By Joe Isenhower Jr. A newly formed advisory committee of young adults wants to help Synod congregations reclaim what has been called “a missing generation” among church rolls nationwide and in the Missouri Synod — young adults in their 20s and…

LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick has been emphasizing the Synod’s strong support for natural marriage in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 national election. Particular emphasis is being given to states with marriage amendments on the ballot — Arizona,…

By Paula Schlueter Ross Two years ago, Ida Mall, who served as president of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) from 1991 to 1995, received a letter from Synod President Gerald Kieschnick asking her to consider serving as an “ambassador”…

Wittenberg project I have been following with interest the formation of the International Lutheran Welcome Center (ILWC) in Wittenberg [covered in Reporter articles including the February commentary], and looked forward to seeing what progress had been made as I made…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. MINNEAPOLIS — In a positive sense, it could be said that the ninth triennial Lutheran Education Association Convocation here April 24-26 was “all wet.” For instance, its theme was “Fountains of Faith and Knowledge”; its 3,600 educators and…

Synod President Gerald Kieschnick is urging LCMS leaders to continue dialogue about matters on which there is theological unity and division in the Synod. He makes that appeal in a presentation titled “Theological Unity and Division in The Lutheran Church–Missouri…

If you’re planning a family vacation this summer but not set on where to go or what to do, Jim Lohman of LCMS District and Congregational Services — Youth Ministry has an idea. “Don’t overlook the opportunities for your family to…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. Rev. David Muench says he’s “thrilled and encouraged” by three positive things that new pastors have identified about their participation in the Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support’s (CMGS) Post-Seminary Applied Learning and Support (PALS) initiative. “They…

“Women in Times of War” is the theme of a conference to be held March 27 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Sponsored by the seminary’s Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life, the conference is the first in a two-part…

“Open and collaborative discussions” between staff of LCMS World Mission and their counterparts in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have dispelled myths and opened the door to mutual understanding and a realization that the two organizations can work together for…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. In the tally of the Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) Youth Poll conducted at last year’s National LCMS Gathering in Orlando, young people saw “my own faith” as their number-one concern. Of the 2,152 participants who took…

This winter and spring, the Synod’s two seminaries are sponsoring open-house events for men and women — from high-school-age to adult — who are interested in pursuing church vocations. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has planned: “Taste of the Sem,” Jan.…

November is “National Adoption Month,” according to Lutherans For Life (LFL), and the pro-life, pro-family ministry is offering a number of resources designed to help congregations call attention to both sides of adoption — those who give up their babies…

Overseas tourists who visit Germany — the motherland of the Reformation — often expect “a country full of Lutherans,” says Dr. Jobst Schöne, bishop emeritus of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany, or SELK, an LCMS partner church. In…

ACCRA, Ghana — The International Lutheran Council (ILC) accepted four new member church bodies — the most at any one time — during its 22nd international conference here Sept. 24-30. The ILC is an association of 34 confessional Lutheran church bodies from six continents…