ELCA NEWS SERVICE August 12, 2003 ELCA Assembly Learns about Evangelism Strategy 03-CWA-11-MR MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" was presented Aug. 12 to the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 11-17 at the Midwest Airlines Center. There are about 2,500 people participating, including 1,031 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: For the Healing of the World." Sharing Faith in a New Century is the proposed evangelism strategy for the ELCA. The 2001 Churchwide Assembly called for the development of a comprehensive strategy on evangelism for the church. It received "A Telling Witness of God's Good News," the evangelism strategy report from 1991-2001 and, in receiving that report, the assembly authorized the presiding bishop of the ELCA -- in consultation with the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries and other churchwide offices -- to establish a task force for the development of an evangelism strategy. "An increasing spiritual hunger makes this a very good time for congregations and all expressions of the ELCA to give witness and testimony to Jesus Christ. More than 140 million [people] in the United States" are not members of a church, and "yet 96 percent of the population said it believes in God," said the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive director, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries. "It is the dream of the task force to see this church spiritually renewed, transformed and empowered to passionately give witness to Christ," she said. Bullock noted that one of the five proposed strategic directions for the ELCA -- to be considered by the 2003 Churchwide Assembly -- is evangelism, which also served as the assembly's primary focus for the day. "Centered in word and sacrament, committed to serving others, evangelism is witnessing to the good news of Jesus Christ," the Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, Rockford, Ill., told the assembly. Wollersheim, chair of the evangelism task force, identified four core values of the strategy: "Witness by all the baptized," life-long faith formation, justice and mercy for all creation and becoming an "anti-racist, multicultural church." Wollersheim also noted four major objectives of the strategy. They are calling the church to prayer, preparing and renewing evangelical leaders, teaching discipleship and starting and renewing congregations. The assembly engaged in a 30-minute "quasi committee of the whole" to hold a "general discussion" about the proposed evangelism strategy. Russell J. Speidel, voting member, ELCA Eastern Washington- Idaho Synod, requested that a member of the evangelism task force suggest a way that Lutherans can "hold one another accountable" to the actions of the proposed strategy. In response, Wollersheim highlighted the plans of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod. "We plan to ask every congregation in the synod to develop a mission plan and submit the plan to the synod," he said. Jonathan Kempe, voting member, ELCA Southwestern Washington Synod, said many young people "sleep in on Sunday morning. Many are not attracted to the church." Kempe said that the ELCA must be proactive in making known "what the church can offer" young people. "It is the responsibility of the church to make the gospel known," he added. The Rev. Per C. Nilsen, voting member, ELCA St. Paul Area Synod, offered his support of the strategy and said he would pray that "when all is said and done, more is done than said." On Aug. 13, the assembly will vote on the adoption of Sharing Faith in a New Century to become an official strategy of the church, and is expected to refer the proposed actions outlined in the strategy to the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop for attention to the church's overall strategic planning process and to the appropriate churchwide units for study and implementation. -- -- -- Information on the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is available at http://www.elca.org/assembly03 on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news