November 25, 2003

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, United States/GENEVA - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a three-phase process for redesign of the ELCA churchwide organization, leading to a final proposal to be presented to the council for consideration in November 2004. In a separate action, it agreed to study the issues of governance related to the churchwide organization, with a report and recommendations also to be presented to the council in November 2004.

The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies, held every two years. The council met November 13-16 at the invitation of the ELCA North Carolina Synod, and joined in a celebration of the synod's 200th anniversary.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson, asked the council to develop a process for redesign of the churchwide organization to fit the church's planning effort, "Faithful Yet Changing: Planning for Mission," which includes strategic priorities. He said he specifically wanted a process that would be consultative and inclusive.

Hanson's request follows an earlier design proposed by the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop that drew heavy criticism and was withdrawn by Hanson this fall. The 2003 Churchwide Assembly, which met in August in Milwaukee, authorized the presiding bishop to align the churchwide organization's structure, staffing and budget with the ELCA's plan for mission.

Key components of the plan for mission are five strategic priorities for the church, adopted by the council in April 2003: 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.

Ms Janet Thompson, council member and chair of the council's planning and evaluation committee, Eagan, Minnesota, said the new process is built on the ELCA's strategic priorities, adopted in April 2003. She said the council will evaluate each phase as the process proceeds.

The three phases of the redesign process are:

. Phase One, January to April 2004: The presiding bishop's staff, guided by the executive directors of the churchwide units, will meet with churchwide boards and steering committees, ethnic associations, churchwide staff, Conference of Bishops, Church Council, synod councils and partners in ministry. They will ask questions about the church's strategic directions and how they may impact ministry. Answers will be summarized and reported to the council when it meets April 16-19 in Chicago.

. Phase Two, May to July 2004: Models for the churchwide organization's structure, staffing and budget will be developed, and the same participants as in Phase One will be invited to provide written responses to the proposals. A "representative panel" will be selected from the participants to refine the proposal, and responses will be sought.

. Phase Three, August to November 2004: A writing team will be assembled and a panel of organizational design consultants will respond to a proposed design, critique it and make suggestions. A draft will be distributed by September 1 to all participants for response to the Church Council before it considers a proposal in November 2004.

In its action, the council asked for a communication strategy related to the redesign process. It thanked Hanson for his leadership in developing the first plan which was withdrawn. The council also "expressed gratitude to all those on the churchwide staff for their ministry and partnership, especially in this time of transition and [pledged] prayerful concern and support for continued ministries."

In a separate but parallel process, the council asked for study on the subject of governance of the churchwide organization. That study will examine issues of role, authority, accountability, representation, continuity and expense. Recommendations will be considered at the November 2004 council meeting.

Planning Team Agreed to Reduce Churchwide Units' Spending by over 3 Percent

The ELCA Church Council adopted a 2004 current-fund spending authorization of USD 81.5 million, a reduction from the USD 84.3 million budget adopted by the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. As a result, 25 positions within the ELCA churchwide organization are directly affected, including 13 employees in those positions. In addition, funding for some programs will be eliminated, and there will be no pay increases for churchwide employees, mission developers and missionaries in 2004.

In a report to the council, Ms Linda J. Brown, council member and chair of the council's budget and finance committee, Moorhead, Minnesota, said estimates for 2004 had to be revised from what the churchwide assembly approved. She cited projected declines in two key areas - mission support from congregations through synods and investment income - as the reasons to revise current fund spending down USD 2.8 million.

To meet the income projections, the presiding bishop's planning team - made up of churchwide officers and executive directors of churchwide units - agreed to reduce spending in each unit by 3.41 percent, said the Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive for administration and executive assistant to the presiding bishop. Reductions in programs and personnel, when necessary, were to be accomplished with the church's strategic directions and priorities in mind, he said.

To achieve the USD 2.8 million spending reduction for 2004, USD 1.3 million was saved through the policy of no salary increases, USD 1 million through position reductions, and USD 500,000 through specific program cuts, Miller said. Those cuts included travel costs, grants for specific ministries and elimination of programs.

The council also adopted a spending authorization of USD 16.25 million for the ELCA World Hunger Program for 2004 - the same as the budget adopted by the churchwide assembly. The ELCA's 2004 fiscal year begins on February 1.

The ELCA has around 5.1 million members, and joined the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in 1988. Presiding Bishop Hanson is LWF president.

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