Title: African American ELCA Lutherans Focus on Evangelism ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 3, 1996 AFRICAN AMERICAN LUTHERANS FOCUS ON EVANGELISM STRATEGY (63 lines) 96-16-048-RE WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- The message of the gospel does not change, but the messenger must adjust the method of delivery to the culture and needs of the audience. That was the theme delivered to 351 African American Lutherans gathered here June 13-15 to discuss evangelism in the African American community. It was the largest gathering of African American Lutherans since the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988. The event was at Washington's Renaissance Hotel and on the campus Howard University. It included worship and workshops in which congregational teams were given tools to start building evangelism strategies. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, said a major obstacle to evangelism among African Americans for predominantly European denominations is cultural. He said the emphasis on creating disciples through catechism, without an equal emphasis on "an encounter with Jesus Christ" runs counter to traditional African American church experience. The gathering was sponsored by the ELCA's Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM) in cooperation with the Division for Outreach and the Commission for Multicultural Ministries to introduce new resources for evangelism and worship among African Americans. It was attended by clergy and lay persons from predominantly African American congregations and other ELCA congregations serving African American communities. Participants reviewed two new ELCA resources: "Proclaiming the Power: Evangelism in an African American Context," scheduled for publication this summer, and a new African American Lutheran hymnal supplement due in 1998. M. Wyvetta Bullock, DCM executive director, said the conference and the new resources are part of an overall ELCA strategy for outreach and evangelism among African American and other ethnic communities. Wright was one of several speakers to address the gathering, including Dr. E.K. Bailey, Concord Missionary Baptist Church, Dallas; the Rev. Robert Burkins, Elmwood United Presbyterian Church, East Orange. N.J.; the Rev. Raymond LeBlanc, First Lutheran Church, Carson, Calif., and the Rev. Albert Starr Jr., Ascension Lutheran Church, Los Angeles. Bailey founded and built Concord into one of the largest black Baptist congregations in the country. The others have also been successful at building African American congregations but within predominantly white denominations. Bailey told the gathering every member of a congregation has a responsibility for evangelism. "Every member should be able to tell the mission of his or her congregation and talk to everyone who will listen," he said. "If you want a fire to spread, let it burn. If you want your church to grow, spread what you have." Burkins called for visionary leadership "that gives direction to people's hopes." He said, "Leadership does not exist within a person; it resides in relationships between persons." Many of those attending called for regional follow-ups for those who could not attend and for a repeat conference in 1997. Bullock said future conferences are being considered. For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312) 380-2958; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956