Stewardship Leaders Are 'Circulatory System' of the ELCA

CHICAGO (ELCA) More than 200 stewardship staff, mission interpreters and partners coordinators volunteers who tell the stories about the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and others gathered for the Stewardship Leadership Conference and heard they are the "circulatory system" of the church. Staff of the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) hosted the annual conference Feb. 6-9 here at the Marriott O'Hare Hotel.
"Mission interpretation is key in order" for the 10,766 congregations of the ELCA "to share a portion of their income with the 65 synods of the church for synodical and churchwide ministries," said Nancy L. Snell, director for the stewardship and mission giving ministry team, DCM.
"When people join ELCA congregations, they become a part of many, many ministries that make a difference in the lives of others domestically and globally. Mission interpretation works to inform members and friends about ELCA ministries that are being carried out beyond their own walls," she said
Snell added that a purpose of the conference was "to share new resources, to provide a way for participants to network and share ideas with one another."
In a keynote presentation, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, called mission interpreters, partners, members of the Lutheran Laity Movement, stewardship staff and others "the circulatory system" of the church.
"You are the ones woven from congregation to synod to churchwide and back again that brings life and the message of God's salvation, a vision for mission and conversation about stewardship which contributes to the life-blood that keeps the circulatory system going. You are the ones who always express gratitude on behalf of this church to others," said Hanson.
"We can't talk about mission support until we define mission. I think that's the challenge facing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America," he said. "We are a church only 15 years of age. But, I think we've come to a time in the life of the ELCA when the issues that divide us have become the issues that define us."
Hanson defined mission as "what God is up to in and for the sake of the world. When we talk about mission, we talk about the mission of God."
He encouraged participants not to start their ministry "by talking about money." Instead he offered to begin by "talking about mission, invite people to prayer, Holy imagination, a sense of expectation and urgency that the ELCA is not defined by issues that divide but by God's mission that unites us."
Hanson encouraged participants to "live among God's faithful people. If the leaders of this church do not take the call to evangelical witness in a way that causes to invite and bring with us unchurched people, to hear the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus, this church will continue to decline."
As the circulatory system, Hanson said stewardship leaders should be "savvy about how we communicate the story of what God is up to in and to this church with members of this church."
"In the age of communication, we may have undersold the power of personal testimony," Hanson said. "Speak the truth of what we see that God is up to in our lives, the ministry of our congregation, the work of the churchwide organization and in the world with such clarity and conviction that other people may make a decision about their life, faith and money that will be dependent upon and in response to our testimony."
Hanson said Lutherans "will not increase mission support until we define mission in a way that elicits participation in and excitement about, until we look at how we communicate the story of what God is up to and until we become a testifying church." He said that mission support will also not increase "until we stop providing excuses for people not to give" and added, "You in the circulatory system, including synod bishops, churchwide leaders and synod council, need to create a culture in this church that expects generosity and will hold one another to accountability."
Other speakers at the conference included the Rev. Ruben F. Duran, executive for new congregations, ELCA Division for Outreach, and the Rev. Mark R. Moller-Gunderson, DCM executive director.
The conference also featured several six-hour learning tracks and workshops. Topics ranged from faith and money to working with people with "big money," youth and young adult stewardship to accountability, and communication styles to reinventing the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
Mark L. Vincent, lead partner, Design for Ministry -- a contract and consulting network based in Mukwonago, Wis., that assists congregations and other service-minded businesses -- led a workshop on faith and money. He told participants, "Money is the place where faith and life intersect. It is a gateway to the spirit and a catalyst for talking about God's kingdom."
Vincent offered three principles for money management. The first is "planned scarcity. You don't live out of a false sense of scarcity," he said. "The second is manage money together. Do it with some capacity of others knowing. And third, purchase only what can be easily replaced."
Vincent introduced "The Whys and Hows of Money Leadership: A Curriculum for Pastors and Lay Leaders," a new seven-lesson curriculum developed by the ELCA, the Alban Institute, Bethesda, Md., and funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., Indianapolis. The curriculum is designed to help pastors and others take the lead in congregational money management.
"It is right and proper for a pastor or other member of the church to be a leader when it comes to money," Vincent said in an interview. Money management involves the "integration of theology and practice and competence on the enterprise part of the church. As the church spends money, uses money and reports on money, the church is connecting to what is its mission."
Other highlights of the conference included worship and a series of "network" meetings. Stewardship staff, mission interpreter and mission partner coordinators, multicultural stewardship leaders and other leaders gathered for discussion, sharing and networking.
The stewardship ministry team of the ELCA works to train people and develop education materials for stewardship ministries in congregations and synods; provides seminars and staff services to increase member giving and mission support; helps to interpret the ELCA budget; helps generate unrestricted income for churchwide ministries with the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop through the Vision for Mission appeal; seeks contributions for the church's World Hunger Appeal and selected designated-giving projects; and provides resources and staff support for mission interpreter networks in synods. -- -- --
Information about the ELCA's stewardship ministry and resources is maintained at http://www.elca.org/dcm/stewardship/ on the Internet.

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