Proposal for ELCA's first ever major fundraising campaign is approved

PITTSBURGH (ELCA) -- Voting members of the 2013 Churchwide Assembly
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved with a 671
to 242 vote a proposal for the ELCA’s first major fundraising campaign.
The five-year campaign, to begin in 2014, is designed to increase this
church’s capacity to renew and start new congregations, educate and
develop its leaders, bolster its global mission efforts and expand the
impact of its relief and development work. The campaign proposal was
introduced to the assembly Aug. 13.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 12-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention
Center. The theme for the triennial assembly is “Always being made new.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of this church.
In their action, voting members thanked the 4-million-member ELCA
for their ongoing stewardship and generosity through regular offerings
that support the breadth of ministry across this church and to invite
every congregation, synod, related ministry and individual member to make
a contribution toward the campaign in order to achieve its goal of $198
million over the next five years.
ELCA Presiding Bishop-Elect Elizabeth Eaton spoke in favor of the
campaign. “This is an exciting step for the ELCA,” she said. “Even though
I’m inheriting it, I say let’s for it.”
Voting members requested that the ELCA Church Council monitor and
evaluate the implementation of the campaign on an ongoing basis with
annual reports to the council and to each assembly through the completion
of the campaign. They encouraged conversations across this church on ways
that the campaign can be implemented to take advantage of synergies among
all expressions of this church, and to “thank God for 25 years of
interdependent ministry in the ELCA and to step forward boldly in order
to seek to reach more communities with the good news of Jesus Christ,
train more leaders who will become missionaries, pastors and lay leaders
and contribute to the alleviation of hunger and poverty.”
Anticipating the campaign proposal, voting members approved an
amendment designed to involve young adult and youth leaders.
Specifically, the amendment will add an additional campaign priority of
encouraging, recognizing and forming lay youth and young adult leaders
and add an additional $4 million to the campaign goal to meet this
priority. Another amendment approved will add a $4 million stretch goal
for disability ministry.