CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received a report on the church's plan for evangelism and approved an additional $200,000 to support the work of a "Blue Ribbon" task force assigned to develop a comprehensive strategy on evangelism.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies. The council met here April 5-7. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
The council moved to encourage the 5.13 million members of the ELCA to "participate actively" in prayer, study and conversation about witness and evangelism.
In August 2001 the Churchwide Assembly adopted "Toward a Vision for Evangelism: Sharing Faith in a New Century" designed to encourage the 10,816 congregations of the ELCA to examine their own ministry of hospitality, review the opportunities for sharing "God's Good News" with people in their unique setting, and develop ways to meet, engage, witness to and invite people to faith in Jesus Christ.
The assembly instructed the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, the church's Conference of Bishops -- an advisory body of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and secretary -- and other ELCA churchwide offices to establish a Blue Ribbon task force that will develop a strategy for presentation and possible action at the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Through its program and services committee, the council received a report that contained a time line for the development of the evangelism strategy and the organization and structure of the task force.
The council commended the Division for Congregational Ministries for appointing the 32-member task force comprised of 13 active parish pastors, 11 lay leaders and other members of the ELCA. The division's board named the members of the task force at its meeting here Feb. 15-17. The inaugural meeting of the task force will be held April 18-20 in St. Charles, Ill.
The task force will receive input from DCM, especially the division's education and evangelism team, and from the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. The task force will be guided by a small core team, chosen from its members, and four sub-teams that will attend to the tasks of Toward A Vision for Evangelism.
The Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop for the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, Rockford, was appointed to chair the task force. The council invited Wollersheim to meet with members of the council's budget and finance committee for conversation about the ongoing funds needed for the development of the evangelism strategy. The committee will meet in November.
In November 2001, the council authorized $250,000 to finance start-up costs for the development of the evangelism strategy.
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
