CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is making a one-time allocation of $300,000 to the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC) to help the organization resolve what the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, described as a $3.5 million deficit. The ELCA Church Council approved the contribution, provided that the NCC can approve a balanced budget for 2000.
The council met here Nov. 12-14. It functions as the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, 2001, in Indianapolis.
The ELCA is one of 35 Protestant and Orthodox denominations representing almost 52 million Christians which make up the NCC. The New York-based organization held its annual meeting and 50th anniversary celebration Nov. 9-12 in Cleveland.
Anderson attended the NCC meeting and reported the organization's financial situation to the ELCA Church Council. The NCC has an annual budget of more than $60 million.
There had been an "investigative audit" of the NCC's finances to determine the cause of the deficit, Anderson said. "There seems to be no malfeasance but a lot of sloppiness."
The member denominations were asked to help cover the deficit, he said. "This contribution would be over and above the regular contribution the ELCA makes each year to the core budget of the NCC."
In Cleveland the NCC installed the Rev. Andrew Young as its president and elected Dr. Robert W. Edgar as general secretary. Both take office on Jan. 1.
Edgar and Young both served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1970s. Young became U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and was elected mayor of Atlanta. Edgar left Congress in 1987, and he served 12 years as president of the Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif.
The Rev. Daniel F. Martensen, director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs, told the ELCA Church Council that the NCC is at a promising point of transition, and the member churches can affirm the organization.
"We left a team there in which the NCC can trust," he said. "There is trust that is warranted at this point."
Anderson sent a fax message Nov. 15 to leaders of the NCC and several other denominations. It shared the action of the ELCA Church Council to set aside $300,000 for the NCC.
"The members of the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America enthusiastically took this action as a sign of our continuing commitment to the ecumenical work in which we are engaged together," Anderson wrote.
Once the NCC executive board approves a balanced budget for 2000, "this one-time contribution will be allocated before the end of 1999 calendar year," he added.
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
