CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved a plan Nov. 16 to establish a small town and rural ministries "desk" in the ELCA's Division for Outreach. The desk will be managed by a full-time director beginning about March 1, 1999.
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 met here Nov. 13-16. Assemblies are = held every other year; the next is August 16-22 in Denver.
The council's recommendation was in response to a 1997 Churchwide Assembly action that reaffirmed the church's commitment to ministry in small town and rural settings. That action also encouraged the ELCA's Division for Outreach to consult with clergy, laity and churchwide staff who minister in small towns and rural communities and to develop a plan = for "improving the coordination and effectiveness of those ministries."
The ELCA's Office of the Bishop "will work out" the funding details to finance the desk and staff person, said Sandra G. Gustavson, Athens, Ga., chair of the council's budget and finance committee. =20
Churchwide units that will help finance the rural desk include the ELCA's Division for Church in Society, Division for Congregational Ministries and Division for Ministry.
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
