The ELCA Task Force on Studies for Civic Life and Faith has released a study curriculum for use throughout our church. In providing this study curriculum and soliciting feedback, the task force invites you to join a conversation about religious liberty, the proper role of the church in relation to government, and many other critical topics. A response form after each session lets participants communicate with the task force itself on the material covered.

The preparation of this study is part of the process toward developing a social statement on these many topics related to civic life and faith. Participants’ feedback is key in helping the task force as it moves into the next phase of its work, drafting a social statement. The study response period is open through Oct. 15.

The curriculum has six sessions. The first is a core introduction, and the following sessions can be done in any order according to the interests of the group. Each session comes ready to use, with a teaching video, prayers, hymn suggestions, Scriptures, group discussion questions, suggested resources, and case studies taken from everyday life.

If you have questions, please reach out to civicsandfaith@elca.org. To learn more about the task force and its work, visit elca.org/civicsandfaith.

Core Materials

• Leader’s Overview & Materials | VIEW PDF
• Participant Guides for All Sessions | VIEW PDF

Individual Sessions

• Session 1: “How Is God’s Invitation to Discipleship Lived Out in a Democracy?” Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO
• Session 2: “How Do Christians Address Controversial Civic Issues?” Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO
• Session 3: “What Are Lutheran Views on Civic Life?” Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO
• Session 4: “What Are the Objectives of Democracy in the United States? Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO
• Session 5: “What’s Faith-based Living Got to Do With Civic Life?” Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO
• Session 6: “How Do We Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord in Civic Life?” Leader’s Guide | VIEW PDF | WATCH VIDEO

Supplemental Materials

• On-the-ground Case Studies | VIEW PDF
• Conversation Covenant Poster | VIEW 4-PAGE PDF | VIEW FULL PDF | VIEW JPG
• Glossary | VIEW PDF
• All Videos | VIEW VIDEOS

Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry has accepted an invitation from the GCS Hunger Leaders Network to join their monthly network call on Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 pm.

If you’ve thought of joining the GCS Hunger Leaders Network calls but haven’t yet gotten around to it, now’s a good time! The virtual meetings are held monthly on the last Tuesday of the month from 6:00 – 7:00 pm AZ (PDT) time. Each meeting consists of a short devotion, update from a guest at ELCA Churchwide — this time, Bishop Curry! — and an update from a local hunger ministry. In addition, the meetings include upcoming events, resources and grants, and updates from hunger ministries across the synod. It’s well worth an hour of your time each month!

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87438171116

In a constantly evolving digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has become part and parcel of modern life. Given its impact, as well as the overwhelming enthusiasm for and protest against it, how do we best live in the world with the reality of AI? How do we respond to it faithfully and theologically?

Join us online or in Berkeley on Wednesday, February 25 from 8:30 am – 3 pm for a dynamic day of inquiry! Learn more & register HERE!

Join our Advocacy Director to learn about ways to engage with your congregation, We are searching for congregational liaisons.

Ahead of a contentious midterm election, Congress is considering legislation that would raise barriers to voting. Take action.

Over the coming weeks, several lawmakers are quietly pushing for legislation that would make voting and voter registration more difficult for millions of American citizens. The SAVE Act, if enacted, would create additional burdens on voters to provide eligibility – which non-partisan experts say would not make any noticeable change to election security. The adjustments would disproportionately impact rural, low-income and marginalized communities, and members of Tribal Nations, by making it harder to both prove eligibility and register to vote. “These measures erect new barriers for people facing significant challenges registering and voting, especially those with unstable housing, geographic isolation, or limited access to government-issued documents,” assesses the National Low Income Housing Coalition in which the ELCA participates. 

The ELCA strongly affirms voter participation as an exercise in citizenship and condemns efforts to restrict access – especially for low-income communities which are often left out of the election process. The ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy” urges rejection of “antidemocratic exclusion” efforts to restrict voting, including “requiring voters to show identification without issuing identification to all eligible voters,” purging voter rolls, and more.  

If passed, the SAVE Act would:  

1. Hastily prompt adjustments to states’ voting systems in a rush ahead of a busy election season. 

2. Require strict proof of citizenship to register (and exclude common documents like drivers licenses) which millions of American citizens don’t have access to, such as a passport or birth certificate. 

3. Place burden of verification not on internal state processes but on the efforts of individual citizens with the new regulation burdens. 

Lawmakers should be aware of the challenges this legislation poses, and of the moral concerns from the Christian community ahead of any possible vote. Customizing this message with your top concerns and values will improve your impact. Urge Congress to reject the SAVE Act.