Twenty-two Lutheran Congregations among 'Excellent' 300

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Seventeen congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and five congregations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) were among 300 "outstanding Protestant churches" in the United States identified by Paul Wilkes, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, after a two-year study. The study is the foundation of a "Pastoral Summit" this spring in New Orleans.
Three people working on the study gave general criteria to several pastoral institutes, cultural organizations and ministry networks. Those groups recommended congregations from which the study team selected the congregations to be profiled.
This spring, Westminster John Knox Press, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the publisher of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louisville, Ky., will release the results of the study in a book, "Excellent Protestant Congregations: The Guide to Best Places and Practices." The study also identified 300 excellent Roman Catholic parishes which will be published in a separate volume, "Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices," by Paulist Press, Catholic publishing house, New York.
Wilkes said the books list 25 traits of an excellent congregation that can be "boiled down" to some basic characteristics.
"Have faith in God and faith in the people," said Wilkes. That's more than just a confession of faith, he said, but a visible belief that "God is really with us and there to help."
"Rely on people in the pews -- not just the staff and the clergy," said Wilkes. When the people take the congregation's ministry out into their communities and workplaces, "the ministry is multiplied exponentially," he said.
Excellent congregations accept people as they are -- jeans or suits -- and do everything possible to be available for them, said Wilkes. Church should be "a place to elevate the spirit."
The congregations "look out at their area as a mission field," he said. "They're smart enough to know they don't know what's going on in the people's lives." They work with the people around them to address the community's needs, said Wilkes.
Wilkes said the size of the congregation does not matter. Some congregations on the list have thousands of members, while others are mission congregations.
"What matters is imagination or lack of it," he said, not the amount of resources or the beautiful building the congregation has.
"It takes work, constantly asking if there is a better way to do things," said Wilkes. "Are we talking to anyone other than ourselves? Are we painting by numbers or are we creating a work of art?"
"We want to worship God and serve others in our community," said Wilkes. That common Christian mission is the focus of the "Pastoral Summit" May 30-June 1 in New Orleans "to create a place where people can learn how to 'do' local church as best as they can," he said. The study and summit were funded by grants from the Lilly Endowment, Indianapolis.
The summit will include workshops offered by clergy and lay leaders from congregations listed in the book. About 1,000 people, including representatives from many of the congregations listed in the book, are expected to attend.
The Rev. Martin E. Marty, an ELCA pastor, retired University of Chicago professor, senior editor of The Christian Century magazine and author of more than 40 books, will give a luncheon presentation on "All Religion is Local: A Protestant Perspective." He will join participants in an afternoon discussion session.
Father Andrew M. Greeley, Roman Catholic priest, columnist, sociologist and author, will offer "A Catholic Perspective" the following day of the summit. Greeley teaches at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Seventy "community," non-denominational or independent churches made the list of excellent Protestant congregations. Fifty- four congregations were identified as Baptist, 31 United Methodist; 30 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); 25 Episcopal; 22 Lutheran; 12 United Church of Christ; and 10 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Unless noted, the Lutheran churches are on the roster of ELCA congregations: + Zion Lutheran Church, Fairbanks, Alaska (LCMS) + Community Church of Joy, Glendale, Ariz. + Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Poway, Calif. + Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Denver + Luther Place Memorial Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C. + St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Ill. (LCMS) + Immanuel Lutheran Church, Evanston, Ill. + Faith Lutheran Church, Mundelein, Ill. + Messiah Lutheran Church, Wauconda, Ill. + St. Andrew-Redeemer Lutheran Church, Detroit + St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi, Minn. + Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis + Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. + Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Ramsey, Minn. + Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn. + People of Hope, Rochester, Minn. + St. John Lutheran Church, Ellisville, Mo. (LCMS) + Lutheran Ministries of Southwest Oklahoma, Lone Wolf, Okla. (LCMS) + Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, S.D. + Concordia Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas (LCMS) + First Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Va. + Northlake Lutheran Church, Kenmore, Wash.
The list of 300 excellent Protestant congregations also included eight Assembly of God congregations; seven African Methodist Episcopal; six Presbyterian Church in America; five Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church; five Free Methodist churches; and four Reformed Church in America.
A number of other churches -- including the Alliance Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Church of God in Christ, Church of the Nazarene, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Foursquare Church and Mennonite Church -- had one or two congregations on the list. -- -- --
Nine of the 300 congregations, including Lone Wolf Churches of Lone Wolf, Okla., are featured at http://www.pastoralsummit.org/ on the Web. Leaders from those nine congregations will lead workshops at the summit.

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