by Dr. Jerald C. Joersz We are longtime Missouri Synod Lutherans who believe in the real presence of the body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. However, we and other members of our congregation are offended by a practice recently introduced by our pastor. During the Communion service, he communes himself. Is this proper? […]

In response to your letters about organists at church I had to share this tidbit: While visiting in Canada a few years ago, we walked into a small church located just off the street. It was very hot and humid that morning and threatening rain. The pianist was playing the prelude when there was a

While I was not a delegate to the Synod convention, I was looking forward to action on the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance’s exhaustive study of the need for reorganizing the LCMS, as brought to the convention by Floor Committee 8. Now that the convention addressed only about 50 percent of

In the opening paragraph of your story on the LCMS’ Houston convention, you described Houston as the “fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States.” Unfortunately, you are misinformed. The fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, behind New York (19,069,796), Los Angeles (12,874,797), and Chicago (9,580,567), is Dallas–Fort Worth (6,447,615). Houston (5,867,489) comes in at

We read and hear about homelessness on a regular basis, but encountering it can be an unsettling experience.

Our 11th National LCMS Youth Gathering makes a big impression on New Orleans.

A visit to our Concordia International School in Shanghai highlights the modern face of China and our education efforts there.

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

What does Labor Day have to do with you anyway? Veith teaches a crash course on how you as a Lutheran live in the world, exercise your faith, and find meaning in what you do.

 Thank you for the recent theological articles such as “The Forgotten Holiday” (May) that have appeared in recent issues of The Lutheran Witness. In my mind, little else could be more “practical” than knowing why we believe what we believe. Indeed, a regular diet of theology helps us to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” Darin