wfn.org | ELCA Assembly Receives Preliminary Budget

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 10, 2001

ELCA ASSEMBLY RECEIVES PRELIMINARY BUDGET
01-CWA27-LJ

     INDIANAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The first presentation of the 2002 and 2003
fiscal year budget proposals for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) came before the 2001 Churchwide Assembly in a plenary
session here Aug. 9.  The Rev. Robert N. Bacher, ELCA executive for
administration, presented the proposals totaling more than $103 million
for fiscal year 2002 and more than $105 million for fiscal year 2003.
This is the first time the yearly budgets have been more than $100
million.
     The Churchwide Assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the Indiana Convention Center.  There
are more than 2,000 people participating, including 1,040 ELCA voting
members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known:
Sharing Faith in a New Century."
     The churchwide budget funds program units of the church, and its
domestic and international ministries.
     Bacher used charts and graphs to give the broad outlines of the
budgets to the assembly.  He noted "that although the church has been in
the black for the last 10 years, there is a growing concern that income
is not increasing sufficiently to support increases in compensation for
present staff, kept constant over the past four years; increasing health
care costs for present and retired employees; ecumenical funding from
previous councils and federations to new cooperative activities with
churches."
     Bacher noted,  "There is also the Generation X, coming up with new
ideas of both funding and spending and bringing new perceptions and
'smarts' to churchwide work and church giving."
     Included in the budgets are the ELCA World Hunger Appeal proposals
of $16.5 million in 2002 and $17 million in 2003.
-- -- --
     Information about assembly actions is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/01 on the ELCA's Web site.  Recorded
updates during the assembly are available by calling 773/380-2477.

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