wfn.org | ELCA Council Receives Evangelism Report, Approves Funds

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 9, 2002

ELCA COUNCIL RECEIVES EVANGELISM REPORT, APPROVES FUNDS
02-77-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) received a report on the church's plan for
evangelism and approved an additional $200,000 to support the work of
a "Blue Ribbon" task force assigned to develop a comprehensive
strategy on evangelism.
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves
as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide
assemblies.  The council met here April 5-7.  Assemblies are held
every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
     The council moved to encourage the 5.13 million members of the
ELCA to "participate actively" in prayer, study and conversation
about witness and evangelism.
     In August 2001 the Churchwide Assembly adopted "Toward a Vision
for Evangelism: Sharing Faith in a New Century" designed to encourage
the 10,816 congregations of the ELCA to examine their own ministry of
hospitality, review the opportunities for sharing "God's Good News"
with people in their unique setting, and develop ways to meet,
engage, witness to and invite people to faith in Jesus Christ.
     The assembly instructed the ELCA Division for Congregational
Ministries, the church's Conference of Bishops -- an advisory body of
the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and secretary -- and
other ELCA churchwide offices to establish a Blue Ribbon task force
that will develop a strategy for presentation and possible action at
the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
     Through its program and services committee, the council
received a report that contained a time line for the development of
the evangelism strategy and the organization and structure of the
task force.
     The council commended the Division for Congregational
Ministries for appointing the 32-member task force comprised of 13
active parish pastors, 11 lay leaders and other members of the ELCA.
The division's board named the members of the task force at its
meeting here Feb. 15-17.  The inaugural meeting of the task force
will be held April 18-20 in St. Charles, Ill.
     The task force will receive input from DCM, especially the
division's education and evangelism team, and from the ELCA Office of
the Presiding Bishop.  The task force will be guided by a small core
team, chosen from its members, and four sub-teams that will attend to
the tasks of Toward A Vision for Evangelism.
     The Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop for the ELCA Northern
Illinois Synod, Rockford, was appointed to chair the task force.  The
council invited Wollersheim to meet with members of the council's
budget and finance committee for conversation about the ongoing funds
needed for the development of the evangelism strategy.  The committee
will meet in November.
     In November 2001, the council authorized $250,000 to finance
start-up costs for the development of the evangelism strategy.

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