wfn.org | ELCA Will "Develop Leaders for the Next Century"

[NEWS <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

February 16, 1999

ELCA WILL "DEVELOP LEADERS FOR THE NEXT CENTURY"
99-06-33-MS*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Team leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's (ELCA) initiative to "develop leaders for the next century" have
awarded $57,900 in grants to 34 congregations, synods, projects and agencies
of the ELCA.  
     A goal of the initiative is to develop leaders that will "minister to an
increasingly complex and rapidly changing society" by providing educational
opportunities and financial support.
     The grants were given to projects that pair experienced leaders with
potential candidates for congregation and institutional leadership, establish
resource networks, and "immerse" leaders "in the life of a culture or
organization." 
     "We were inspired to see so much creativity in the applications," said
the Rev. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod.  "The
requests for grants showed innovative ideas and alliances for developing young
leaders for the church at a very critical time."  Ullestad chairs the
initiative team. 
     Examples of successful applications came from Lutheran Social Services
(LSS) of Metropolitan New York; Ascension Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, and
First Lutheran Church, Carson, Calif.; and the ELCA Northwestern Minnesota
Synod based in Duluth.
     In Metropolitan New York, six Lutheran congregations in the South Bronx
will sponsor a program to recruit "mentors" for children in LSS foster,
boarding and group homes. The program calls for training leaders to work with
foster children aged 12 and older.
     "Besides offering youngsters an adult friend and role model, these
mentors will provide young people with access to employment, educational
opportunities and social resources," the application says.
      Members of Ascension and First Lutheran Churches will select youth from
the congregations and community who have demonstrated leadership potential in
school.  Ranging in age from 12 to 24, young people will be paired with an
adult to help develop skills in public speaking, small group leadership,
written and oral presentations, conducting effective meetings and identifying
community resources. 
     The ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod has invited lay Hispanic leaders
to attend a leadership training in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.  The training
will provide opportunities for work in the synod.
     LSS of Metropolitan New York and the congregations in California will
receive $2,000 each over the next two years.  The Northwestern Minnesota Synod
project will receive $1,500 in the same period. 
     Team leaders of the ELCA initiative will plan an event -- "What Makes
Good Leaders Tick?" -- Feb. 19-21, 1999 in Chicago.  The event will bring
together leaders "who have modeled leadership traits through various walks of
life in order to see what the church can learn about identifying leaders for
the next century, and how we can help people to recognize their potential for
leadership," Ullestad said.
     In addition to the three programs, the following organizations were
awarded grants: 
     + The ELCA's Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, $1,500
     + "Evangelizing More Boldly," Gainesville, Fla., $2,000
     + Santa Cruz Lutheran Church, Joliet, Ill., $2,000
     + Lutheran Ministry, Fenway, Mass., $2,000
     + Northern Rockies Institute of Theology, Great Falls, Mont., $2,000
     + Big Spring Lutheran Ministry Co-op, Newville, Pa., $2,000 
     + Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, $2,000
     + Koinonia Lutheran Camp, Highland, N.Y., $2,000 
     + Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Prison and Family Ministry, Des
Plaines,
     Ill.,  $2,000
     + First Lutheran Church, Kearny, N.J., $800 
     + Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D., $2,000
     + Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry, Cook, Minn., $1,000
     + Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Box Elder, Mont., $2,000
     + Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago, $2,000 
     + St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Woodbridge, Va., $800
     + Lutheran Ministries, Rockford, Ill., $2,000
     + Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Albany, Ore., $700
     + Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Center, Grand Forks, N.D., $2,000
     + Lutheran Counseling Services, Inc., Winter Park, Fla., $1,000
     + Region 3, ELCA, St. Paul, Minn., $2,000
     + Churches' Center for Land and People, Sinsinawa, Wis., $2,000
     + Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, North Quincy, Mass., $1,500
     + Lutheran Campus Ministry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.,
$1,100
     + Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria, Washington, D.C., $2,000
     + North/West Lower Michigan Synod, Lansing, Mich., $2,000
     + East Bay Conference of Churches, Oakland, Calif., $2,000
     + Prison Congregations of America, Vermillion, S.C., $2,000
     + EWALU Camp and Retreat Center, Strawberry Point, Iowa, $2,000
     + Lutheran Campus Ministry, Fresno, Calif., $2,000
     + Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, Washington,
D.C., $1,000
     + St. Dysmas Congregation in Springfield, Menno, S.D., $1,000
     All 34 grant recipients will furnish follow-up reports to the initiative
team.
     In 1997 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly selected seven significant areas of
ministry for the 21st century.  From that the ELCA has begun planning for new
ways to deepen worship life, teach the faith, witness God's action in the
world, strengthen one another in mission, provide a safe place for children,
connect with youth and young adults, and provide leadership development.
     Leadership teams were formed early last year to provide overall guidance
for the work of congregations, synods and churchwide organizations.  Team
leaders help provide an overall picture of how the church may be different as
a result of the Initiatives.

*Mark Staples is coordinator of publications and public information for The
        Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.
                               
 For information contact:
 John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
 http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html