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…

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…

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…

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…

(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 —…

(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…

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.…

Registration opens Nov. 1 for three Higher Things youth conferences next summer — July 5-8 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; July 12-15 at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal; and July 19-22 at Emory University, Atlanta. Under the theme…

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…

This year’s Christmas card from the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League “celebrates the light of the angels announcing that Christ, the Light of the World, is born,” according to its designer, St. Louis artist Judy Newell.  “This card brings home the…

While the Missouri Synod’s 2009 statistical reports show a 1.08 percent loss in baptized membership — continuing a 30-plus-year trend in declining church membership experienced by most Protestant denominations — they also reveal a slight reversal of the previous year’s $57 million decline…

By Paula Schlueter Ross Rev. Yohannes Mengsteab believes he has found the world-mission pot of gold.  It is in America’s cities, he says, which are rich with outreach opportunities like never before. America “is becoming more diverse than ever,” he…

(RNS) — More than 160 North American Muslims from the U.S. and Canada have issued a “Defense of Free Speech” statement that affirms free speech and condemns those who threaten violence against people who criticize or mock Islam. The statement…

AUBURN, Ala. (RNS) — Chad Gibbs has been on a pigskin pilgrimage throughout the South, searching for spiritual truth in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Gainesville and Fayetteville. He grew up a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide and switched allegiance to…

JERUSALEM (RNS) — A huge sycamore tree that some believe was climbed by Zacchaeus the tax collector to get a better view of Jesus is the centerpiece of a new tourism campaign by the Palestinian government. The tree is located…

Luvenia Marie Kienker, executive director of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod’s Lutheran Housing Support Corporation, died Oct. 8 at the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis after a 10-year battle with the disease.  She was 51. A memorial service was held Oct. 11…