By Joe Isenhower Jr. and Paula Schlueter Ross Of the 165 positions and requests for LCMS missionaries available worldwide this year, only about half have been filled, according to the Rev. Dr. David Birner, interim executive director of the Synod’s Office…

The Rev. Randall L. Golter of Highlands Ranch, Colo., has accepted a call to serve as the first executive director of the LCMS Office of International Mission. He plans to begin work in the post Oct. 25, when he will…

By Paula Schlueter Ross In a bold move designed to make the cost of a private education more affordable, Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., is decreasing the annual tuition for its traditional undergraduate program by $10,000. The tuition decrease…

The registration process for the 2013 National LCMS Youth Gathering moves into full swing as its registration “priority window” is open Oct. 16-30. The Gathering is July 1-5 in San Antonio. Mailing the necessary forms and deposit during the Oct. 16-30…

“The Intersection of Church & State,” an hourlong documentary produced by Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), will debut Sunday, Sept. 30, on the Fox Business Network as paid programming at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. (Check listings for local times.) The program, which…

Concordia College Alabama in Selma, Ala., will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a special 11 a.m. worship service followed by a luncheon, campus tours, reception with the president, and alumni ball on Nov. 2; homecoming parade, presidential luncheon for donors,…

(RNS) — Members of the Syrian opposition generally want a democratic government that protects the rights of minorities, though many also want a constitution based on Islam, according to a recent survey. Their aspirations are important because the Obama administration has…

CLEVELAND (RNS) — A federal judge has given defense attorneys until Sept. 27 to convince him that nine Amish defendants convicted of hate crimes should not be imprisoned until their sentencing Jan. 24. In a motion filed Sept. 21, Assistant U.S.…

LCMS congregations are advised to quickly pass along to their 2012 district convention delegates information in a postcard that is being mailed to congregations Sept. 28. The postcard announces an Oct. 15 test for those who will participate in the…

(RNS) — The white working class, a potentially rich bloc of voters for Republicans or Democrats, hasn’t settled on Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, a new study from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows. “These white working-class voters are…

With Barbara A. Below As staff at the International Center sort through the logistical side of the 2013 Synod convention — with matters such as voting ballots and seating; bylaws; and nametags — the Rev. Timothy Pauls is hard at…

NEW ORLEANS (RNS) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a city law that was recently used to arrest Christian evangelists who were preaching on Bourbon Street during Southern Decadence, the annual celebration of gay culture in the…

(RNS) — Texas cheerleaders can continue to use banners with Bible verses after a court granted them a temporary restraining order against their school district. A judge in Hardin County, Texas, issued the order Sept. 20 after parents filed suit on…

By Adriane Dorr Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany was elected chairman of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) during the council’s most recent meeting Sept. 16-21 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.   The Rev. Dr. Albert B.…