ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 11, 2007
ELCA Assembly Approves Budgets for 2008 and 2009 07-CWA-040-LL*
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved budget proposals Aug. 10 for 2008 and 2009 The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6- 11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,069 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
The adopted budget for 2008 includes a "current fund fiscal year income proposal" of $81,670,000 and a World Hunger income proposal of $19,250,000. For 2009, the assembly adopted current fund fiscal year income proposal of $81,920,000 and a World Hunger income proposal of $20 million.
The 2008-2009 proposals take into consideration structural and organizational changes voting members approved at this assembly.
In discussions and reports earlier in the week, leaders of the churchwide organization emphasized that in recent years increasing revenue available for church operations has enabled the possibility of expanding ministry and outreach in a number of areas.
The Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration, office of the ELCA Presiding Bishop, pointed out in a plenary session Aug. 9 that ELCA budgets have essentially remained at about the same level since the church body was formed in 1987.
ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-Skelton told the assembly that she was cautiously optimistic about current budgetary figures and had high hopes for the World Hunger program in the coming fiscal years.
The adopted income budget designated 81.2 percent to mission support with 19.1 percent going to world hunger, with $6.9 million for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and $4.9 million for Lutheran World Relief (LWR).
The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF now has 141 member churches in 78 countries.
Baltimore-based LWR is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
The budget was passed with a vote of 800 to 7.
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Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
* Lauren A. Lamb is a senior public relations and speech communication major at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog