wfn.org | ELCA Board Reviews Youth, Worship, Stewardship, Evangelism Plans

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 9, 2001

ELCA BOARD REVIEWS YOUTH, WORSHIP, STEWARDSHIP, EVANGELISM PLANS
01-282-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- To help enhance the ministries of 10,816
congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the
board for the church's Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM)
authorized an open review of a preliminary draft on "principles for
worship," endorsed a new multi-year plan for youth ministries and viewed
a new Web site on giving when it met here Nov. 2-4.
     "Renewing Worship," a five-year plan for developing "the next
generation of worship resources" for the ELCA, is near the end of its
first phase of work, said the Rev. Michael L. Burk, director for
worship, DCM.
     Phase one began with a series of consultations on four topics:
music, preaching, language and worship space.  Writing teams from each
consultation met between sessions to consolidate information.  They have
developed a preliminary draft of "principles" for worship based on the
four consultation topics.  Another consultation will take place this
month to "fine tune" the draft and make it available for study and
response from the ELCA's 5.13 million members.
     Beginning Dec. 10, the draft will be available at
www.renewingworship.org on the Internet.  Members of the church who wish
to respond to the draft will have the opportunity to do so in an open
review on the Web, said Burk.  An attempt will be made to "engage the
whole church on what are the fundamental principles for worship in a way
that will include as many voices as possible," he told the board.  The
draft will also be made available on paper.
     The board will consider the draft in February 2002.
     In fall 2000 the boards for DCM and Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA's
publishing house based in Minneapolis, endorsed a plan for worship
renewal.  Renewing Worship includes five components: a consultative
process to develop principles for language and culture, music, worship
space and environment, and preaching; a series of working groups that
will develop and revise worship materials based on "The Use of the Means
of Grace" -- the church's statement on sacramental practices -- and
principles for worship; liturgical and musical resource proposals that
emerge from the working groups; regional conferences for conversation,
resource introduction and congregational feedback; and the drafting of a
comprehensive proposal for new primary worship resources designed to
succeed the Lutheran Book of Worship.
     The board also focused its attention on endorsing a new plan for
the Youth Ministries and Gathering team.  The team provides resources,
information and programs for people who work with youth and young
adults, ages 12 through 30.  Every three years, youth ministries and
gathering staff organize an international worship and learning event for
thousands of high-school-age and adult Lutherans in two back-to-back
events held in the United States.  The next ELCA Youth Gathering will be
held July16-20 and July 23-27, 2003, in Atlanta.
     The "Youth Ministries/Gathering Strategic Plan for 2001-2004" is
comprised of a new mission and vision statement, working values, a list
of partners or "alliances," strategic directions and outcomes, and a
time line.
     The mission statement is "to build and cultivate the capacity of
the church to serve youth, young adults, and families so all may live
for the glory of the Triune God and for the good of creation."  Youth
ministries envision an "inclusive baptized communion of biblically and
spiritually rooted young people and adults."
     In a real-time demonstration on the Internet, board members viewed
"Giving Basket," a new feature on www.elca.org -- the ELCA's Web site.
     "Giving Basket" provides an opportunity for members of the ELCA to
make online donations to support ELCA ministries, said Marcie Rogers,
DCM director for development services.  The site --
www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/giving.asp -- provides instruction on
how to use the Giving Basket, a list of ELCA ministries accepting
contributions, information on giving stock and links to other giving
areas.
     Credit card donations can be made directly on the Web site.  Gifts
may be designated for ELCA ministries listed.  Credit card information
is protected on the site, Rogers said.
     "The site is really about building friendships, not just about
making transactions," Rogers told the board.
     The board moved to have "every giving opportunity in the ELCA
churchwide organization" available on the church's Web site.  The board
directed DCM executive directors and stewardship staff "to pursue future
giving opportunities" on the Internet.
     In other business, the board:
+ received results of a study on the "working relationship" between DCM
and Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA publishing house.  The study, conducted
by the ELCA Division for Research and Evaluation, summarizes the
"critical issues" between DCM and Augsburg Fortress that need to be
addressed in order to "strengthen and maintain" their working
relationship.  At its meeting last spring, the DCM board requested an
evaluation and authorized the division's executive directors to
"investigate alternative means of publishing, producing and distributing
resources" designed to assist congregations in carrying out their
ministries.
+ forwarded a Nov. 3 letter to the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop
of the ELCA. The letter expresses the board's gratitude for the 2001
ELCA Churchwide Assembly's adoption of "Toward a Vision for Evangelism
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Sharing Faith in a New
Century," the church's strategy on evangelism.  It calls for the
presiding bishop to appoint a "Blue Ribbon Task Force" and to define the
task force's work. The board formally requested funding from the ELCA
Church Council to continue development of the strategy through the task
force.
+ "recognized and affirmed" a new grassroots association of Christian
educators affiliated with DCM's Christian education and evangelism team
and Augsburg Fortress.  The association, tentatively called Lutheran
Association of Christian Educators (LACE), is made up of volunteer
Christian education professionals, Sunday school teachers, associates in
ministry (AIM), congregations and others.
+ elected the Rev. Mark R. Moller-Gunderson and the Rev. M. Wyvetta
Bullock to four-year terms as executive directors of DCM, effective Nov.
1.  Moller-Gunderson has served in his DCM executive director role since
1992.  Bullock has served as executive director since 1995.
+ elected Karen Walhof, Minneapolis, board chair; Robert A. Sandoval,
Albuquerque, N.M., vice chair; Fran Burnford, AIM, Glendale, Calif.,
secretary; and Kimberly A. Vaughn, Durham, N.C., and Michael E. Krentz,
Bethlehem, Pa., members-at-large.
+ received a report from Joyce B. Cain, executive director, Lutheran
Laity Movement (LLM), an organization that seeks to "lift up stewardship
as a way of life."  Cain announced the newly-elected LLM board: Charles
Lindquist, Northville, Mich., president; William Brenner, Richboro, Pa.,
vice president; Judith Ford Houser, Cherryville, N.C., secretary; and
Dean Arnold, Colorado Springs, Colo., treasurer.  Cain said the new
"Good Stewardship" Award recipient was the Rev. Louis R. Forney, King of
Kings Lutheran Church, Shelby Township, Mich.

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