Title: ELCA Assembly Hears Report of Vice President and Church Council
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 9, 2001

ELCA ASSEMBLY HEARS REPORT OF VICE PRESIDENT AND CHURCH COUNCIL
01-CWA15-MM*

     INDIANAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Dr. Addie J. Butler, vice president of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), gave a report of the
Church Council to the 2001 Churchwide Assembly.  As vice president,
Butler chairs the Church Council.
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the Indiana Convention Center.  There
are more than 2,000 people participating, including 1,040 ELCA voting
members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known:
Sharing Faith in a New Century."
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as
the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide
assemblies.  "Several action items before the assembly come to you from
the Church Council," Butler said to the assembly.  "Part of the Church
Council's work is to respond to 1999 [ELCA] churchwide assembly actions
and prepare for the 2001 [ELCA] churchwide assembly," she said.
     The Church Council made several recommendations, one being a
proposal for a new evangelism strategy.   "Jesus said 'go therefore and
make disciples,' yet membership in the ELCA has been in slow decline
since the mid to late 1960s," said Butler.
     Included in the recommendations was a report on new evangelism
strategies to reach out to Latinos and Asian and Pacific Islanders.
"These evangelism strategies are needed to arrest and revert these
trends [membership decline]," said Butler.  "The Church Council feels
that these strategies are a step in the right direction," she said.
     A proposal that calls for support from ELCA congregations for
"Stand With Africa: A Campaign of Hope -- "a three-year campaign
coordinated by the ELCA World Hunger Program, Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod (LCMS) and Lutheran World Relief that focuses on issues
significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, food security, and peace and
reconciliation -- was also recommended by the council.  "Remember that
Jesus says to us, as Jesus said to Peter, 'Do you love me?  If so, then
feed my sheep and my lambs,'" said Butler.
     The Church Council recommended the assembly accept the invitation
to become "a partner in mission and dialogue" with Churches Uniting in
Christ, a project for greater unity among nine Protestant church bodies,
said Butler.  "No, this is not another proposal for full communion,
rather this action would provide an opportunity for strengthening
mission through local implementation of efforts to combat racism, engage
in other local ecumenical endeavors, as well as offering avenues for
dialogue on concerns within a wider ecumenical community," she said.
     Other action items transmitted through the Church Council are:
     + "Social Policy Resolution on School Voucher Proposals."  This
policy is meant to guide the public policy advocacy ministry of the ELCA
as it evaluates a variety of proposals considered by state legislatures.
     + Consideration of budget proposals for 2002-2003 churchwide
ministries.
     + Proposed amendment to the church constitution and bylaws that
would allow ordination under unusual circumstances.
     Several information items were brought to the assembly from the
Church Council.  They are:
     + A report on "In the City for Good," an initiative for the ELCA
to revitalize its ministry in urban areas.
     + A report on the rural ministry's rural summit, a gathering of 65
church and farm organization leaders to discuss their concerns on the
conditions of U.S. agriculture and plans for the future.
     + A report on conversations within the church on human sexuality
issues.
     Butler concluded her report saying, "We are your Church Council.
We stand ready to serve between the meetings of the churchwide assembly
and we're serving in an advisory capacity during this churchwide
assembly.  We thank God and we thank you, the members of the churchwide
assembly, for the opportunity to serve in this way."
-- -- --
     Information about the assembly actions is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/01 on the ELCA's Web site.  Recorded
updates during the assembly are available by calling 773/380-2477.

*Michelle T. Mills is a senior at Bradley University, Peoria, Ill.  This
summer she is an intern with ELCA News & Information.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html