March 5, 2003

CHICAGO - The board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Division for Outreach reviewed an evangelism strategy and draft documents of an ELCA strategic planning process. The board also elected officers and conducted other business when it met here Feb. 28-March 2.

The Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, Rockford, shared a draft of the evangelism strategy, "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision for Evangelism in the ELCA," with the board. The document is the work of the ELCA Evangelism Strategy Task Force, which Wollersheim chairs.

In small groups board members discussed the evangelism strategy and then examined "Faithful Yet Changing: ELCA Planning for Mission," a draft document of the church's strategic planning. Faithful Yet Changing proposed a mission statement, a vision statement, a signature phrase and five strategic directions for the ELCA.

Calling it more a grassroots "renewal movement" than a new "program," the Division for Outreach board strongly affirmed the evangelism strategy and commended it to the whole ELCA.

"The idea of evangelical outreach as a movement was critical in our discussion," said Dorothy Baumgartner, DO board chair, Shoreline, Wash. "It is our hope that this strategy will initiate an evangelical movement - a movement of spiritual renewal that encourages people to witness their faith to their neighbor," she said.

"Changing hearts and lives is what the gospel is all about," said Baumgartner. "That is foundational to anything that we do in the church," she said.

The board supported the grassroots nature of the strategy and suggested that the church develop an executive summary and other materials to help ELCA congregations implement the strategy. It called for all materials to be developed in as many languages as the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries may recommend, empowering leaders for evangelical outreach in each of the ELCA's language communities.

On the ELCA strategic planning document, the Division for Outreach board asked the planning and evaluation committee of the ELCA Church Council, which is managing the planning process, to "simplify and clarify the content" of its current draft.

"It is our hope that there's a very clear biblical mandate in our mission and in our vision and directions," said Baumgartner.

The board suggested the vision and mission statements could each be reduced to a single phrase or sentence. It said, rather than five strategic directions, the evangelism strategy could be received as the first direction and that a second direction, which it called "faith in action," could be developed in the next two years.

"As we looked at the evangelism strategy, we realized that kind of movement in the ELCA is critical and foundational to anything else we do as a church," said Baumgartner. "We acknowledge that the evangelism strategy really needs to be the first part of the strategic direction of this church, regardless of what the others may end up being," she said.

Even if the planning and evaluation committee doesn't make overall changes to the strategic planning document, the board suggested adding a strategic direction for the ELCA "to become an anti-racist and multicultural church."

In other business, the Division for Outreach board received a report closing the Institute for Mission at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, and expressed "deep gratitude" to Carol Dixon, the Rev. Kenneth Sauer and the Rev. Wayne Stumme for their work over the 18 years of the Institute.

Board members commended the establishment of a Small Town and Rural Ministry Alliance, after receiving a report that suggested housing the alliance in the Division for Outreach.

The board elected Ronald Solimon, Albuquerque, N.M., to serve the next two years as its chair. "Ron is a very fine man of God and a very capable leader. I'm excited to see what his gifts will bring," said Baumgartner, who leaves the board this year.

Deborah C. Wilson, Ellenwood, Ga., was elected vice chair. The Rev. J. Elise Brown, New York, was elected secretary.

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