The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: Salary Information

The Synod’s policy of full financial disclosure provides for making available to members of the Synod (congregations, pastors, teachers and others on the roster), on written request, the salary grid scales of all Synod and district officials, staff and faculty…

Positions (November 2010)

The following institutions of the Concordia University System are seeking candidates for positions: Concordia College — New York, Bronxville, N.Y., seeks to fill the following positions: senior manager of Student Enrollment and Support Services; director of Student Life. Concordia University…

Crystal Cathedral files for Chapter 11

(RNS) — The Crystal Cathedral, the gleaming Southern California megachurch known for its “Hour of Power” television broadcast, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors. Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman on Oct. 18 said in a statement that…

Feds: Protect Muslims' building rights

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Islam is a valid religion that is entitled to constitutional protection, said a U.S. attorney who stepped into a debate about a proposed mosque and Islamic center in Tennessee. “To suggest that Islam is not a religion…

How many Bible versions do we really need?

(RNS) — If you stacked all the Bibles sitting in American homes, the tower would rise 29 million feet, nearly 1,000 times the height of Mount Everest. More than 90 percent of American households own a Bible, and the average…

LHF offers reprinted Spanish Bible/catechism

The second edition of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation’s (LHF) popular Spanish-language Bible with Small Catechism  — titled Santa Biblia in Spanish — is available from the Synod Recognized Service Organization. After the first-edition inventory of 20,000 copies printed in 2008…

Lutherans invited to join Jan. 24 life march in D.C.

As in past years, Lutherans are invited to join the annual “March for Life,” Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C., which includes the offer of free lodging for travelers in the homes of Washington-area Lutheran church members. The march — next…

Sem enrollment down; SMP, deaconess programs up

By Paula Schlueter Ross Total enrollment this fall in all programs at the Synod’s two seminaries combined is down — from 1,028 last year to 962 this year, a drop of 66 students, or 6 percent. Total ordination-track enrollment at…

WR-HC Sunday gifts to aid 'Soldiers of the Cross'

Contributions to mark LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) Sunday Nov. 21 will benefit the Synod’s “Soldiers of the Cross” fund, which is currently depleted. Since 2004, LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) has awarded Soldiers of the…

New children's book links Lutherans to malaria initiative

By Paula Schlueter Ross Little things can make big differences — especially when it comes to preventing malaria. That’s the message of one of those “little things” — a 32-page children’s book from Concordia Publishing House that’s written by Dr.…

European bishops establish Christian rights watchdog

WARSAW (RNS/ENInews) — Roman Catholic bishops from across Europe have set up an organization to defend the rights of Christians and monitor prejudice across the continent. “Our first task will be to provide people around Europe with objective and reliable…

Harvard scholar holds the threads to social fabric

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) — Harvard University scholar Robert Putnam has earned a reputation as an expert on the threads that hold America’s social fabric intact. His 2001 bestseller, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, drew national attention…

Magazine: Most think sex offenders should be in pews

(RNS) — Nearly eight in 10 respondents to a Christianity Today International survey said convicted sex offenders should be welcomed in church pews. The vast majority of survey participants — pastors, church leaders and staff members and active Christians —…

Utah meeting seeks to unify Orthodox Christians

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) — If a group of Orthodox Christians meeting in Salt Lake City Oct. 14-16 has its way, future generations of Greek, Serbian, Russian and other ethnic faithful all will worship together in a single American church.…

Courts uphold teen's piercing, religious license plates

(RNS) — Two federal courts have issued strong defenses of religious expression in two separate decisions, one involving a teenager’s nose piercing and the other a license plate. Ariana Iacono, a freshman at Clayton (N.C.) High School, was allowed to…

Concordia, Chicago, to host career weekend

High-school sophomores, juniors and seniors who are interested in learning more about church professions are invited to attend the annual “Careers for Christ” weekend Nov. 5-7 at Concordia University Chicago. “Boldly Serving the Servant” is the theme for the 2010…