Lutherans Focus on Connection Between Poverty, Wealth

November 18, 2002

CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) held a special forum to examine the connection between poverty and wealth here Nov. 7-9 at the Institute of Cultural Affairs Conference Center. Through a series of presentations the forum was meant to set direction for the ELCA's future work related to poverty and wealth.

"We are here because we take Scripture seriously," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. "We are here because we believe that over one billion people in the world live without the basic necessities of food, water and shelter. We are here as God's people to work for and reclaim the goodness of God's creation."

It is time for the ELCA to be known for God's uniting mission, Hanson said. There's no way of talking about God's mission in and for the sake of the world without talking about being in ministry and mission with those living in poverty, he said.

"We are the sixth largest denomination in the United States. It is time to exercise the power that comes with that reality in our public voice and in our local actions to bring about an end to poverty. We're here because this is part of living out our baptismal vocations," said Hanson.

According to Damu Smith, coordinator for Black Voices for Peace, Washington, D.C., "Poverty is an act of violence against the very spirit and physical being of people. It violently zaps at your soul and being."

Smith said there's a "mean spiritedness clouding" our nation and God's people. "There are groups of people in this world who have decided that they are going to get rich and ‘the hell with everyone else.' And, they have instituted public policy to ensure that is the case."

"Corporations have no loyalty to us. They will lay us off and move [overseas] to exploit cheap labor, maximize profits and leave communities devastated. Their allegiance and patriotism is to money and profit, not flag," said Smith. "If corporations are loyal to us, they would stay in our communities and look after people."

To create change "we have to confront those who are responsible for creating policies that perpetuate and institutionalize circumstances of unwanted depravation," he said. "The only way to dislodge policies that are in place is to leverage power through the political and spiritual mobilization of God's people. Spirituality is about living out the life of Jesus with the poor."

Smith said there are people working three to four jobs still living in poverty. "How do you explain that in the United States, the richest nation not only in the world today but in the history of the planet? Work hard is the American ethic; work hard, sweat hard and you'll make it in America. But, there are lots of people working hard, and they are not making it. "Poverty ain't just a Black thing, but a White thing and Brown thing ... it's about all of God's people."

The church needs to discover "what God wants to do in these perilous times," Smith said. "We must empower ourselves to work with poor people, working people and middle-class people to wage a struggle for economic and social justice," he said.

Forum Goals

The forum brought together more than 80 members of the ELCA and ecumenical and international guests to examine the church's history and current activities on fighting poverty and promoting social justice.

The Rev. Gordon J. Straw, interim pastor, St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, Ill., and doctoral candidate, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, provided theological reflection on the "reality of poverty and wealth in Scripture," and the Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive director, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries (DCM), challenged participants to focus on "core beliefs" that motivate Lutherans to engage in ministry among people living in poverty. The Rev. Charles S. Miller, ELCA executive for administration and executive assistant to the presiding bishop, discussed the development of the ELCA's Ministry Among Persons in Poverty (MAPP).

The ELCA has engaged in "conversations about poverty. It has hosted conferences, papers have been written and studies conducted about poverty, but we have never made the connection between poverty and wealth, particularly in this church and the wealth and resources that are in this country. If we're serious about addressing issues of poverty we must look at the wealth that exists within this church," said Loretta E. Horton, director for social ministries for congregations, DCM, in an interview.

A goal of the forum was to frame discussion that not only centers on people living in poverty but to "take a look at who controls resources and how the church can be a prophetic voice that looks at justice and asks the question, ‘How can there be poverty in the midst of plenty?'" she said.

"The church, as an entity, supports life. If we are to support life – life that is healthy and whole where God's children can develop and be contributing members of society – we must have access to resources," she said. "It's also about challenging folks who have resources to give more because, ultimately, we are blessed in that."

Wealth in the Church

"We have considerable wealth in the church," said the Rev. Mark Moller-Gunderson, executive director, DCM. In a presentation called "Wealth in the Church," Moller-Gunderson shared information on ELCA household income.

In the ELCA there are 5.1 million baptized members, which translates into 1.7 million households or families, Moller-Gunderson said. "The average family income in the ELCA is just a shade over $71,000. About 25 percent earn less than $25,000 and another 25 percent earn more than $75,000. So, half of the church earns between $25,000 to $75,000 per family," he said.

"Our annual aggregate income comes to about $126 billion per year, plus some change, so we do have some serious money," Moller-Gunderson told participants. "The average household wealth in the ELCA is about $188,000. The aggregate amount in net assets (the sum of our families together) comes to $333 billion."

"As a family system we live with a no-talk rule, especially about money. About 65 percent either are unsure or believe it is inappropriate to talk about money in worship. Information about money is hard to get, and there are rare opportunities to offer counsel and advice," he said.

Moller-Gunderson said there is a gap between the rich and poor in the church, "because for those who fall into the category of wealth, poverty is often too far away. Due to our homogeneity, we tend to hang out with people in similar economic conditions and assume that's the reality for the rest of the world." He told participants that members of the church need to develop the skill of talking about wealth in the church "by speaking the truth in love."

Milestones in ELCA Work Related to Poverty, Social Justice

The Rev. H. George Anderson, former presiding bishop of the ELCA, outlined the history of Lutheran work related to poverty and social justice from the earliest days of the 16th century Reformation in Europe to the present in the United States.

"Pious Christians had created charitable foundations to support monasteries, and those monasteries often did works of mercy as part of their mission. In a society where up to 30 percent of the population was destitute, such public charities were necessary. But, when a ruler confiscated church property and took the income to fight his wars, a major source of charitable dollars was wiped out. [Martin] Luther discovered these unintended consequences quite early and he moved to correct them," he said.

"From its beginning, the Reformation took special pains to provide for the poor as a natural outcome of its understanding of God's will. But, it also recognized the social context from which poverty arose," Anderson said.

"It could be argued that most Lutherans who lived here in the 1700s were themselves among the poor. The oldest continuously worshiping Lutheran congregation is in the Virgin Islands, where Danish mission work among African slaves had borne fruit. By 1800, the 1,000 Lutherans there were about equally divided between slave and free. In Pennsylvania, many of the German immigrants who arrived before 1800 came as indentured servants. That is, they had agreed to work as virtual slaves for up to seven years in exchange for the price of a ticket to the new world," Anderson said.

From 1800 to 1914, "Lutherans entered a new phase of concern for the poor when they moved from supporting interdenominational societies to founding institutions of their own," Anderson said. "Industrial growth in the late 1800s led to new concerns about working conditions and the laboring class. When it came to questions of political action or social justice, Lutherans saw little role for the church," he said.

In the Great Depression of the 1930s "the church devoted its fund- raising efforts to salvaging imperiled institutions and keeping its own programs operating and seemed to have no energy left over for poverty in general. Nor did it speak out on social issues like collective bargaining, minimum wages or even prohibition. It pursued social change in the old fashion way – one Christian at a time," Anderson said.

"In my view, the year 1957 marked a turning point. For the first time, the twin strands of the Reformation tradition – care for the poor and advocacy for social justice – were united," he said. "The 1960s was a decade of social upheaval. Civil rights, the war on poverty, Vietnam and the questioning of established authority all stirred up emotions and called for new solutions. This time the church was ready to participate."

"The formation of the ELCA in 1988 provided the institutional framework for continuing the double emphasis of the 1960s and 1970s. Its Division for Church and Society was given the constitutional mandate to respond to human need through direct human services and through addressing systems, structures and policies of society, seeking to promote justice, peace and the care of the earth," Anderson said.

Outcome of the Forum

The presentations led up to a "brainstorming" session where participants set direction for the ELCA's future work related to poverty and wealth. The outcome of that session will be highlighted in a report to be shared with the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop, ELCA Conference of Bishops – an advisory body of the church's 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary – ELCA Church Council – the church's board of directors and legislative authority between ELCA churchwide assemblies – and other churchwide units and agencies.

The forum was funded in part by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit organization based in Minneapolis.

ELCA News Service