wfn.org | ELCA Secretary: Membership Stable, Income Up

[NEWS <NEWS@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 15, 1998

ELCA MEMBERSHIP STABLE,
INCOME UP, SAYS ELCA SECRETARY
98-CC2-06-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) for 1997 remained stable, but income for congregations grew
beyond the $2 billion milestone, said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, secretary
of the ELCA, in a report to the ELCA Church Council.
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the
legislative authority of the church between meetings of the ELCA's
Churchwide Assembly.  The council is meeting here Nov. 13-16.  Assemblies
are held every other year; the next is August 16-22 in Denver.
     Total baptized membership in the ELCA is 5,185,055, down only 2,308
from the previous year, he reported.
     Total income was up $133,397,469 --  more than seven percent -- for a
total just over $2 billion, Almen said.  In addition, he reported savings,
endowments and memorial funds in congregations totaled some $1.2 billion.
     Almen also said the ELCA reached an agreement with the Village of
Rosemont, Ill., for the sale of the building that serves as the site of the
archives of the ELCA.  The village previously notified the ELCA that it
wanted the property on which the building is located for a development
project.  Negotiations for the sale resulted in an agreement without
litigation, Almen said.
     New sites for the archives have been located and are under
consideration.
     "I am mindful that we must be good stewards of the records entrusted
to us for the preservation of significant aspects of Lutheran history in
North America,' Almen said. "We are dealing with not only the ELCA's
decades-long history, but also the records of our predecessor church
bodies, the records of cooperative Lutheranism in the 20th century, and
records and artifacts stretching back into the emerging days of Lutherans
in North America."
     Almen expressed gratitude to several people, including the Rev. Paul
R. Nelson, ELCA's director for worship, their leadership in the historic
Service of Holy Communion Oct. 4 in Chicago that marked the approval of the
Lutheran-Reformed "Formula of Agreement."
     More than 1,500 people attended the service celebrating the agreement
among the ELCA, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in
America and United Church of Christ.
     Calling the service "the marking of a milestone," Almen said
ecumenism is a journey of "grand hope and marvelous discovery."
     David Hardy, first general counsel for the ELCA churchwide
organization, was saluted by Almen and the council for his longtime
service, which will conclude Jan. 31, 1999.  Hardy served as counsel for
eight years and two years ago shifted to part-time "senior attorney"
status.
     Phillip H. Harris succeeded Hardy as the ELCA's full-time general
counsel.  In addition, Scott Fintzen of Geneva, Ill. accepted a position in
the ELCA Office of the Secretary as associate general counsel Sept. 1.

For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director (773) 380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html