ELCA Board Affirms Principles for Outreach to Unchurched

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division for Outreach of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affirmed five principles for the ELCA's outreach to the unchurched. Chair Dorothy Baumgartner said board members received a paper, "a work in progress," which offers "a fresh model for leading the church in the important work of outreach." The board met here March 1-3.
The division began working on its paper, "Leadership for Outreach with the Gospel," last fall, said Baumgartner. It's been the subject of regional consultations across the United States and Caribbean. Baumgartner is chief administrative officer for Trinity Lutheran College, Issaquah, Wash.
Baumgartner said the paper received a wide range of responses -- "from significant concerns to some great joy" -- at the consultations. Those reactions "helped shape the thinking behind the five principles, which we think will be very useful for the division and for the church," she said.
According to the principles, the Division for Outreach: + will support and encourage reaching out to the unchurched + is committed to multiplying the human resources involved in outreach, encouraging mission directors to enlist, equip, empower, coach and mentor individuals who can share their gifts for ministry, and moving from "doing" to "leading" outreach + will assist all church staff to identify and further develop gifts and assets for the ministries of starting new and renewing existing congregations + will seek to work with synods to develop the human resources available to start new and renew existing congregations in ways most appropriate to the context of the synods + is committed to a diverse workforce and to follow the lead of members of the five ethnic communities in planning, carrying out and evaluating the division's work
The ELCA's five ethnic communities are African American/Black, Asian, Latino, Arab and Middle Eastern, and American Indian/Alaska Native people. The church's 10,816 congregations are organized into 65 synods.
The principles "represent a shift in orientation about how we are approaching the work of the division," said Baumgartner. While focusing the outreach of the ELCA on the unchurched, "we are looking for ways to maximize the effectiveness of the resources of the division," she said.
"We recognize, as a church, that outreach and evangelism happen more effectively at the congregation," said Baumgartner. Rather than trying to manage all ELCA outreach from central offices in Chicago, the division will strive to provide people in congregations with the training, resources and networks they need, she said.
Surveys show that 25 to 75 percent of people in any U.S. community are unchurched, said the Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive director, ELCA Division for Outreach, "so the potential is definitely there for outreach with the gospel."
The Rev. David Poling-Goldenne, director for discipleship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, reported on the church's formation of a 33-member "blue ribbon" task force to develop a comprehensive strategy on evangelism. That task force holds its first meeting next month in Chicago.
Board members discussed with Poling-Goldenne the ELCA's definitions of "outreach" and "evangelism." "I use the two words interchangeably," he said. Much of the discussion focused on ways the work of the task force relates to the principles and work of the division.
Three ELCA boards will review a first draft of the task force's work this fall, said Poling-Goldenne. The Divisions for Congregational Ministries, Global Mission and Outreach are involved in developing strategies on evangelism, he said, as well as the ELCA Conference of Bishops and ELCA Church Council.

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