wfn.org | ELCA Bishops Told of Early Progress of Evangelism Task Force

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 26, 2002

ELCA BISHOPS TOLD OF EARLY PROGRESS OF EVANGELISM TASK FORCE
02-062-JB

     VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- Implementing an evangelism strategy for
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a "daunting task,'
in part because the church's membership has declined while the general
population has grown, said the chair of a 32-member task force on
evangelism appointed by the board of the ELCA Division for
Congregational Ministries in February.
     The Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois
Synod, Rockford,  delivered a brief report to the ELCA Conference of
Bishops which met here March 7-12.
     The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church.
Its members include the church's 65 synod bishops, ELCA presiding bishop
and ELCA secretary.  The ELCA bishops met here at the invitation of the
bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
     The task force is charged to "recommend plans and specific actions
for the future evangelism ministry of this church," according to a
resolution adopted by the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the church's
chief legislative authority. The assembly called for presentation of a
comprehensive evangelism strategy for possible action at the 2003 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee.
     The first meeting of the newly appointed task force is April 18-20
at the Center for Professional Education, St. Charles, Ill.  The Church
Council, the ELCA's board of directors, allocated an initial $250,000 in
November 2001 to fund the work of the task force.
     In his remarks to the bishops, Wollersheim said evangelism is an
uncomfortable subject for many Lutherans, and many don't like to talk
about or participate in evangelism efforts.  Television evangelists and
church growth movements "have soured us," he said.  "But if we are to be
faithful stewards of the mission field which God has given us, we will
strive to grow in our depth and breadth," he said.  The mission field
includes new immigrants, a growing population, a population in which 50
percent is "unchurched," and spiritual hunger, Wollersheim said.
     He told the bishops that the "treasures of the church" -- Word and
Sacrament, grace, community, liturgy, and ministries of mercy and
justice -- are powerful witnesses to the gospel.
     "Let there be no apology for us confessing that the church is a
tool of God to make Christ known," Wollersheim added.
     Wollersheim invited the bishops and others to provide input into
the task force's work.
     "Part of our challenge is to hope that the Holy Spirit will open
the lips of the laity," said the Rev. Marcus C. Lohrmann, in response to
Wollersheim's remarks.  Lohrmann is bishop of the ELCA Northwestern Ohio
Synod, Findlay.
     "We need to equip the laity to be the spokespeople for the
gospel," he added.
     The Conference of Bishops also heard updates on other matters
before the church:
     + The ELCA is embarking on a strategic planning process, with a
report and recommendations to be considered at the 2003 Churchwide
Assembly, said the Rev. Charles S. Miller, ELCA executive for
administration, Office of the Presiding Bishop.  Proposed by the Rev.
Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, Miller said strategic planning
can be "imaginative, creative, groundbreaking and even fun."
     This spring, voting members and participants at synod assemblies
will become involved in the process through discussions.  A Web site
will soon be launched which will summarize synod assembly discussions
and offer a place for members' suggestions, Miller said.
     "It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our planning
endeavor is mission-centered," Miller told the bishops.
     + Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, the Vatican, will visit the ELCA churchwide
offices in Chicago April 16, Hanson announced.  Kasper coordinates
dialogues and relationships with other churches for the Vatican. He was
an important player for the Roman Catholic Church in discussions that
led to the signing of the "Joint Declaration on Justification by Faith"
by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in 1999.  The LWF
is a global communion of Lutheran churches, representing 133 churches in
73 countries, including the ELCA.

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