ELCA Web Site Doubles in Size, Accesses, Advisory Committee Told

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Web site of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) <http://www.elca.org> grew significantly in the past year, nearly doubling the number of its pages as well as nearly doubling accesses by viewers, the ELCA Department for Communication advisory committee was told here Jan 26.
From 1999 to 2000, the number of Web pages on the ELCA site increased from 5,500 to nearly 10,000, said Rex Paisley, associate director for Web-based interactive media. Accesses grew from 4.2 million in 1999 to 7.8 million, he said. During the 2000 ELCA Youth Gathering in St. Louis, held over a two-week period in June and July 2000, there were 1.2 million ELCA Web site accesses, Paisley reported.
The ELCA Web site is fairly young and has grown at a phenomenal rate, said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA Department for Communication. "Six years ago, the ELCA's Web site wasn't even mentioned in any of my reports," he said.
In 2001, the site will likely be redesigned, Paisley said. The department recently conducted an informal online survey about the ELCA Web site to learn more about user preferences, he said.
In today's growing electronic environment, the number of ELCA congregations that have access to the Web, e-mail or have their own Web site is also increasing, Paisley reported. Though some congregations do not yet have such tools, "I think we can celebrate that more and more congregations are getting online," Paisley told the committee.
Advisory committee members also learned about the new ELCA Resource Finder available through the Web site's home page. A viewer may use it to browse some 1,000 ELCA resources, said Eliza Alvarez, assistant director for resource information. The Resource Finder includes links to the Web site of Augsburg Fortress <http://www.augsburgfortress.org>, the publishing house of the ELCA, and copies of articles from "Seeds for the Parish" related to resources. Augsburg Fortress maintains inventory of some ELCA resources; "Seeds" is a resource newspaper for congregational leaders published by the Department for Communication.
Advisory committee members also learned about other Department for Communication efforts:
+ "Seeds" is expected to be available on the Web in 2001, said Katherine "Kate" Sprutta Elliott, editor.
+ A follow-up research project will be done this year to learn results from the ELCA Identity Project, a multi-million-dollar, generation-specific advertising campaign for the church, said Kristi S. Bangert, director for internal church communication (ICC) and marketing. Spanish-language Identity Project print and broadcast ads are expected to be launched March 1, she said. The Identity Project provided matching grants to ELCA congregations and synods that developed media advertising plans in their communities. Funds were also used to buy time on national cable television channels, Bangert said. Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis., provided $1.75 million for the matching grants, and the ELCA Church Council contributed nearly $3.5 million, including $2 million from 1999 ELCA reserve funds for the project.
+ "Stand with Africa: A Campaign of Hope" will be launched during Lent, said Stephen H. Padre, ICC associate director for world hunger and disaster response. The campaign will focus on issues significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, food security, and peace and reconciliation, he said. The three-year campaign is being coordinated by the ELCA World Hunger Program, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Relief and Lutheran World Relief, the overseas relief and development agency of the ELCA and LCMS.
Advisory committee members reviewed the draft of a long-range plan for the department. The plan is to be presented to the ELCA Church Council at its April 6-9, 2001, meeting here.
Four members of the committee whose terms conclude this year were recognized at a luncheon for their service. They were Mary Butler, Durango, Colo.; the Rev. Frederick H. Gonnerman, Northfield, Minn.; and Richard Liefer, Oak Park, Ill. The Rev. Mark R. Ramseth, bishop of the ELCA Montana Synod, served as a representative of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. Ramseth's term on the committee also concludes in 2001. This spring he will become president of the Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio.

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