CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Some 500 clergy and lay leaders from throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will meet here Oct. 2-3 = in=20 a "Mega-Consultation," a time for fellowship, mutual learning and mission support planning for 2001.
The leaders come from the 65 synods of the 5.2 million-member ELCA, the fifth largest Protestant denomination and largest Lutheran body in the United States.
Leaders who will meet in Chicago include the 67-member ELCA Conference of Bishops; bishops' assistants and associates; synod vice presidents, secretaries and treasurers; regional coordinators of the ELCA; youth members of synod councils and churchwide staff. They will meet under the theme "Making Christ Known - Hope for a New Century." Kris Shafer, ELCA Department for Human Resources, is coordinator of the Mega-Consultation.
"A special focus of the consultation will be on equipping and developing leadership for the new millennium," said the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA.
"This will give us an opportunity to thank the synod leaders for their faithful partnerships and provide a forum for exchange of ideas and concerns," said Tammy Jackson, associate director, ELCA Department for Synodical Relations. The leaders will discuss critical challenges facing their synods in the next few years and develop potential strategies to address their concerns, Jackson said.
The Mega-Consultation replaces the 1999 series of fall consultations conducted under the leadership of the ELCA Department for Synodical Relations, Jackson said. Normally consultations are held annually in regional settings, in synod council meetings or by conference calls with all 65 synods to discuss ministry and mission support.
The Mega-Consultation will include addresses by former ELCA vice presidents Christine Grumm and Kathy Magnus; presentations by Anderson and Addie J. Butler, the current vice president of the ELCA, Philadelphia; the Rev. Robert Bacher, executive for administration, ELCA Office of the Bishop; and several small group discussion sessions.
"This consultation, coming as it does after the churchwide assembly in August and the beginning of the new millennium, provides a unique opportunity to assess where we've been, understand where we are now, project a useful and exciting future," said Bacher.
Each of the different leadership groups will hold separate meetings before and after the Mega-Consultation to discuss issues of specific concern.
A substantial grant from Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis., helped to fund the Mega-Consultation.
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
