Who We Are
The Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin engages Lutherans in nonpartisan advocacy for policies that promote peace, justice, and care for all of God’s creation.
As a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), LOPPW works in partnership with ELCA World Hunger and the six ELCA synods with congregations in Wisconsin. We represent the coordinated public policy witness of the ELCA in Wisconsin, bringing a Lutheran voice to statewide legislative issues related to hunger, poverty, and care for creation (environmental work).
Our Work
There are more than 250,000 baptized Lutherans belonging to more than 550 congregations in Wisconsin. LOPPW serves as a resource and partner for ELCA congregations across the state and collaborated with faith-based and secular organizations to amplify our impact.
We offer advocacy tips and tools, organize events and outreach, and engage in direct policy advocacy. Join our mailing list to receive updates.
Our History
In the early 1980’s, the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) proposed that the national church have a witness in states with large Lutheran populations to help local Lutherans have a voice on statewide policy issues and help affected people advocate for themselves.
LCA leaders in Wisconsin approached two other Lutheran church bodies, the American Lutheran Church and the American Evangelical Lutheran Church, to form the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin. When all three Lutheran bodies merged into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988, LOPPW became a ministry of the ELCA.
Today, LOPPW is part of a national network of other state public policy offices connected with the ELCA.
