In my first call, my predecessor had to navigate the question of flags and their place in worship spaces. Although that debate was settled at the time, it resurfaced periodically. Today, many congregations are again asking questions about national symbols in worship, especially as the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary.

One of the most common, and sensitive, questions is simple: Are flags appropriate in church?

An ELCA worship resource offers a helpful pastoral response. Flags are not required elements in a Christian worship space, and whether to display them is a decision for the congregation. At the same time, the resource encourages congregations to think carefully about what symbols communicate, especially in the place where the church gathers around Word and Sacrament.

The American flag is a powerful national symbol. For many, including veterans and families who have lost loved ones in military service, it represents sacrifice, gratitude, and love of country. For others, it may evoke memories of political conflict, exclusion, or unfulfilled promises. Because the flag carries different meanings for different people, its presence in worship can sometimes become a source of tension rather than unity.

Lutheran worship already places powerful symbols at its center: water, bread and wine, the Bible, the cross, and the gathered assembly itself. These are not symbols of any nation. They point us to Christ, whose body includes people of every nation, language, race, and culture. In worship, our primary identity is not as Americans, but our primary identity is as people baptized into Christ.

This does not mean Christians should withdraw from civic life. In fact, Lutheran theology has always taken public life seriously. We are called to love our neighbors, seek justice, pray for leaders, participate responsibly in civic life, and work for the common good. Yet worship reminds us that our deepest loyalty belongs to God. As Luther teaches in the Small Catechism, we are to “fear, love, and trust God above all things.”

The ELCA resource also notes that flags may be appropriate in other areas of a church building, particularly spaces used for civic gatherings, scouting programs, voting, community events, memorial displays, or veterans’ remembrances. Such placement can honor the flag’s civic significance without placing it alongside the central symbols of Christian worship.

For congregations across Nevada, this is not simply a question of décor. It is a question of faithful witness. At a time when Christian nationalism continues to blur the line between devotion to country and devotion to Christ, congregations have an opportunity to be clear, gracious, and courageous. We can give thanks for the blessings of civic life without making the nation an object of devotion. We can honor those who have served while remembering that the church’s mission transcends every border. We can love our country by telling the truth, caring for the vulnerable, welcoming the stranger, and seeking liberty and justice for all.

LEAN encourages congregations to use this ELCA resource as a conversation starter. Decisions about flags should be made with humility, pastoral care, and attention to local context. Whatever a congregation decides, the guiding question remains the same: Do the symbols in our worship space draw us more deeply into Christ, the gospel, and love of neighbor?

In worship, Christ is at the center. Everything else must find its place around him.