These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church.
July 2025
1 Remember in prayer congregations, synods and outdoor ministries that have applied for an ELCA Disability Ministry grant. These grants support projects and programs that identify and prepare people with disabilities for leadership positions and equip members of congregations to welcome them to full participation in the life of the church.
2 Nothing is impossible for God. Our sins, fears, demons and eccentricities are no match for God’s power to forgive, heal and renew us. Give thanks to God for surrounding us with siblings in Christ who extend to us their mercy and love.
3 Our church has missionaries in 35 countries, and its Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program covers six countries/territories. Pray that God will bless these missionaries as they serve alongside companion churches in education, evangelism, administration, parish ministry, leadership development, justice and health.
4 Independence Day Give thanks for the freedom we enjoy in our country. Promise to be responsible with that freedom and attentive to those marginalized by poverty, prejudice, persecution, unjust laws or malevolent ideologies.
5 “Insofar as a Christian is free, no works are necessary. Insofar as a Christian is a servant, all kinds of works are done” (Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian). Praise God for freeing us from sin through the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. Ask the Spirit to inspire our service, our acts of kindness and mercy, and our praise for God, the true source of absolute freedom.
6 God sends us into the world equipped to share the gospel, care for neighbors in need, inspire hope and strive for justice and healing. Give thanks for the strength and encouragement we receive from our church, our faith communities and our siblings in Christ.
7 Pray for the ELCA Domestic Mission unit and its renewal team, which help synods to equip congregations for engaging in renewal ministry and for growing as vibrant and diverse communities of faith.
8 Give thanks for community gardens that feed our neighbors, and pray for the people who tend them with love and purpose.
9 Pray for people traveling this summer, that they will be enriched by their experiences, filled with awe at creation, and inspired to share the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere they go.
10 Pray for the ELCA stewardship leaders network, which grows well-equipped mission interpreters, stewardship key leaders, ventures steward leaders and stewardship coaches to serve as resources for congregations and nurture generosity across the church.
11 “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10). Pray for our nation, that we will be renewed in our resolve to uplift neighbors who are excluded, forgotten or ignored.
12 Stewardship and generosity are daily expressions of how we respond to God’s immeasurable grace. Pray that the Spirit will nurture within us a lively spirit of generosity to respond to the needs of others, do God’s work in the world and grow the church.
13 Pray for the compassion to care for our neighbors in need, just as the good Samaritan stopped to assist a stranger robbed, beaten and left for dead.
14 “Listen to the word that God has spoken; listen to the One who is close at hand; listen to the voice that began creation; listen even if you don’t understand” (ACS 974). May we be open and attentive to how God speaks to us, reaching into our souls every day to stir our faith, knowledge and wisdom.
15 Praise God that in baptism we are marked as forgiven and freed from the grip of sin and death; empowered to act with love, kindness and mercy; and welcomed into a vast community of siblings in Christ.
16 Ask God to help us advocate for and improve access to public spaces for older adults and people with disabilities.
17 Pray for congregations and special ministries that work for wholeness, peace and justice in your community, across our country and throughout the world.
18 Promise to love and serve our neighbors in need with the same boundless grace and concern that God has shown us, unhindered by suspicion, prejudice, exclusion or the belief that someone must work or suffer as we have to earn our respect.
19 We are a church that believes God is calling us into the world — together! Companion synod relationships of the ELCA connect our synods and congregations with Lutheran churches throughout the world. Praise God that this program nurtures all involved for life and ministry through prayer, study, communication, exchange of visitors and sharing of resources.
20 What have you witnessed or learned that reminds you of God’s presence and activity in the world? Lift up prayers of joy and thanksgiving!
21 Pray for voting members, church leaders and congregation observers as they prepare for the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Ariz. Ask the Spirit to fill them with enthusiasm for the church’s mission and guide their discernment of how we should do God’s work in a changing and challenging world.
22 Ask the Spirit to renew the energy of staff serving in summer camps and outdoor ministries. Pray that they will be enriched by their ministry experiences and inspired to pursue vocations of service in the church and society.
23 “When all our words seem frail and hollow, God heeds the prayers within our tears” (ACS 1050). Praise God for hearing and grasping the depth of our prayers and lamentations, especially when they feel clumsy, inadequate and incoherent.
24 Praise God for gathering us in a church that welcomes all, strives to be faithful to the gospel and equips us to serve in a world of complexity, tension and ambiguity.
25 Give thanks for the Spirit, who strengthens our trust in the steadfast love of God and calms our disbelief and anxiety when we question how anyone can truly love us as we are.
26 Pray for children, youth and young adults in your congregation, that their faith will be nurtured, that their gifts will be valued and used, and that they will be included in every aspect of the church’s mission.
27 Thank God for Jesus Christ, “from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19).
28 Pray for the voting members, church leaders and volunteers gathering at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Ariz., for decision-making and spiritual discernment on behalf of the entire church.
29 Ask the Spirit to grant us humility and courage, that we might recognize and repent for our legacy of injustice, false history and mistreatment of Indigenous people, which persist today. Pray that our church and society will work toward truth, repentance, healing and unity — God’s work of reconciliation in the world.
30 International Day of Friendship Promise to build bridges between individuals, countries and cultures, stirring empathy, inspiring peace and promoting mutual understanding and respect for diversity.
31 Thank God for the ELCA’s special relationship with the Reformed Church in America, a full communion partner since 1997. Pray for the church, its members and its leaders, that together we will find strength and resources for the work of sharing the gospel and serving our neighbor.