ELCA Bishops Offer Suggestions on Churchwide Restructuring Proposal
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) held a wide-ranging discussion on a proposal for the future design of the churchwide organization, which was announced by the Office of the Presiding Bishop Sept. 15. The bishops commented on specifics of the proposal,...
ELCA Bishops Address Advertising, Discuss Lay Presidency Issues
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a policy to permit, under certain circumstances, advertising for pastoral vacancies by congregations in The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. The...
ELCA Bishops Hear Upcoming Plans for ELCA Studies on Sexuality
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders working with the Studies on Sexuality of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said they are interested in responses to a new set of study materials which were sent to professional church leaders in September. Also, the task force working with the study is planning...
ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission Awards Sixteen Scholarships
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded $126,254 in scholarships to provide full tuition for 16 women and men attending ELCA seminaries. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, presented the scholarships here Sept. 25 from the church's Fund for Leaders in Mission....
Lutheran Men in Mission Explores Young Men's Ministry
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is completing a five-step plan that it initiated more than a year ago. LMM is holding its first Young Men's Leadership Summit here Oct. 10-12 to devise a strategy to reach...
ELCA Bishops Elect Roy Riley, Chair, Andrea Degroot-Nesdahl, Vice Chair
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected the Rev. E. Roy Riley Jr., bishop of the ELCA New Jersey Synod, Trenton, to a four-year term as conference chair. The bishops also elected the Rev. Andrea S. DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the ELCA...
ELCA Bishops Hear Mixed Financial Forecast; More Reductions Expected
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Because of lower than expected income for the first seven months of the church's fiscal year (Feb. 1 to Aug. 31), overall financial results for the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were "disappointing," said the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration...
All-Lutheran Candle Lighting for Mental Illness in October
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- This is the eighth year that Lutheran congregations across the United States and Caribbean have conducted candle-lighting ceremonies in October to pray for people living with mental illness and their families. The Lutheran Network on Mental Illness/Brain Disorders, a joint program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
David Gring Announces Retirement from ELCA Roanoke College
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. David M. Gring, president of Roanoke College, Salem, Va., announced his plans to retire at the end of this academic year. Gring, who has served as president since July 1989, made the announcement Sept. 4 to faculty and staff. Roanoke College is one of 28 colleges...
Lutheran Vespers Gains Denver Affiliate Thanks to Generous Listener
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Vespers, the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), began airing Sept. 7 on KHOW-AM, Denver, a 5,000-watt station that reaches most of Colorado. In addition, the ministry also began airing this week in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and earlier this year it debuted...
Lutherans Continue Response to Domestic Disasters
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), continues to help survivors recover from floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters across the United States. "This year has brought an unprecedented number of disasters," said the Rev....
ELCA Education Board Recommends Rethinking 'Future Design'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES) made three recommendations in response to a proposal from the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop to restructure the churchwide organization by February 2004. The board spent much of its...
ELCA Outreach Board Responds to 'Future Design' of Structure
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach weighed the strengths and weaknesses of a proposal that would restructure the churchwide organization of the 5 million-member church in February. The "future design" appears to dismantle many of the barriers that keep different...
ELCA Awards 'In The City for Good' Grants Totaling $278,000
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The "In the City for Good" Fund Team of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded 44 grants totaling $278,000 in 2003 to revitalize ELCA ministries in urban areas. Grants ranged from $1,000 for Project Hope in Houston to $30,000 for the Noah's Ark Community Coffee...
Lutherans Respond to Disasters Worldwide
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continues to provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters in China, India and other parts of the world. Coordinated by the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International...
'Lutheran Voices' Series Introduced; Online Discussion this Month
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A 12-volume book series focusing on Lutheran theology, what it means to be Lutheran, and how Lutheran teachings can enrich and guide congregations and members is available through Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Several books in the new "Lutheran...
ELCA Unveils Proposal For New Churchwide Structure
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- On Sept. 15 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Office of the Presiding Bishop unveiled a proposal that the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, will present to the ELCA Church Council in November. The proposal would reorganize the churchwide structure of the...
ELCA Hosts 'Renewing Worship Days' this Fall
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Pastors, musicians and others invested in renewing the worship life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are gathering for "Renewing Worship Days," one-day workshops, at more than 30 locations across the country this fall. "We have three main goals for Renewing Worship Days," said Cheryl...
ELCA Issues Study Guide on 'The Church and Homosexuality'
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) mailed about 18,000 copies of "Journey Together Faithfully, Part Two: The Church and Homosexuality" on Sept. 5 to the pastors and lay leaders of the church. A task force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality compiled the 49-page study guide and...
Lutherans Help Children Cope with Sept. 11
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Many children from New York and New Jersey are still affected by the terrorist attacks on the United States Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Rev. Ann M. Tiemeyer. "New Ground Day Camp," a children's day camp hosted by Lutherans, provided a way for those children to...
