ELCA Assembly Hears Report of Vice President and Church Council

     INDIANAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Dr. Addie J. Butler, vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), gave a report of the Church Council to the 2001 Churchwide Assembly.  As vice president, Butler chairs the Church Council.
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the Indiana Convention Center.  There are more than 2,000 people participating, including 1,040 ELCA voting members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Sharing Faith in a New Century."
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies.  "Several action items before the assembly come to you from the Church Council," Butler said to the assembly.  "Part of the Church Council's work is to respond to 1999 [ELCA] churchwide assembly actions and prepare for the 2001 [ELCA] churchwide assembly," she said.
     The Church Council made several recommendations, one being a proposal for a new evangelism strategy.   "Jesus said 'go therefore and make disciples,' yet membership in the ELCA has been in slow decline since the mid to late 1960s," said Butler.
     Included in the recommendations was a report on new evangelism strategies to reach out to Latinos and Asian and Pacific Islanders. "These evangelism strategies are needed to arrest and revert these trends [membership decline]," said Butler.  "The Church Council feels that these strategies are a step in the right direction," she said.
     A proposal that calls for support from ELCA congregations for "Stand With Africa: A Campaign of Hope -- "a three-year campaign coordinated by the ELCA World Hunger Program, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Lutheran World Relief that focuses on issues significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, food security, and peace and reconciliation -- was also recommended by the council.  "Remember that Jesus says to us, as Jesus said to Peter, 'Do you love me?  If so, then feed my sheep and my lambs,'" said Butler.
     The Church Council recommended the assembly accept the invitation to become "a partner in mission and dialogue" with Churches Uniting in Christ, a project for greater unity among nine Protestant church bodies, said Butler.  "No, this is not another proposal for full communion, rather this action would provide an opportunity for strengthening mission through local implementation of efforts to combat racism, engage in other local ecumenical endeavors, as well as offering avenues for dialogue on concerns within a wider ecumenical community," she said.
     Other action items transmitted through the Church Council are:
     + "Social Policy Resolution on School Voucher Proposals."  This policy is meant to guide the public policy advocacy ministry of the ELCA as it evaluates a variety of proposals considered by state legislatures.
     + Consideration of budget proposals for 2002-2003 churchwide ministries.
     + Proposed amendment to the church constitution and bylaws that would allow ordination under unusual circumstances.
     Several information items were brought to the assembly from the Church Council.  They are:
     + A report on "In the City for Good," an initiative for the ELCA to revitalize its ministry in urban areas.
     + A report on the rural ministry's rural summit, a gathering of 65 church and farm organization leaders to discuss their concerns on the conditions of U.S. agriculture and plans for the future.
     + A report on conversations within the church on human sexuality issues.
     Butler concluded her report saying, "We are your Church Council. We stand ready to serve between the meetings of the churchwide assembly and we're serving in an advisory capacity during this churchwide assembly.  We thank God and we thank you, the members of the churchwide assembly, for the opportunity to serve in this way." -- -- --
     Information about the assembly actions is at http://www.elca.org/assembly/01 on the ELCA's Web site.  Recorded updates during the assembly are available by calling 773/380-2477.

*Michelle T. Mills is a senior at Bradley University, Peoria, Ill.  This
summer she is an intern with ELCA News & Information.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html