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ELCA faces criticism for posting prayer to 'Mother God' on Facebook, Twitter |
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| This is normally called a thesis without a warrant - no reason given for the declaration. |
Evangelical Lutheran Church short ‘at least 600’ pastors as many step away from ministry amid pandemic
Since their former Pastor Darren Paulson resigned last September as the COVID-19 pandemic raged into its second year, congregants of Atonement Lutheran Church in Billing Heights, Montana, have been waiting patiently for their local synod to replace him.
With a national shortage of “at least 600” pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America under which the Atonement Lutheran Church operates, according to lay leader Kristin LaVe, it might be some time before their wait for a new pastor is over.
Laurie Jungling, the ELCA’s bishop for Montana who has filled in as a preacher at Atonement Lutheran Church, told The Wall Street Journal in February that the departure of pastors from their pulpits started accelerating in the summer of 2020.
“Pastors are tired,” she said. “They’re giving a lot of themselves to help folks deal with the trauma of the pandemic. They’ve had to face polarization in their own congregations, people’s anger and frustration about masks and vaccines, whether to have worship or not.”
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| Anders danced at a chapel at Luther Seminary, the campus selling off land to stay solvent - like Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Seminary friends hooted and clapped during the performance, posted on Facebook. |
