If there’s a bright spot in the Synod’s statistical report for 2005, it’s that “back-door losses” — the number of adults removed from congregational rosters (not counting deaths and transfers) — have declined by 2,453 members.  That figure dropped from…

Lois Peacock, a member of the Synod’s Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support since 2001, has received the Health Ministries Association’s (HMA) 2006 Wilkerson-Droege Award for “creative leadership, compassionate ministry, and visionary faithfulness to the faith/health movement.” Peacock, a retired…

Participants at the second National Hispanic Lutheran Convention, July 19-22 in Irving, Texas, want to see more Hispanics in national-level LCMS positions. More than 200 people attended the gathering, held every three years.  It is sponsored by the Irving-based National…

Instead of the harsh judgment they may fear, pregnant young people can look to a new LCMS resource for caring support and positive choices for a healthy pregnancy, birth, and parenting options. “Sometimes in churches and communities, pregnant young people are…

By Joe Isenhower Jr. The Synod’s Board of Directors has approved a number of items leading to the eventual move of Concordia University, Austin, Texas, from its current land-locked location. At its Aug. 25-26 meeting in St. Louis, the Board…

Protect My Ministry, an employment and volunteer background-screening company, has joined the LCMS National Contract Program. Barb Ryan, executive director of the Synod’s Department of Human Resources, and Mike Magee, manager of the LCMS National Contract Program, announced the addition…

Synod President Gerald B. Kieschnick issued a statement July 26 saying that the Synod “applauds President Bush’s veto last Wednesday [July 19] of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would have expanded federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research.…

By Uwe Siemon-Netto Evoking the Lutheran doctrine of calling has never been more imperative than in times of world conflict — in a word, now.  The lives of millions of people and the survival of a democratic society, indeed perhaps…

Sabbaticals for pastors I enjoy the column “Pressure Points” and consider it a very important place for dialogue and understanding in our Synod. I would like to add one more idea to the July column in which advice was given on…

By Roland Lovstad Emphasizing the need to strengthen the understanding and appreciation of the “common good” activities of the Synod, the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding the Mission recommends a “Stewardship Renaissance,” improved communication to congregations and their members, exploration…

Besides Katrina-devastated Biloxi and New Orleans, volunteers also are needed to assist victims of Hurricane Rita in eastern Texas, western Louisiana, and areas south and west of New Orleans. More than 52,000 homes were damaged by Rita, according to Dave…

By Paula Schlueter Ross Volunteers still are needed to help Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild their homes — perhaps more than ever — say Lutherans involved in the effort. John Coyle, who has been directing a Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) camp…

“Every cloud has a silver lining,” the saying goes, and it seems Hurricane Katrina is no exception.  (See related story.)  Thousands of people who lived on the Gulf Coast before the storm now live further inland or in other states, which…

By Kim Krull In the early 1980s, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod stepped up as the first denomination to financially commit to a new church-based housing program that dared to transform a devastated, inner-city neighborhood and turn low-income, working families into…

Registration materials are being mailed to all Synod congregations for next year’s National LCMS Youth Gathering and the first-time Adult Gathering –- both set for July 28-Aug. 1 in Orlando, Fla.  The mailing also includes a DVD to help congregations…

Dr. Elwood H. Zimmermann, president of the LCMS Indiana District from 1970 to 1988, died from liver cancer Aug. 19 at his home in Fort Wayne, Ind. The funeral service for Zimmermann, 86, was Aug. 23 at St. Paul Lutheran…