June 25, 2008

CHICAGO – Participants in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Book of Faith initiative met here June 24-25 to consult over directions for the initiative through 2012. According to its mission, the Book of Faith initiative "invites the whole church to become more fluent in the first language of faith, the language of Scripture, in order that we might live into our calling as a people renewed, enlivened, and empowered by the Word."

Of the ELCA's 65 synods, at least 41 have passed Book of Faith resolutions, according to a report from ELCA Vocation and Education.

Dr. Diane L. Jacobson, director for the Book of Faith initiative and professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., said she and her colleagues have been attending recent ELCA synod assemblies to see the congregations' reactions to the initiative. "The enthusiasm for the Book of Faith initiative is palpable," she said. "There is a groundswell of interest in this initiative. It's an enormous opportunity that we have."

Luther is one of eight seminaries of the ELCA.

The long-term goals of the initiative are to have 75 percent of all ELCA congregations become Book of Faith congregations, all 65 synods become Book of Faith synods, most institutions and agencies of the ELCA participate in the Book of Faith, and 5,000 rostered leaders and 10,000 lay people trained with "enhanced skills for teaching the Bible," according to Jacobson.

Jacobson said leaders in the initiative hope to achieve their goals through grassroots organizing, networking and "synod advocates."

Synod advocates are "point-people for the initiative on the territory of their synods," said the Rev. Mark Wilhelm, associate executive director for educational partnerships and institutions and director for theology in daily life, ELCA Vocation and Education. The primary job of an advocate is to "encourage engagement in the initiative in that synod" and to find ways in which his or her synod can "enrich leaders' capacities to teach the Bible," he said. Advocates will attend training and orientation here Aug. 15-16.

Seven new resources, including course kits, study Bibles and Sunday school curricula, are set to be released by spring 2009 through Augsburg Fortress, the publishing ministry of the ELCA, Minneapolis. As part of the initiative, all attendees at the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans will receive Lutheran Study Bibles, Jacobson said.

"Because this is an initiative and not a program, the resources are supporting the initiative, they're not driving it," Jacobson said. "It's really a matter of you taking the vision and deciding as a congregation how you're going to have Scripture become more a part of the culture of your congregation."

Information about the Book of Faith initiative is at http://www.ELCA.org/bookoffaith/, on the ELCA Web site.

An audio report of this story is at http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/080625.mp3, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News Service.