We invite you to join with congregations and communities across the ELCA to gather for weekly, community prayer as part of the Bishops’ Pray Without Ceasing Initiative.

If you’re watching church attendance declining at your congregation and wondering what you’re doing wrong, this conversation will transform how you understand the challenges facing American religion. Dr. Christian Smith, sociologist at the University of Notre Dame and author of “Why Religion Went Obsolete,” reveals that the struggles you’re experiencing aren’t primarily about your leadership, programs, or preaching. Instead, we’re dealing with “perfect storm” conditions—massive cultural, technological, and social forces that have been building for decades, creating what Smith calls a “cultural mismatch” between traditional religion and today’s zeitgeist.

Theologian Walter Brueggeman praises the role of the artist in keeping imagination alive, especially in the face of tyranny. Imagination is alive and well at Celebration Lutheran Church in East Wenatchee, thanks to their Liturgical Arts group and a grant from the synod SHARE fund in 2024.

Washington just launched a hate crime and bias incidents reporting hotline in three counties across the state, one of which is Spokane. Hotline staff will help callers find local, culturally competent, victim-centered, and trauma-informed support services and, with consent of the caller, can assist in reporting incidents to local law enforcement. 

For many among us, the summer season provides a break in the normal routine. In congregations and other ministry sites, many committees and programs pause or slow down their activity (and others might increase). It also tends to be a time for planning for the future. All this makes summer an ideal time for leaders to tend to some basic “committee work,” or (re)establishing foundational practices and principles for the mutual work the group or committee is about. Here are some helpful points to consider:

For instructions on how to register and apply, please go HERE. We’re excited to see God at work in your projects and plans!

Coaching as a leadership support is very different. In our synod, we have been using coaching for Faithful Innovation, Mission Developers, and First Call Rostered Leaders. An individual or a team works with a coach to…What do coaches do?