ELCA Board Reviews Youth, Worship, Stewardship, Evangelism Plans

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- To help enhance the ministries of 10,816 congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the board for the church's Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) authorized an open review of a preliminary draft on "principles for worship," endorsed a new multi-year plan for youth ministries and viewed a new Web site on giving when it met here Nov. 2-4.
"Renewing Worship," a five-year plan for developing "the next generation of worship resources" for the ELCA, is near the end of its first phase of work, said the Rev. Michael L. Burk, director for worship, DCM.
Phase one began with a series of consultations on four topics: music, preaching, language and worship space. Writing teams from each consultation met between sessions to consolidate information. They have developed a preliminary draft of "principles" for worship based on the four consultation topics. Another consultation will take place this month to "fine tune" the draft and make it available for study and response from the ELCA's 5.13 million members.
Beginning Dec. 10, the draft will be available at www.renewingworship.org on the Internet. Members of the church who wish to respond to the draft will have the opportunity to do so in an open review on the Web, said Burk. An attempt will be made to "engage the whole church on what are the fundamental principles for worship in a way that will include as many voices as possible," he told the board. The draft will also be made available on paper.
The board will consider the draft in February 2002.
In fall 2000 the boards for DCM and Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA's publishing house based in Minneapolis, endorsed a plan for worship renewal. Renewing Worship includes five components: a consultative process to develop principles for language and culture, music, worship space and environment, and preaching; a series of working groups that will develop and revise worship materials based on "The Use of the Means of Grace" -- the church's statement on sacramental practices -- and principles for worship; liturgical and musical resource proposals that emerge from the working groups; regional conferences for conversation, resource introduction and congregational feedback; and the drafting of a comprehensive proposal for new primary worship resources designed to succeed the Lutheran Book of Worship.
The board also focused its attention on endorsing a new plan for the Youth Ministries and Gathering team. The team provides resources, information and programs for people who work with youth and young adults, ages 12 through 30. Every three years, youth ministries and gathering staff organize an international worship and learning event for thousands of high-school-age and adult Lutherans in two back-to-back events held in the United States. The next ELCA Youth Gathering will be held July16-20 and July 23-27, 2003, in Atlanta.
The "Youth Ministries/Gathering Strategic Plan for 2001-2004" is comprised of a new mission and vision statement, working values, a list of partners or "alliances," strategic directions and outcomes, and a time line.
The mission statement is "to build and cultivate the capacity of the church to serve youth, young adults, and families so all may live for the glory of the Triune God and for the good of creation." Youth ministries envision an "inclusive baptized communion of biblically and spiritually rooted young people and adults."
In a real-time demonstration on the Internet, board members viewed "Giving Basket," a new feature on www.elca.org -- the ELCA's Web site.
"Giving Basket" provides an opportunity for members of the ELCA to make online donations to support ELCA ministries, said Marcie Rogers, DCM director for development services. The site -- www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/giving.asp -- provides instruction on how to use the Giving Basket, a list of ELCA ministries accepting contributions, information on giving stock and links to other giving areas.
Credit card donations can be made directly on the Web site. Gifts may be designated for ELCA ministries listed. Credit card information is protected on the site, Rogers said.
"The site is really about building friendships, not just about making transactions," Rogers told the board.
The board moved to have "every giving opportunity in the ELCA churchwide organization" available on the church's Web site. The board directed DCM executive directors and stewardship staff "to pursue future giving opportunities" on the Internet.
In other business, the board: + received results of a study on the "working relationship" between DCM and Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA publishing house. The study, conducted by the ELCA Division for Research and Evaluation, summarizes the "critical issues" between DCM and Augsburg Fortress that need to be addressed in order to "strengthen and maintain" their working relationship. At its meeting last spring, the DCM board requested an evaluation and authorized the division's executive directors to "investigate alternative means of publishing, producing and distributing resources" designed to assist congregations in carrying out their ministries. + forwarded a Nov. 3 letter to the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA. The letter expresses the board's gratitude for the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly's adoption of "Toward a Vision for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Sharing Faith in a New Century," the church's strategy on evangelism. It calls for the presiding bishop to appoint a "Blue Ribbon Task Force" and to define the task force's work. The board formally requested funding from the ELCA Church Council to continue development of the strategy through the task force. + "recognized and affirmed" a new grassroots association of Christian educators affiliated with DCM's Christian education and evangelism team and Augsburg Fortress. The association, tentatively called Lutheran Association of Christian Educators (LACE), is made up of volunteer Christian education professionals, Sunday school teachers, associates in ministry (AIM), congregations and others. + elected the Rev. Mark R. Moller-Gunderson and the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock to four-year terms as executive directors of DCM, effective Nov. 1. Moller-Gunderson has served in his DCM executive director role since 1992. Bullock has served as executive director since 1995. + elected Karen Walhof, Minneapolis, board chair; Robert A. Sandoval, Albuquerque, N.M., vice chair; Fran Burnford, AIM, Glendale, Calif., secretary; and Kimberly A. Vaughn, Durham, N.C., and Michael E. Krentz, Bethlehem, Pa., members-at-large. + received a report from Joyce B. Cain, executive director, Lutheran Laity Movement (LLM), an organization that seeks to "lift up stewardship as a way of life." Cain announced the newly-elected LLM board: Charles Lindquist, Northville, Mich., president; William Brenner, Richboro, Pa., vice president; Judith Ford Houser, Cherryville, N.C., secretary; and Dean Arnold, Colorado Springs, Colo., treasurer. Cain said the new "Good Stewardship" Award recipient was the Rev. Louis R. Forney, King of Kings Lutheran Church, Shelby Township, Mich.

For information contact:
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