CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for 1997 remained stable, but income for congregations grew beyond the $2 billion milestone, said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, secretary of the ELCA, in a report to the ELCA Church Council.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between meetings of the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly. The council is meeting here Nov. 13-16. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is August 16-22 in Denver.
Total baptized membership in the ELCA is 5,185,055, down only 2,308 from the previous year, he reported.
Total income was up $133,397,469 -- more than seven percent -- for a total just over $2 billion, Almen said. In addition, he reported savings, endowments and memorial funds in congregations totaled some $1.2 billion.
Almen also said the ELCA reached an agreement with the Village of Rosemont, Ill., for the sale of the building that serves as the site of = the archives of the ELCA. The village previously notified the ELCA that it wanted the property on which the building is located for a development project. Negotiations for the sale resulted in an agreement without litigation, Almen said.
New sites for the archives have been located and are under consideration.
"I am mindful that we must be good stewards of the records entrusted to us for the preservation of significant aspects of Lutheran history in North America,' Almen said. "We are dealing with not only the ELCA's decades-long history, but also the records of our predecessor church bodies, the records of cooperative Lutheranism in the 20th century, and records and artifacts stretching back into the emerging days of Lutherans in North America."
Almen expressed gratitude to several people, including the Rev. Paul R. Nelson, ELCA's director for worship, their leadership in the historic Service of Holy Communion Oct. 4 in Chicago that marked the approval of = the Lutheran-Reformed "Formula of Agreement."
More than 1,500 people attended the service celebrating the agreement among the ELCA, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.
Calling the service "the marking of a milestone," Almen said ecumenism is a journey of "grand hope and marvelous discovery."
David Hardy, first general counsel for the ELCA churchwide organization, was saluted by Almen and the council for his longtime service, which will conclude Jan. 31, 1999. Hardy served as counsel for eight years and two years ago shifted to part-time "senior attorney" status.
Phillip H. Harris succeeded Hardy as the ELCA's full-time general counsel. In addition, Scott Fintzen of Geneva, Ill. accepted a position = in the ELCA Office of the Secretary as associate general counsel Sept. 1.
For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director (773) 380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
