TUCSON (ELCA) -- Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) announced it will allocate $488,000 in grants this year to help targeted Lutheran congregations focus on bringing unchurched people to worship.
The pilot program called, "Openings," is rooted in the Church Membership Initiative (CMI), a research project conducted from 1991 to 1997. AAL sponsored the CMI research which was conducted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Division for Congregational=
Ministries and Department for Research and Evaluation. =20
The CMI project was designed to help the Lutheran church understand and address declines in membership. AAL hopes Openings will result in insights that can be shared within the church, said James S. Yagow, director for church grants, AAL, Appleton, Wis. Yagow spoke to the ELCA Conference of Bishops during its recent spring meeting.
"We are looking for projects that are innovative, creative, perhaps risk-taking, to increase worship attendance," Yagow said.
Funds will be granted through ELCA synods "for motivated congregations that have potential for significant growth and are positioned=
to realize this potential," according to AAL's Openings project
description. Projects may include leadership training, congregational
assessment, public relations strategies, new ways to invite people to
worship and cross-cultural or ethnic outreach, the project description
said.
The grant program requires the synod to be a partner with one to four congregations. Individual grants will range from $10,000 to $20,000, = Yagow said.
The synod or churchwide unit must contribute at least 10 percent of the grant request. Congregations must contribute at least 25 percent of the total project budget.
Grants AAL awards the ELCA will be coordinated through the Conference of Bishops. Grants will also be awarded to congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Grant applications for "Openings" will be distributed in April 2000, = Yagow said. Applications must be submitted by Sept. 1. Once awarded, a project can begin immediately. Projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2001.
AAL, based in Appleton, Wis., is a fraternal benefits society of 1.7 million Lutherans for insurance, education and volunteer opportunities.=20 AAL supports the work of Lutheran church bodies, educational institutions and other Lutheran organizations.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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
