wfn.org | ELCA Prepares to Form Rural Ministry Alliance

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 4, 2002

ELCA PREPARES TO FORM RURAL MINISTRY ALLIANCE
02-212-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The rural ministry advisory committee of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach met
here Aug. 23-25 and drew up preliminary plans for an alliance of the
church's rural ministry interests.  The ELCA Rural Ministry Alliance, to
be organized next year, grew from several directives the ELCA Churchwide
Assembly gave last year to support small town and rural ministry.
     "The ELCA rural alliance is a new way of reaching out from a
particular context," coordinating the various rural ministry programs of
the church, said Sandra A. LaBlanc, director for rural ministry
resources and networking, ELCA Division for Outreach, Des Moines, Iowa.
     "The National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC) was one model
of an alliance that was suggested we look at," said LaBlanc, an ELCA
associate in ministry and a member of the NCRLC board of directors.  The
NCRLC is an independent but authorized agent of the Catholic Church,
affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, she
said.
     LaBlanc said the NCRLC deals exclusively with rural ministry
issues, drawing together the efforts of Catholic dioceses, state
conference offices, Catholic Charities units, the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development, and just about any college, institution or order in
the Catholic Church with an interest in rural ministry.
     A convening meeting of the ELCA Rural Ministry Alliance will be
Feb. 19-21 here at the Lutheran Center, LaBlanc said.  The agenda and
list of invited guests will be developed in the coming months, she said.
     "The structure of the alliance will be secondary to its mission,"
said the Rev. Russell O. Siler, director, Lutheran Office for
Governmental Affairs, Washington, D.C.  Bring together those interested
and working in rural ministry, he said, "then we will determine the
structure that will help us maximize all these marvelous resources and
people."
     The alliance grows out of actions taken by the 2001 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly, said Siler, chair of the advisory committee.  "The
church looked at its rural ministry and said 'so much done, so much more
to do' and determined that we really needed to commit more of our energy
and resources toward that end," he said.
     The assembly expressed concern about situations in U.S. farm and
rural communities and repeated calls for prayer and advocacy for those
caught in the "family-farm crisis" along with study of the challenges
they face.  It commended the church's rural ministry efforts, asked
LaBlanc to continue identifying resources and building ecumenical links,
and proposed adding more staff to the task.
     "Rather than saying we'll add another person or another two
people, we will try to bring together resources from all over the church
covering the breadth and depth and scope of the church's ministry now,"
said Siler.  He said the rural ministry alliance will include churchwide
agencies, grassroots organizations and those part of or closely related
to the ELCA who are interested in "ministering with and to folks living
in rural and small town America."
     The Rev. Charles S. Miller, ELCA executive for administration and
executive assistant to the presiding bishop, led the advisory committee
in a full day of discussions exploring possibilities of a rural
alliance.
     "All areas of this church's ministry are encouraged to engage in
strategic thinking and planning," said Miller, who is overseeing a
churchwide process of strategic planning.  A plan for the church is
expected to be presented for consideration by the ELCA Church Council in
spring 2003.
     "A challenge we all face in the church is connecting our vision
for mission and ministry with our human and financial resources.  This
is true for the very important arena of rural ministry," Miller said
after the meeting.
     "Thanks to the rural ministry advisory committee for their
willingness to step out and contemplate new strategic ways of assisting
the ELCA in its vast and diverse rural ministries.
     "The vision under development by the committee comes at an
critical time.  It reminds us of the integral nature of rural ministry
to ELCA mission as the churchwide planning process begins to identify
priorities for the future, and it offers, as well, a pilot in organizing
for mission," said Miller.
     LaBlanc said results of the February meeting could serve as a
progress report to the next ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August 2003.
     Helen R. Harms, an ELCA associate in ministry, Wheeling, W.Va.,
reported to the advisory committee on a study of "multiple-point
parishes" the ELCA is conducting.  Multiple-point parishes are settings
where two or more congregations combine their assets to support their
ministries -- usually in rural areas.
     Some preliminary findings stressed the need for strong
relationships and communication within an effective multiple-point
parish, said Harms.  While each congregation retains its own history,
identity and traditions, she said, together they are committed to a
clear, common purpose.
     Harms leads the church's Small Town and Rural (STaR) team.  She is
the Division for Outreach mission director for western Maryland, western
Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
     The STaR team and ELCA Department for Research and Evaluation plan
to present a final report to the Division for Outreach board, when it
meets here Sept. 27-29, said Harms.
-- -- --
     The ELCA Division for Outreach maintains rural ministry
information at http://www.elca.org/do/ruralministry.html on the Web.
     The ELCA's strategic planning process, "Faithful Yet Changing:
ELCA Planning for Mission," is featured at http://www.elca.org/planning/
on the Web.

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