The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton serves as the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, to which Esperanza belongs. Below is a recent letter from her that went out to all congregations that currently subscribe to Living Lutheran, the ELCA magazine. Living Lutheran will cease its print publication at the end of 2023. At that time, Esperanza no longer will provide print copies of Living Lutheran.
Dear Reader:
As you have likely read in the March issue of Living Lutheran, the magazine will cease its print publication with the November/December 2023 issue. This does not mean, however, that we will stop telling stories of this church when the print magazine ends. Throughout the past several years, LivingLutheran.org has been the magazine’s online platform, and we are excited about the ways in which we can enhance how you are able to experience the stories and lives of Lutherans throughout the ELCA as we transition to a fully online approach. You will start to see us employing these ways throughout the year, with videos, audio stories and more. This transition will also include a more robust social media presence and more opportunities for user-generated content with the potential for greater engagement from you, our most loyal readers.
The ELCA and its predecessor church bodies have had print periodicals since 1831, when The Lutheran Observer began. Spreading the gospel and sharing the stories of our church have always been at the foundation of who we are as Christians and Lutherans. As many of you know, the cost of printing a magazine — including paper, ink, and postage prices — has steadily increased, especially during the pandemic, making it difficult to financially support a print edition. Being good stewards of the generous support given to the church is of the utmost importance to our team. While we will no longer print a magazine each month, the sharing and spreading of the good news continues every day.
By focusing on creating more online content and new channels for distribution, we will have more flexibility and options for how we tell the stories of this church. Storytelling will still be at the core of this work. We understand there are a lot of questions regarding your subscription, how the ELCA will reach readers who don’t rely on the internet for information, and how we will assist those who use Living Lutheran for church resources and group discussions. We are still working out answers to those questions and will provide them as soon as possible.
We are excited about what is ahead for the ministry of Living Lutheran and the future possibilities of reaching even more people about the great work people are doing in God’s name.
In Christ,
The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America