wfn.org | ELCA Latino Congregations Talk Together about Tough Issues

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 31, 2001

ELCA LATINO CONGREGATIONS TALK TOGETHER ABOUT TOUGH ISSUES
01-222-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA)   "Dialogando en Conjunto como Cristianos"
(Talking Together as Christians) is a new Spanish-language resource
designed for Latino congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) to talk together about difficult ethical and social
issues.
     The resource "presents a process which helps Latino Christians
deal with issues  they think are important to their life in a way
that tries to be sensitive to their culture," said the Rev. Ronald W.
Duty, assistant director for studies, ELCA Division for Church in
Society.
     "It guides Latino Christian ministries through the various
steps needed to have good conversation together after they realize
they need to talk about an issue," Duty said.
     The 37-page, soft-bound resource contains chapters on how
congregations can form leadership and planning teams, invite people
to talk together, lead the actual conversations, and make decisions
on how groups can take action together.
     "When we talk together in unity as Christians, the Holy Spirit
is active in the lives of our Christian communities, guiding them to
faithful witness and service as the people of God," Duty said.
     The resource was produced by the ELCA Division for Church in
Society.  The division also created "Talking Together as Christians
About Tough Social Issues," a congregational deliberation guide and
moral deliberation training program launched in 1999.
     Dialogando en Conjunto como Cristianos was first used with
members of Latino ministries at an ELCA training event, "Ocupandonos
de asuntos deficiles" (Engaging Tough Issues), Oct. 6-8, 2000, Duty
said.
     The event featured three different workshop tracks   two in
English and one in Spanish   that addressed "talking about tough
issues, organizing and acting together as Christian congregations and
ministries for witness to God's action in the world."
     In 1997 the ELCA designated "Initiatives for a New Century,"
significant areas of ministry for the new century.  Leadership teams
were formed in 1998 to provide overall guidance for the work of
congregations, synods and the churchwide organization on each of the
initiatives.
     The leadership team "Witness to God's Action in the World:
Moral Deliberation and Community Renewal" organized the "Engaging
Tough Issues" workshop around three goals:
+ Learn helpful ways to talk together as Christians about tough
ethical or social issues facing congregations or ministries as a
process for discerning the Spirit together in local settings.
+ Develop new skills for faith-based organizing and action to talk
about and address tough issues or conditions challenging ministries
or communities.
+ Grow in the capacity to witness to God's action when dealing with
tough ethical and social issues in congregations, ministries or
communities.
-- -- --
     For a copy of "Dialogando en Conjunto como Cristianos" contact
Augsburg Fortress Publishers (AFP) at (800) 328-4648.  AFP, based in
Minneapolis, is the publishing house of the ELCA.

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