Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective articulates the teaching of the ELCA on the church’s relation to society and its public presence and responsibilities. The statement begins with the claim that the witness of the church in society flows from its identity as a community that lives from and for the gospel. It sets forth the basic affirmations that structure how faith is active in a love that calls for justice in relationships and structures of society. The statement also identifies as basic commitments the church’s institutional witness in society, the baptismal vocation of individual Christians, and the church as a community of moral deliberation. This document was the first ELCA social statement, adopted in 1991.
Follow these links to find resources for understanding this social statement:
The social message “Homelessness: A Renewal of Commitment” notes that homelessness persists as a reality for hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, despite its immense wealth and resources. The message states that housing is a fundamental right even though policies and practices of government and economic institutions are not adequately responding. It reminds us that God heard the cries of the homeless in the Bible and that working for justice with and for homeless people is doing God’s will and work in the world.
Christian love does not provide ready-made, one-size-fits-all solutions to the crisis, but the message calls Christians to walk with the homeless in their struggles and provides guidance as together we pursue just, appropriate and sustainable solutions that uphold human dignity.
You can read or download the full social message on “Homelessness: A Renewal of Commitment” in English or en español. This social message was adopted in 1990 by the Church Council of the ELCA.
Faith Communities Are Showing Up During This Religious Season to Express Immigrants Are Sacred
In light of the horrific and continued cruelty against the immigrant community, we call on all faith communities to engage in prophetic witness and actions for immigrant justice from March 28th- April 6th during this important season for faith communities.
We are at a moment when our faith calls each of us to be a bold and truthful witness – demanding ICE and Border Patrol to get OUT of our communities, release immigrant families from detention, and stop deportations. Faith communities are taking action to ensure Congress doesn’t provide any additional funds to ICE or CBP, to stop using our hard-earned tax dollars to separate families and say “Not One More Dollar.”
Now is the time to collaborate, connect and join in shared actions to strengthen the movement for immigrant justice, led by the interfaith faith community in the tradition of sacred resistance and non-violent actions.
Here’s What You Can Do: Organize Actions or Vigils
Go to your local ICE office, detention center or Congressperson’s office during Passover and Holy Week and host a vigil or public witness action to call for no more funds to be allocated to ICE and CBP for their ongoing dehumanizing campaign of family separation, detention and deportation under horrific conditions.
Strategic Locations to Consider: Detention Centers, ICE Offices, ICE Holding Facilities, Newly Purchased Warehouses that are being turned into Detention Centers
Resources to Help you Plan your Action or Vigil
Resources from Free Families – songs, prayers, sample agendas, and more!
It is hard to avoid the crushing news of the headlines and what they mean for individuals every day. Today, I am writing specifically to address the sexual and gender-based violence that is all too familiar to many of us. I know many of you who are survivors live with this trauma and that the news cycle of these stories can push you deeper into despair and anxiety. I want you to know that I hear you. I see you.
I can only imagine what you are feeling. I understand that the trauma of sexual and gender-based violence goes deep. This church stands with you to say that all forms of sexual and gender-based violence are wrong. At their roots, these forms of violence are dehumanizing misuses of power.
No one deserves this evil. All people are made in God’s own image. The abusive actions of others cannot change this truth.
As the psalmist wrote:
“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).
All people bear the image of God. It is my prayer that those who have been abused will know the healing power of God’s presence. It is my prayer that those who have wielded power to abuse another will come to know the gravity of their actions and, through the Spirit’s power, seek repentance and reparations wherever possible.
As a church, we must continue to seek the welfare of all people for the sake of the abundant life Jesus came to give (John 10:10). We continue to, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer, seek the reign of God “on earth as in heaven.”
In Christ,
The Rev. Yehiel Curry Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
To learn more about the ELCA’s teaching on gender-based violence and steps that ELCA synods are taking to prevent abuse and support survivors, see the resources below.
ELCA social message on “Gender-based Violence” (including Spanish translation and study guide)
As Christians, we are called to seek justice, care for those experiencing hunger and poverty, and embrace our Creator’s vision of hope, love, and peace. We are called to embody it in public as we commit to live in solidarity with those who are made vulnerable by the inequities that drive hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.
Letters are a strong witness of community concerns and personal testimonies
Over the years, these letters and emails from congregations, campuses and community groups have helped inspire our leaders in Washington, D.C., to pass legislative victories that reduce hunger in the U.S. and around the world.
3 Reasons Your Church Should Organize an Offering of Letters
We believe that advocacy is part of our Christian witness and discipleship.
With your support, Bread for the World is committed to speaking truth to power. we have to be both pastoral and prophetic to end hunger.
Bread for the World is practical and effective. Years of persistent advocacy and voice has helped triple poverty focused development assistance to education, training, and sustainability measures that end hunger.
2026 Winter/Spring Lunch and Learn Webinars
Get educated to advocate in 2026! Join Bread for the World’s Policy and Research Institute staff for a series of short, educational webinars focused on the hunger-related policies and programs on our agenda this year. These sessions will equip you with the knowledge you need to understand what’s at stake and why it matters, so you can advocate boldly and effectively.
We are offering four stand-alone webinars on different topics. Please register for each webinar individually, using the links below. Upon registering, you will receive the link to join and an option to add the webinar to your digital calendar.
Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada 