Leaders Respond To, Prevent Clergy Sexual Abuse in the ELCA
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- It may be one of the toughest jobs in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- listening very carefully to accusations of clergy sexual abuse, providing information about procedures to respond, providing pastoral care for all involved and taking action. The key 130 people who deal...
Lutherans Discuss the Future of Worship
ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) -- "Worship is like a gas station where people get spiritually tanked up for the week," said Marty Haugen, a liturgical composer from Eagan, Minn. "Liturgy is about invitation and conversion." Haugen spoke to more than 450 musicians, pastors, seminary professors and worship leaders of the Evangelical...
American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples Discuss Concerns
HOUSTON (ELCA) -- "'Preparing the Way' was an event that brought together 62 American Indian and Alaska Native Lutherans from all over across the United States," said Marilyn Sorensen-Bush, director for Native American Ministries in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Commission for Multicultural Ministries. "Preparing the Way" was...
Carl Volz, Church Historian, Died
ST. PAUL, Minn. (ELCA) -- Dr. Carl A. Volz, professor of church history at Luther Seminary, died Dec. 3 at his home in St. Paul at the age of 65. Volz taught for 24 years at Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and for...
Correction: Guidelines on Lutheran-jewish Relations
For information contact: Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director 1-773-380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
Lutherans Gather to Pursue Their Multicultural Mission
HOUSTON (ELCA) -- "At its beginnings the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared its intention to be an 'inclusive community' and defined the accomplishment of that goal as of having at least 10 percent of its membership be people of color and/or whose primary language is other than English," said...
Lutheran Church in Puerto Rico Celebrates Centennial
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (ELCA) -- Lutherans in Puerto Rico and from around the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Lutheran presence in Puerto Rico through a festive worship service here Oct. 31 at the Interamericana University of Puerto Rico. More than 1,000 Lutherans attended the two-hour worship service organized...
ELCA Congregations Become 'Alive in Christ'
for "Alive in Christ: Equipping Congregations for the 21st Century," an event organized by the ELCA's Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM). The Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock and the Rev. Mark R. Moller-Gunderson, DCM executive directors, presented a summary of the best practices of ELCA congregations engaged in effective ministry and...
Tsui Receives Nobel Prize for Physics
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Daniel C. Tsui, a graduate of Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., received the Nobel Prize for Physics. Augustana is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Tsui is the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., a fellow of...
Roger Kahle, Lutheran Journalist, Died
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Roger R. Kahle, an international journalist who covered Lutheran issues and events for 35 years, died of heart failure Dec. 1 at the age of 55. Kahle was managing editor of The Lutheran, magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and president of...
Lutherans In Puerto Rico 'Communicate Hope' To The World
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (ELCA) -- "The Lutheran church in Puerto Rico has become rich in tradition, rich in leadership, rich in service and rich in faith," said the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "It has done this despite many challenges...
Harvard Divinity Dean Stepping Down
HARVARD DIVINITY DEAN STEPPING DOWN 98-41-235-Harvard University Gazette CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (ELCA) -- The Rev. Ronald F. Thiemann, dean of the Divinity School at Harvard University here since 1986, announced Nov. 13 that he will step down from the deanship and return to teaching and research. Thiemann is a pastor of...
Four Lutherans Receive 1998 Wittenberg Awards
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Luther Institute awarded four Wittenberg Awards "to honor outstanding Lutheran laity and clergy for their service to = church and society" Nov. 20 in Washington, D.C. The four honorees were Bishop April Ulring Larson, Willmar Thorkelson, Shirley D. Peterson Esq. and the Honorable Eckhard Naumarm. Bishop...
Managed Care Expanding for ELCA Board of Pensions
MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- To contain costs, trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Board of Pensions voted to "continue to maintain a single national health plan" while expanding its managed care programs nationwide. Such programs would include point-of-service = networks and preferred provider organization networks. The Board said...
ELCA Identity Project Gets $1.5 Million Boost
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will receive a $1.5 million grant from Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society based in Appleton, Wis. Over the next two years, the grant will provide matching funds to support local and regional use of advertising materials of...
ELCA Adopts Guidelines on Lutheran-Jewish Relations
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) now has "suggestions" for fostering Lutheran-Jewish dialogue and cooperation. The ELCA Church Council adopted "Guidelines for Lutheran- Jewish Relations" when it met here Nov. 13-16. The 37-member council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority...
ELCA Challenged to Start 2,000 New Congregations
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 11,000 congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have been challenged to start 2,000 new congregations between 2000 and 2020. The Rev. Richard A. Magnus, executive director of the ELCA's Division for Outreach, told the ELCA Church Council that existing congregations can "take advantage...
ELCA Reviews its Ministries among Persons with Disabilities
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has taken a close look at the various facets of its ministries among persons with disabilities. The ELCA Church Council approved "The Final Report of the Comprehensive Study of Ministry With and Among Persons Who Are Deaf and Persons with...
Council Fills Vacancies on ELCA Boards, Committees
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) filled a number of vacancies on boards and committees when it met here Nov. 13-16. It also named the members of two committees to serve the ELCA Churchwide Assembly August 16-22, 1999, in Denver. The council...
Talks Authorized Between ELCA and Missouri Synod
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) will begin formal conversations in June 1999. The ELCA Church Council authorized Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson to convene a representative 10-member panel "to discuss interchurch matters" with counterparts in the LCMS. The council...
