By Paula Schlueter Ross Thank God for graduate programs, which are continuing to draw ever-increasing numbers of students to the Synod’s universities with each passing year. This fall’s total undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 20,091 for the 10 Concordia University…

By Paula Schlueter Ross “Fan Into Flame” — the Synodwide campaign to raise $100 million by 2010 to support the worldwide evangelism effort known as Ablaze! — is officially off and running. Rolled out early this year as a pilot…

As the son of a pastor and a church worker himself, Dr. Kurt Krueger says serving God as a pastor, teacher, or other professional church worker can be extremely fulfilling. “It’s a great life for those of us who’ve been…

Lutherans For Life (LFL) and LCMS Life Ministries are offering an array of resources to help congregations and other groups observe “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday” on Jan. 21.  The materials also are suitable to use any time of the…

By Karen Boettcher This commentary is in response to the “Statement Regarding Immigration Concerns” issued June 2 by Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, LCMS president, and Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief/Human Care.  The commentary — written from the…

Growing stewardship is a growing interest, judging from the response to the November Reporter story about the new Consecrated Stewards emphasis developed by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund’s (LCEF) Capital Funding Services. Pastors seeking more Consecrated Stewards information can directly…

LCMS World Relief/Human Care wants to make 2007 the year of mercy. The ministry will host the first LCMS Conference on Mercy April 30-May 2 in St. Louis as a national platform to equip and energize caring Christians for what…

By Kim Krull The woman who lost everything in the fire that devastated a Concordia Lutheran Ministries retirement building in Cabot, Pa. — yet donated $100 to help fellow homeless residents — is just one example of these senior citizens’ strength…

By Kim Krull Hurricane Katrina changed many lives in many heartbreaking ways.  But for Rev. Larry Beane, one surprisingly positive change is his return to a boyhood hobby. “Hurricane Katrina convinced me to become active in ham radio once again,”…

By Joe Isenhower Jr.  ORLANDO, Fla. —   “This is a wonderful event,” said Carol Oetting of Seward, Neb., as she sat in the meeting hall between sessions of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund’s (LCEF) Fall Leadership Conference here. Attending the annual…

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Synod’s Board of Directors has approved a resolution that, starting no sooner than next July 1, will transfer “Level 1” fundraising activities for the Synod’s Board for Mission Services (BFMS) from the LCMS Foundation to the…

ORLANDO, Fla. — The LCMS Council of Presidents (COP) focused on “restoring harmony and trust in the … Synod for the sake of Christ’s mission” at its Nov. 12-14 meeting here.  The council also “approved in principle” a proposed alternate-route program…

Participants in a symposium hosted last month by the American Bible Society expressed “a little bit of shock and amazement” that the Missouri Synod is reaching out with the Gospel through the Ablaze! movement, says LCMS World Mission Executive Director…

While insisting on church fellowship based on agreement in the confession of the Christian faith handed down as taught in the Scriptures, Lutherans also need to guard against arrogance or separatism, Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger told those gathered for a…

By Roland Lovstad While three out of four LCMS-rostered workers are comfortable with their current levels of debt, about one-third of them say debt has negatively affected their personal lives or ministries sometime during their careers. Rising health insurance costs was…

Seven Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod churches are among 29 Lutheran congregations that received a total of $48,318 in the latest round of Wheat Ridge Ministries’ Congregation Health and Hope Grants. Open to all Lutheran congregations — individually or in partnerships — the grants…