Title: ELCA Leadership Fund Seeks to Pay Seminary
Tuition
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 23, 1997
LEADERSHIP FUND SEEKS TO PAY SEMINARY TUITION
97-30-088-DM
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division
for Ministry of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a
plan which could supply
well-trained leaders for the church into the
indefinite future. Board
members approved a design document detailing how
the Fund for Leaders in
Mission will be implemented. The ELCA Churchwide
Assembly approved
establishment of the fund in August.
Meeting Oct. 10-12 in Rosemont, Ill., the
board approved a
far-reaching plan which seeks "to close the gap"
between the cost of
seminary tuition and the funds now available to
students from ELCA
seminaries, synods and congregations. The ultimate
goal is "to cover the
full cost of tuition for all qualified candidates
through the combined ...
resources of the seminaries, synods, congregations
and the fund."
ELCA seminaries estimate that their students'
tuition and fees will
total $12.8 million by the year 2003. They also
project they will be able
to provide $5.4 million of this in grants and
scholarships, 42 percent of
the total. The margin, $7.4 million could be
covered by the Fund for
Leaders in Mission if it had an endowment of $148
million drawing 5 percent
interest.
The immediate goal, says the Rev. Joseph M.
Wagner, executive director
of the Division for Ministry, is for an initial
gift of $1,000,000 from
corporate or individual sponsors to put three
staff people in place early
in 1998. That staff would develop the fund,
including interpretive
materials to communicate it's purpose and goals to
congregations, synods
and individual donors.
They will be governed by a steering committee
appointed by the
division, which will operate the fund in
consultation with the ELCA
Foundation and the seminaries.
The short-term goal is to raise $5.5 million
in the first three years
of the fund's life.
The plan, which will focus not on student
need but on the church's
need for leaders equipped for mission in the new
century, will assist
students training to be pastors, associates in
ministry, deaconal ministers
and deaconesses at ELCA seminaries. A smaller
portion of the fund is
designated for future teachers and scholars, who
are working on doctorates
in theological disciplines at accredited graduate
schools.
Grants to students will be distributed, in
part, according to
financial need until the fund is large enough to
meet the full need. Some
funds will be reserved for merit scholarships.
The new fund's implementation plan includes a
communication and
educational program which will reach all ELCA
congregations. It will also
identify and contact potential donors of major
gifts.
In other actions, the ministry board
re-elected Nelvin Vos,
Maxatawny, Pa., as it chairperson. The board also
extended calls to three new
staff members:
Rev. Gregory J. Villalon, Director for
Multicultural Leadership
Development;
Rev. Donald A. Stiger, Associate Director
for Candidacy and
Director for Specialized Pastoral Care and
Clinical Education;
Rev. Richard J. Bruesehoff, Director for
Leadership Support.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or
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