For Lutherans, public witness has often taken the form of prayer, service, feeding ministries, disaster response, accompaniment, letter-writing, and, at times, protest. A recent article in Living Lutheran (Summer 2026, p. 18), “Publicly, Boldly and Honestly,” reminds us that civic engagement is not a departure from Lutheran faith—it is part of our long tradition of loving our neighbor in public.

In the article, Brenda Martin shares stories of ELCA members whose faith has moved them into visible public action. Their witness includes responding to immigration enforcement, standing alongside vulnerable neighbors, protecting children and families, participating in public demonstrations, and working for civil rights, voting rights, hunger relief, immigrant justice, and care for creation. Their actions are rooted not in partisanship, but in the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, especially those who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, displaced, excluded, or afraid.

The accompanying study guide by Robert C. Blezard poses a question central to advocacy ministry: What does it mean not only to pull drowning people from the river, but also to go upstream and ask why they are falling in?

Congregations are often very good at throwing lifelines. We host food pantries, support shelters, provide clothing, accompany immigrants and refugees, care for the sick, and respond generously to urgent needs. These ministries are essential. Advocacy invites us to take the next faithful step: to examine the systems, policies, and decisions that contribute to hunger, homelessness, poverty, fear, and exclusion in the first place.

This is the work of Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada.

When we advocate for food security, affordable housing, access to health care, voting rights, immigration justice, environmental stewardship, and the dignity of every person, we are not engaging in partisan politics. We are practicing public discipleship. We are asking how our life together can better reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for the whole community.

The Living Lutheran resource also acknowledges that public faith can be uncomfortable. Christians do not always agree about how or when to speak out. Advocacy can be criticized as too political, too bold, or too risky. Yet Lutheran theology offers strong grounding for public witness. The ELCA social statement The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective reminds us that speaking God’s word “publicly, boldly and honestly” can be a faithful service to God and neighbor.

Our neighbors are affected every day by decisions made at the Legislature, in Congress, in city councils, on school boards, and in public agencies. Public policy influences whether families can afford housing, whether children have enough to eat, whether elders can access health care, whether immigrants are treated with dignity, whether voters can participate freely, and whether communities are prepared for extreme heat and other climate-related challenges.

LEAN invites congregations, pastors, deacons, lay leaders, and people of faith across Nevada to reflect on this resource and ask: What does faithful public witness look like in our community right now?

Perhaps it begins with a Bible study. Perhaps it begins with a letter to an elected official, a call to a legislator, a voter registration effort, a ministry partnership, a public prayer vigil, or a conversation in your congregation about the needs of your neighbors.

However it begins, the call remains the same: to love our neighbor not only privately, but publicly; not only quietly, but boldly; not only with compassion, but with courage.

This is the long arc of Lutheran advocacy. And it continues with us.

For Lutherans, public witness has often taken the form of prayer, service, feeding ministries, disaster response, accompaniment, letter-writing, and, at times, protest. A recent article in Living Lutheran (Summer 2026, p. 18), “Publicly, Boldly and Honestly,” reminds us that civic engagement is not a departure from Lutheran faith—it is part of our long tradition of loving our neighbor in public.

In the article, Brenda Martin shares stories of ELCA members whose faith has moved them into visible public action. Their witness includes responding to immigration enforcement, standing alongside vulnerable neighbors, protecting children and families, participating in public demonstrations, and working for civil rights, voting rights, hunger relief, immigrant justice, and care for creation. Their actions are rooted not in partisanship, but in the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, especially those who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, displaced, excluded, or afraid.

The accompanying study guide by Robert C. Blezard poses a question central to advocacy ministry: What does it mean not only to pull drowning people from the river, but also to go upstream and ask why they are falling in?

Congregations are often very good at throwing lifelines. We host food pantries, support shelters, provide clothing, accompany immigrants and refugees, care for the sick, and respond generously to urgent needs. These ministries are essential. Advocacy invites us to take the next faithful step: to examine the systems, policies, and decisions that contribute to hunger, homelessness, poverty, fear, and exclusion in the first place.

When we advocate for food security, affordable housing, access to health care, voting rights, immigration justice, environmental stewardship, and the dignity of every person, we are not engaging in partisan politics. We are practicing public discipleship. We are asking how our life together can better reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for the whole community.

The Living Lutheran resource also acknowledges that public faith can be uncomfortable. Christians do not always agree about how or when to speak out. Advocacy can be criticized as too political, too bold, or too risky. Yet Lutheran theology offers strong grounding for public witness. The ELCA social statement The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective reminds us that speaking God’s word “publicly, boldly and honestly” can be a faithful service to God and neighbor.

Our neighbors are affected every day by decisions made at the state Capitol, in Congress, in city councils, on school boards, and in public agencies. Public policy influences whether families can afford housing, whether children have enough to eat, whether elders can access health care, whether immigrants are treated with dignity, whether voters can participate freely, and whether communities are prepared for extreme heat and other climate-related challenges.

LEAN invites congregations, pastors, deacons, lay leaders, and people of faith across the Grand Canyon Synod to reflect on this resource and ask: What does faithful public witness look like in our community right now?

Perhaps it begins with a Bible study. Perhaps it begins with a letter to an elected official, a call to a legislator, a voter registration effort, a ministry partnership, a public prayer vigil, or a conversation in your congregation about the needs of your neighbors.

However it begins, the call remains the same: to love our neighbor not only privately, but publicly; not only quietly, but boldly; not only with compassion, but with courage.

This is the long arc of Lutheran advocacy. And it continues with us.

Study guide author Robert C. Blezard is a retired ELCA pastor living in Maryland. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology and pursued further study at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, now part of United Lutheran Seminary.

Nevada faith leaders are invited to sign a national letter defending fair, safe and accessible voting as a public witness for dignity, justice and democracy. From Faith In Us.

As people of faith, we believe every person is created with God-given dignity, voice and agency. That conviction does not stop at the doors of our congregations; it shapes how we show up in public life. When eligible voters face barriers, intimidation or confusion at the ballot box, our neighbors’ voices are diminished — and so is the health of our democracy.

A national sign-on letter, “Faith Leaders Defending Our Democracy,” invites clergy and faith leaders across traditions, races and geographies to speak out together for fair access to the ballot. The letter raises concern about efforts that could restrict vote-by-mail, complicate voter registration, intimidate voters, weaken privacy protections, or dilute communities’ voting power through discriminatory maps. It especially names the impact on elders, people with disabilities or mobility concerns, rural voters, workers with difficult schedules, voters of color and people living in poverty.

For Lutherans, protecting voting rights is one way we love our neighbor in public. Our advocacy is not about partisanship; it is about ensuring that all eligible voters can participate safely, freely and fairly in choosing the leaders who make decisions affecting our shared life. LEAN encourages Nevada faith leaders to review the letter and consider adding their names as a public witness for dignity, justice and democracy.Following is the text of the sign-on letter from Faith In Us, with a link to sign the letter below.

The Letter

“As faith leaders, we stand for justice and fairness. We believe in protecting the dignity and rights of all people. We work to bring people together across every divide and we know that our democracy is strong when everyone is treated with dignity and when all voices are heard. As we approach the 2026 November elections, our freedom to vote and elect the leaders we choose is under threat. As clergy across faith, race and geography, we are joining together to protect our voting rights and the voting rights of our neighbors. 

We are speaking out against decisions that limit the access eligible voters have to the ballot box and efforts that appear aimed at preventing eligible voters from voting. We are deeply concerned about the executive order severely restricting vote-by-mail, and we are outraged by the rapid gerrymandering of racially discriminatory election maps in many states following the Supreme Court’s decision to end the Voting Rights Act commitment to racial equality in elections.

Vote-by-mail is particularly important for elders in our communities, for those with mobility concerns, for those in rural areas, and for those whose job status or life circumstances makes it difficult to vote in person on election day. In some states, all eligible voters are sent a mail ballot. This executive order threatens to take the vote away from countless eligible voters in our communities, causing confusion and chaos and the denial of fundamental constitutional rights. Vote-by-mail has been proven to be accurate, reliable, and efficient across the country, and it helps ensure that eligible voters are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote.  

Our faith traditions affirm the dignity, worth, and agency of all people. Patterns of action that prevent eligible voters from voting and that dilute voter’s power to choose their elected leaders violate our faith traditions’ affirmation of human dignity. Complicated registration rules, fewer voting options, threats to deploy ICE to polling places, barriers based on financial ability, requests that states turn over voter rolls despite privacy and security concerns, and discriminatory gerrymandering of maps all offend our core faith values as well as core democracy values. These efforts limit access to the ballot box and intimidate eligible voters, especially eligible voters of color and poverty. This makes us less free and gives us less power as voters to choose our leaders. 

We call on our Secretaries of State, election administrators and all elected officials in our states to join us in publicly opposing these efforts. We call on elected officials to join us in protecting our elections, our democracy, and the ability of all eligible voters to be able to access the ballot box and vote.   

We are coming together to protect our voting rights and the voting rights of our neighbors. We will continue to oppose attacks on the freedom to vote. We call on our elected leaders to do the same.”

Sign Here.

One year ago, the Nevada legislature passed AB 388, a bill that would have established paid family and medical leave for many Nevada workers. The legislation recognized a simple truth: no one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and earning a paycheck.

Unfortunately, Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill, preventing it from becoming law.

Nevada families deserve policies that support workers, caregivers, children, and aging loved ones. Paid family leave helps families weather life’s most important moments with dignity and economic security.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada remains committed to advocating for policies that strengthen families and expand access to paid family and medical leave. As we prepare for the next legislative session, we will continue working with partners, lawmakers, and communities across the state to ensure Nevada families have the support they need.

In this Juneteenth reflection, historian and Lutheran scholar Dr. Denise Rector explores the history of emancipation and the enduring significance of freedom. Drawing on both historical truth and Lutheran theology, she reflects on how the delayed announcement of freedom to enslaved people in Texas echoes the importance of proclaiming truth and justice today.

Rooted in the promise of justification by grace through faith, the article reminds Christians that freedom in Christ is real—and calls us to love our neighbors, speak truth, and serve a world God loves. Read Dr. Rector’s full reflection on Juneteenth.

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.