ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 22, 2003

ELCA Presiding Bishop Withdraws Restructure Plan, Prepares for Cuts
03-191-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Because of "broad, often intense critique,"
the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), changed course Oct. 18 and
withdrew a proposed restructuring plan for the ELCA churchwide
organization.  Now leaders of the churchwide organization,
including the ELCA Church Council, must address a projected $2.8
million decline in income for 2004.
     In an Oct. 20 e-mail message to churchwide employees, Hanson
said he will ask the council, which will meet Nov. 13-16 in
Charlotte, N.C., to create a process and timetable to develop a
new design proposal for the churchwide organization.  The
constitutional implications of any new proposal could be
considered by the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
     The church council is the ELCA's board of directors, and
serves as the interim legislative authority between churchwide
assemblies, the church's chief legislative authority.  The next
assembly will be held in August 2005 in Orlando, Fla.
     Hanson announced his decision to withdraw the current
redesign proposal -- made public Sept. 15 -- during a series of
meetings with churchwide boards and steering committees Oct. 17-
19.   Since Sept. 15 the presiding bishop and his staff have
asked people throughout the church to comment on the proposal.
     The 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly affirmed an "ELCA Plan for
Mission" on which the redesign proposal was based, and it
authorized the Office of the Presiding Bishop to align the
churchwide structure, staffing and budget with the plan.
     In his message to churchwide staff, Hanson said it had
become clear to him that a number of concerns related to the
proposal and the restructuring process needed "immediate
attention."  One significant criticism of the proposal was that
the process was not inclusive or participatory enough, Hanson
said.
     Hanson had planned to present the restructuring plan -- or a
modified version of it -- to the ELCA Church Council next month.
The plan not only would have resulted in a new churchwide
organization design, but would have addressed a projected $2.8
million income decline for 2004.  He also had planned to prepare
a second budget proposal that would address only the needed
reductions for 2004 and not change the churchwide structure.  It
would have been up to the council to determine which direction it
wanted to proceed, if any.
     Next month, the council will now be asked to address budget
reductions for 2004 and to develop a process toward
restructuring.
     "The difficult decisions for such reductions will be made on
the basis of the Plan for Mission and will be formulated by unit
executives in consultation with each other and the Office of the
Presiding Bishop," Hanson said in his message to staff.
     Key components of the Plan for Mission are five strategic
directions or priorities for the church, adopted by the council
in April: support congregations; grow in evangelical outreach; be
a public church; extend global, ecumenical and interfaith
relationships; and support professional leaders.  The directions,
plus a mission and vision statement and commitments for
implementation were developed as a result of a nearly two-year
listening process in which staff sought comments on the church's
mission from members throughout the church.
     The churchwide organization "will continue to focus on
aligning our budget around our mission while also making
necessary reductions in spending," Hanson said.
     Hanson met Oct. 22 with churchwide staff to discuss his
decision on the restructuring plan and what must now be done to
address the decline in the income projection for 2004.
     If enacted, the former restructuring proposal would have
eliminated 41 of about 500 staff positions and created 18 new
staff positions under a new structure.  The ELCA would have
retained three offices; its six divisions would have become five
departments; the work of its two commissions was to be deployed
to several strategic areas in the organization; its current six
departments were to become service units of the offices, and
several new service units would have been created.
    The proposal also phased out the existing boards of
divisions, steering committees of commissions and advisory
committees of departments.  It asked the ELCA Church Council to
develop amendments to the ELCA Constitution, eliminating boards
and steering committees, for presentation to the 2005 Churchwide
Assembly.

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