ELCA Initiates Budget for Language, Culture-Specific Resources

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A proposal to establish and maintain a regular budget for the development of language- and culture-specific resources and for the translation of important ELCA documents into languages other than English was accepted by the board of the Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its meeting here Oct. 15-17.
"The ELCA needs to develop a total business plan for the development of the church's ethnic ministries," said Evelyn B. Soto, ELCA director for multilingual and culture-specific programs. "The development of language- and culture-specific resources in the ELCA requires a long-term plan."
The DCM board approved the development of a plan "in order to treat the requests coming from the various ethnic communities seriously and fairly." Soto said there is a growing need for language- and culture-specific resources among the five ethnic communities of the church: African American and Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic.
The plan should allow for the allocation of sufficient funds to complete a number of projects every year and make it possible to develop a production plan that would not "wait until funds could be found," Soto said.
The plan will identify resources for development, a budget plan and staff. "Each ethnic community will be included in the planning process and assist in identifying resource needs, writers, editors, translators, artists and designers," Soto said.

The plan will also allow staff members from the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, the Commission for Multicultural Ministries, the Office of the Bishop and Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the ELCA, to meet annually and establish project priorities.
The budget to be planned will be in addition to the regular funding for resources generated by ELCA units and ministries, said Soto. "The funds will be allotted according to an agreed priority schedule."
"The ELCA stands at a point of decision," Soto told the board. "Do we want to continue developing resources for ethnic and=20 language-specific communities on a happenstance basis, seeking funding for projects one at a time, searching for funds outside the budget process of the ELCA and determining what will be done not on the basis of need but on the basis of available external dollars? That year-to-year, = job-to-job=20 approach, while it allows some resources to be completed, lacks any kind of systematic way to deal with the many requests coming from a variety of people," she said.
In April 1999, the program and structure committee of the ELCA Church Council, in its review of DCM, recommended that the "development of resources for multicultural settings should be viewed from the context of mission aspects rather than proportional of the constituency, and should be given high priority." The recommendation also stated that Augsburg Fortress can provide "personnel and funding to impact positively on the ELCA goal of significant ethnic community participation in the ministry of the ELCA."
An example of the partnership between Augsburg Fortress and the ELCA is the production and publication of two new worship resources: Libro de Liturgia y Cantico, (Book of Liturgy and Song), the ELCA's Spanish-language worship resource, and This Far by Faith, the ELCA's African American and Black worship resource. These resources were funded in part by Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal benefits organization based in Minneapolis.

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