. The ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
About the ELCA Foundation
The ELCA Foundation, a separately incorporated ministry of the ELCA, holds and manages endowment assets; offers pooled investment services for the ELCA and its related congregations, synods, agencies and institutions; and provides planned giving programs that support the mission and ministry of the ELCA.
About FEG
FEG is a 100%-employee-owned, full-service investment advisory firm—one of the largest independent advisory firms in the U.S., with more than 30 years' experience and approximately $70 billion in assets under advisement. FEG specializes in working with nonprofit organizations, which comprise 94% of FEG's OCIO clients.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
Bishop Eaton and Abrahamic Leaders Condemn Anti-Christian Hate in the Holy Land
We stand together as Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders in the United States to condemn the recent rise in anti-Christian hate in the Holy Land, including the vandalism of a Protestant cemetery on Jan. 1, and graffiti threatening "Death to Christians" that appeared last week both in and near the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem. These and other actions taken to erase the presence of Christians in the Holy Land, which would be devastating to us all. May the God of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar comfort our Christian siblings in the place we all believe is holy and give us courage as we speak with one voice against religious bigotry.
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Diocesan Legate and Director of the Ecumenical Office
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
President
Union for Reform Judaism
Imam Saffet Catovic
Head of Islamic Society of North America
Office for Interfaith Alliances, Community Alliances, and Government Relations
Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA Expand Partnership to Address Systematic Barriers for Black, Brown and Indigenous Children and Youth
WASHINGTON (Jan. 18, 2023) — The ELCA awarded Lutheran Services in America a $1 million grant over two years to deepen and extend the impact of its Results Innovation Lab, a national program dedicated to achieving equitable outcomes for 20,000 children, youth and families by 2024. This new investment will enable Lutheran Services in America, a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year, to scale and replicate innovations from the Lab to reach more children and families across the country beyond 2024.
The ELCA's partnership and support through the Lutheran Services Children's Endowment to the Lutheran Services in America Results Innovation Lab was a catalyst for the early results achieved under the Lab, which are effectively empowering families experiencing poverty and addressing racial inequities in the child welfare system.
"The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, racism, and other socioeconomic challenges disproportionately impact the lives of Black, Brown and Indigenous children and their families," said the Rev. Dr. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for service and justice at the ELCA. "As Lutherans, we are called to do God's work in a complex world. Lutheran Services in America calls on a large national network of Lutheran social ministry organizations and other friends and partners who share our goal to address systemic barriers in our communities for children and youth of color, which lead to their overrepresentation in the child welfare system. The ELCA values the innovative work that Lutheran social ministry organizations are doing through the Results Innovation Lab and we hope this grant empowers ministry leaders to accelerate towards a future where all children and families in the U.S. have an equitable outcome."
Youth of color are over-represented in the child welfare system. Black, Brown and Indigenous youth are removed from their families, placed in foster care and experience poorer outcomes at higher rates compared to White children. With the ELCA's support of the Results Innovation Lab, Lutheran Services in America will be able to engage additional Lutheran social ministry leaders and provide new tools and approaches to transform policy and practice in child welfare and support families in crisis so that all children in the United States can grow up in safe, nurturing and stable families.
"Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA share a goal to lift up Lutheran social ministry in its work to transform lives and communities and care for people in need wherever they are. We gratefully acknowledge the ELCA's commitment to our ministries and look forward to strengthening our collaboration with the ELCA and its ministries of diverse cultures and communities to address systematic barriers for children and youth of color who experience inequitable outcomes in the child welfare system," said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America.
The partnership is a reflection of the church in the world. It taps into the hallmark of the Lutheran tradition of service to our neighbor by bringing people and resources together to solve problems so that all people can thrive.
About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation's top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.
ELCA Receives Lilly Endowment Support to Adapt Youth Faith Formation
CHICAGO — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Formation Lab Project.
The goal of the project is to help congregations move past prescriptive, outdated models of youth ministry that often separate youth from the vital faith practices they need if they are to embrace God as the center of their life in today's world. Through the Formation Lab, the ELCA and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network (the Network) will create and nurture adaptive youth ministry models that allow congregations to discern and implement what innovation looks like in their own contexts while uniting them around a shared understanding of future ministry.
The grant will enable the ELCA and the Network to discover diverse models and practices by accompanying 50 key congregations in different cohorts; equip 3,000 leaders for leading ministry with younger generations; and provide ELCA congregations with accessible and affordable resources.
"Our aim is to reach every congregation in the ELCA with a desire to nurture the faith formation of youth, engaging them more fully with the stories and practices of our faith," said the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop.
"This is an exciting collaboration between the ELCA and the Youth Ministry Network for the sake of finding new ways to engage youth and help them to find and grow in faith," said the Rev. Philip Hirsch, ELCA executive director for Christian Community and Leadership. "The bulk of the resources will be utilized by the Network, who will test ideas and share what they learn."
The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment's "Strengthening Ministries With Youth" initiative.
"We are excited about discovering new possibilities for ministry and then creating ways to effectively train both adult and young people in leadership that leads to dynamic congregational faith formation," said Rev. Todd Buegler, executive director of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. "The world has shifted quickly, and congregations need to find new methods if young people are going to develop a life-changing faith."
The Formation Lab project will be directed by Catherine Anderson, who has served as synod minister for discipleship and Christian community in the ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod.
"Catherine has a wealth of experience and a unique skill set that will move this project forward," said Buegler. "She has a passion for the faith of young people and is gifted at training adult leaders."
The Strengthening Ministries With Youth initiative is part of Lilly Endowment's long-standing interest in supporting projects that nurture the faith of young people and their families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3 million members in more than 8,700 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. The ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
About the Network:
The ELCA Youth Ministry Network is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in close partnership with the ELCA. Its mission is to strengthen and empower adult children, youth and family ministry leaders in service to Christ. It hosts the annual "Extravaganza" and provides many other resources to strengthen congregational faith formation. More information on the Network can be found at elcaymnet.org.
About Lilly Endowment:
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders' wishes, the endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the endowment's religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. In addition, the endowment seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.Buchbinder@elca.org
Rev. Todd Buegler
612-460-5345
Todd@elcaymnet.org