5 things to know about Tim Walz's faith, church and the ELCA
Walz attends Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul
At a press conference in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz identified "Pilgrim Lutheran" as "my parish." Although he doesn't discuss his faith often, he has referred to Pilgrim Lutheran as his church in on social media.
Pilgrim Lutheran Church, located in Minnesota's capital city of St. Paul, describes itself as "a home for hungry minds & souls." The Christian Post reached out to Pilgrim Lutheran to confirm if Walz is a member. A response was not received by press time.
Much of the church's website content is now inaccessible to the public and requires a login, as is much of the material posted on the church's Facebook page.
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However, Pilgrim's most recent newsletter, which identifies the church as an ELCA member, is still available online.
The publication includes a "prayer corner," which outlines a series of "concerns" for which the congregation requests "God's loving presence." The "prayer corner" illustrates sympathy for several progressive political priorities.
"We pray for the loved ones and communities of all victims of gun violence across our country," the newsletter states. "We pray for those whose lives are altered by climate events. We pray for creation and for an increased will to care for it. We pray for all in the LGBTQIA+ community who face bias, rejection, and violence. We pray that we all may grow in acceptance and each become a voice for acceptance, advocacy, and support."
The "prayer corner" also included an acknowledgment of "our native, Asian, Latino, and Black siblings who continue to face the legacy of racism." It also expressed hope for "change in systems of oppression and injustice, and that we all may learn to follow the path of anti-racism, and each become a voice for inclusion, equity, and justice."
The church's pastor is Jen Rome, a Princeton Theological Seminary graduate who, according to her online biography, came to the church with "17 years of experience in bringing people of all generations to deeply experience and creatively connect with God, the world, and each other."
The fact that Walz is Lutheran isn't much of a statistical oddity in Minnesota.
"The fact that Tim Walz is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is right out of central casting," Eastern Illinois University political science professor Ryan Burge tweeted. "11% of Minnesotans are ELCA. The only group that's larger is the Catholic Church. The only two states w/a higher concentration of ELCA are the Dakotas."
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
