CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Eighteen Lutherans came here from eight states for an intensive course designed for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that have organized in the past six months or are involved in a significant transition. The ELCA Division for Outreach sponsored the conference Nov. 16-18.
Pastors and lay leaders from 9 congregations attended the conference. Six mission directors who coordinate new ELCA ministries in Alabama, Colorado, Florida and the Bahamas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming participated.
Susan A. Thompson, executive for newly organized congregations, ELCA Division for Outreach, discussed the many changes and transitions developing congregations experience.
"The day before organization may not seem different from the day after," said Thompson, "but it does represent an early and significant change in your life together and in your relationship with the community and with the ELCA."
"You are no longer an entity started from the outside but now a congregation of the community. You are no longer a dependent of the ELCA but now an interdependent part of the ELCA," she said.
Thompson added that pastors and early leaders play a crucial role in providing tone and shape to new congregations. "As you who are here hold fast to your faith, as you believe the promises of him who is faithful, as you encourage one another to love and good deeds, others will see and learn about Jesus. A Christian community will continue to grow and flourish."
The conference provided instruction on insurance matters, organizational change, health and wellness, leading steward lives, conflict management, building disciples, and church building and finance. It also gave participants the opportunity to learn from the experiences of each other.
Representatives from nine congregations attended the conference: + Living Water Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Ariz.; + Shepherd of the Mountains, Estes Park, Colo.; + Hope Lutheran Church, Daytona Beach, Fla.; + Faith Lutheran Church, Cummings, Ga.; + Community of Grace, Lilburn, Ga.; + Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Plainfield, Ill.; + New Life Community Church, Detroit; + New Promise Lutheran Church, St. George, Utah; and + Celebration Lutheran Church, Anacortes, Wash.
Six of the congregations organized since May. Congregations in Cummings and St. George organized before May but were unable to send representatives to an earlier conference. The Estes Park congregation organized several years ago and recently welcomed a new pastor.
In May 2000, representatives from 12 congregations in California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington attended a similar conference here.
The ELCA has 5.15 million members. At the end of 1999 the church had 10,851 congregations across the United States and Caribbean.
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
