RIVER FOREST, Ill. (ELCA) -- About 30 volunteers and synod and churchwide staff met here, exchanged ideas and developed strategies to place and keep "Lutheran Vespers," the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), on the air in their communities. The Jan. 7-9 Lutheran Vespers Networking Conference took place at Dominican University Retreat Center.
For 53 years Lutheran Vespers has aired each week on affiliated radio stations. It presently airs on 225 radio stations in the United States and abroad. The Rev. Walter M. Wangerin Jr., author, regular columnist for The Lutheran and writer-in-residence at Valparaiso (Ind.) University, is speaker. The Lutheran is the magazine of the ELCA.
Lutheran Vespers is unique among the ministries of the ELCA because it is largely supported by listeners, said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director of the ELCA Department for Communication, the department that oversees the radio ministry. Nearly 80 percent of the ministry's national budget is provided by listeners, he said.
"We can reach out to people who have not heard about Jesus Christ," he said. "This ministry is a vital outreach ministry."
In 1999, 31 new stations were added to Lutheran Vespers total, said Brenda J. Engelby, associate director for promotion and placement, Lutheran Vespers. The new stations included broadcasters in Denmark and Tanzania. In Tanzania an estimated 350,000 people listen to English broadcasts of Lutheran Vespers, she said.
Engelby said she promotes Lutheran Vespers by invitation at a variety of venues, including synod assemblies, the ELCA churchwide assembly, conventions of Women of ELCA and Lutheran Men in Mission, and various evangelism and stewardship events. She is also the principal writer of Lutheran Vespers' regular publication, "Good News Letter," and answers questions about station promotion of the radio ministry.
"People are hungry for the Word," she said. "They want to know salvation. We have to give them the opportunity to learn."
One purpose of the conference was to discuss how to improve raising funds for Lutheran Vespers. In most cases, stations that air the program charge local groups that support Lutheran Vespers for the air time.
Income to ELCA congregations was $2.12 billion in 1998, according to the ELCA Secretary's statistical report for that year. Supporters of the ELCA radio ministry must "make the case" to convince more people to designate funds for mission projects such as Lutheran Vespers, said Dr. Kenneth W. Inskeep, director of the ELCA Department for Research and Evaluation.
Inskeep suggested supporters learn as much as possible about donors, develop stronger relationships with people who do give to the ministry and report results to those who support the program. He said statistics show that when people give more to support Lutheran Vespers, they tend to give more to support other mission opportunities of the church.
Conference participants heard from John Timm, general manager, WYLL-FM, Elk Grove Village, Ill., a station that airs Lutheran Vespers each Sunday morning. The station has 100,000 listeners each week and serves Chicago and surrounding towns and cities, Timm said. WYLL-FM is part of the Salem Communications, a 57-station radio ownership group that focuses mostly on religious programming.
Timm said nearly three-fourths of WYLL-FM's programs are devoted to radio ministries such as Lutheran Vespers. Most ask listeners for financial support. However, mainstream denominations, including Lutherans, show "a great reluctance" to ask listeners to support programs financially.
He urged Lutheran Vespers supporters to express appreciation for gifts they do receive. "How you thank donors after the fact is very important," Timm said.
Speakers and participants discussed a wide range of ideas to help place and keep Lutheran Vespers on the air:
+ Promoting Wangerin as the program's "personality;"
+ Placing audio promotions for Lutheran Vespers' on its Web site, www.elca.org/lv/;
+ Seeking assistance for promoting Lutheran Vespers from marketing professionals and radio sales people;
+ Suggesting people designate gifts specifically for Lutheran Vespers;
+ Writing promotional letters to pastors and congregations;
+ Preparing and distributing brochures and other materials about the local station and program times to congregations and individuals;
+ Involving local people in voicing promotional "tags" on Lutheran Vespers broadcasts;
+ The possibility of seeking financial support from other local groups, such as social ministry organizations;
+ Thanking donors often;
+ Asking Lutheran Vespers stations to air regular promotional announcements for the program; and
+ Writing and distributing news releases about Lutheran Vespers to congregations and local news organizations.
Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis., provided grant funds for the conference.
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
