Chapter Eleven

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             Who are we? It might be helpful at this point to offer an edited version of questions and answers about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from its web site, from late 2004:

*What are the differences between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS)?

The differences between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) largely arise from historical and cultural factors, although some are theological in character. When Lutherans came to North America, they started church bodies that reflected, to some degree, the churches that they left behind. Many maintained until the early 20th century their immigrant languages. They sought pastors from the "old country" until patterns for the education of clergy could be developed here. Eventually, seminaries and church colleges were established in many places to serve the Lutheran churches in North America and, initially, especially to prepare pastors to serve congregations.

The earliest predecessor synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was constituted on August 25, 1748, in Philadelphia. It was known as the Ministerium of Pennsylvania. The ELCA is the product of a series of mergers and represents the largest (5.2 million member) Lutheran church body in North America. The ELCA was created in 1988 by the uniting of the 2.85 million member Lutheran Church in America, 2.25 million member American Lutheran Church, and the 100,000 member Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches. Previously, the ALC and LCA in the early 1960s came into being as a result of mergers of eight smaller ethnically based Lutheran bodies composed of German, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Dutch, and other folk.

The ELCA tends to be more involved in ecumenical endeavors than the LCMS. The ELCA, through predecessor church bodies, is a founding member of the Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The LCMS does not belong to any of these.

The LCMS sprang from German immigrant roots in the St. Louis area and has a continuous history since it was established in 1847. The LCMS is a second largest Lutheran church body in North America (2.7 million). It identifies itself as a church with an emphasis on biblical doctrine and faithful adherence to the historic Lutheran confessions. Insistence by some LCMS leaders on a literalist reading of all passages of Scripture led to a rupture in the mid-1970s, which in turn resulted in the formation of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, now part of the ELCA.

The pattern of Scripture interpretation generally practiced in the ELCA seeks to consider carefully the meanings of passages and their form. The time and place in which passages were written are studied to assist in interpretation. Emphasis is placed on the message of a text in the context of Scripture. As indicated in the ELCA's constitution, "This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life."

 *Creation vs. Evolution?

The ELCA doesn't have an official position on creation vs. evolution, but we subscribe to the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation, so we believe God created the universe and all that is therein, only not necessarily in six 24-hour days, and that he may actually have used evolution in the process of creation.

"Historical criticism" is an understanding that the Bible must be understood in the cultural context of the times in which it was written.

*ELCA Quick Facts

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America resulted from a union of three North American Lutheran church bodies: The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America.

The three churches agreed to unite in 1982. They formed a 70-member Commission for a New Lutheran Church, which planned the merger. The plan was approved by church conventions in 1986, and the ELCA constituting convention was held April 30-May 3, 1987, with the church actually beginning operations on January 1, 1988.

The ELCA meets in assembly every two years; at its 2001 Churchwide Assembly it elected its third bishop, The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, who will be eligible for re-election at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.

MEMBERS:

• Baptized Members: 5,038,006
  (down 61,871 from previous year)
• Communing and Contributing Members: 2,394,585
• Members of Color or Whose Primary Language is Other Than English: 128,135  (2.6 percent)
  Included are African-Americans, 53,564; Latinos, 39,249; Asians and Pacific Islanders, 22,898; American Indian and Alaska Native People, 7,273; other, 15,151
• Average Worship Attendance Each Week: 1,537,043 (30.5 percent).
• Congregations: 10,721
• Synods: 65 in nine geographic regions

LEADERS:

• Clergy: 17,703 (2,760 female; 494 people of color)
• Associates in Ministry: 1,193
  (955 female, 238 male; 15 people of color)
• Diaconal Ministers: 72
• Deaconesses: 67
• Missionaries: approx. 300 adult missionaries, of which some 78 self-funded volunteers, serving in over 50 countries
• Campus Pastors and Ministries: 195 campus ministry sites supported by synod and/or churchwide funds
• Federal Chaplains: Approximately 800 (125 active duty armed forces, 180 reservists, 390 retired military, 50 Veterans Affairs, 44 Civil Air Patrol, 7 Federal Bureau of Prisons).
• Chaplaincy, Counseling and Clinical Education: Approximately 800 ordained and lay rostered people serving in 12 specialized ministries such as correctional, health care, CPE, substance abuse, police, etc.

INSTITUTIONS:

• Theological Seminaries and Deaconess Community:
  8 seminaries
  1 deaconess community
• Colleges and Universities: 28
• Schools:
  20 high schools
    240 elementary schools
    1,775 early childhood programs
• Social Service Institutions:
  280 parent corporations with many more subsidiaries, providing service in 3,000 communities
• Camps and Retreat Centers: 145, serving 450,000 yearly
  (summer programs 175,000, retreats and conferences 275,000)

FINANCES:

• ELCA Churchwide Current Fund Budget:
  2002 Revenue $82,923,681
  2002 Expense $82,077,501
  2003 Expenditure Authorization $83,574,000
  2004 Expenditure Authorization $81,505,000
• ELCA World Hunger Fund:
  2002 Income $16,012,261
  2003 Budget $16,000,000
  2004 Budget $16,250,000
• Total 2002 Income of Congregations: $2,493,316,925
• Average Giving Per Confirmed Member:
  $534.24 (Regular $447.12; Designated: $87.12)

Alphabetical Listing of Units in the ELCA

Archives
     - Records of the ELCA and its predecessors, genealogy, exhibits, Global Missions history
Augsburg Fortress Publishers
     - The publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Bishop, Office of the Presiding
     - Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson's schedule, messages and pastoral letters
Board of Pensions
     - Benefit plans, health care, retirement funds
Church in Society, Division for
     - Advocacy, hunger program, social ministry agencies, studies, program resources
Communication, Department for
     - ELCA news, MOSAIC video magazine, Lutheran Vespers radio, Seeds for the Parish 

Congregational Ministries, Division for  - Evangelism, worship, stewardship
        ministries: Christian education, youth, outdoor, men's, multilingual, social
Ecumenical Affairs, Department for
     - Full Communion, bilateral dialogues, interfaith relations, local ecumenism
ELCA Foundation
     - Estate planning, gift planning, Fund for Leaders in Mission, Endowment Fund
Global Mission, Division for
     - Global relationships, missionaries, stewardship, education, events, relief and development
Higher Education and Schools, Division for
     - Colleges, universities, campus ministry, early childhood, elementary and high schools
Human Resources, Department for
     - Employment opportunities, applications, benefits, diversity
Information Technology, Department for
     - PC and network support, church administration software, Web usage statistics
Library of the ELCA
     - Electronic bookshelf, research assistance, bibliographical searches
Lutheran Men in Mission
     - Men's ministry resources, LMM gatherings, the Master Builder program
Lutheran Youth Organization
     - National LYO board, multicultural advisory committee, definitely-abled committee
Management Services, Department for
     - Lutheran Center and archives building management, the ELCAdvantage program
Ministry, Division for
     - Theological education, leadership support, Lutheran Partners, specialized pastoral care
Mission Investment Fund
     - Investment opportunities, rates, building consultants, loans
Multicultural Ministries, Commission for
     - Anti-racism training, full participation in the life of our church and society
Outreach, Division for - New congregations, renewing congregations, Mission
       Partners, Mission Founders, Mission Builders, In the City for Good, rural outreach
Research and Evaluation, Department for
     - Congregation & synod trend reports, worship attendance studies, demographics
Secretary, Office of the
     - Constitutions, Minutes, Churchwide Assembly, Rosters and Statistics, and Legal
Synodical Relations, Department for
     - Synod listings, first call and mobility, Conference of Bishops
The Lutheran Magazine
     - The Lutheran online features study guides, back issues, reader calls and a youth site 
Treasurer, Office of the
     - Churchwide budget, finance for synods, congregation treasurers/bookkeepers, insurance
Women, Commission for
     - Women's leadership, full participation, safety, justice
Women of the ELCA
     - Lutheran Woman Today women's magazine, Triennial Gathering, Café e-zine, resources

ELCA Divisions
Congregational Ministries
Ministry
Outreach
Higher Education/Schools
Church in Society
Global Mission

ELCA Offices
Office of the Presiding Bishop
Office of the Secretary
Office of the Treasurer

ELCA Commissions
Multicultural Ministries
Women

ELCA Departments
Communication
Ecumenical Affairs
Human Resources
Information Technology
Management Services
Research and Evaluation
Synodical Relations

OTHER
Archives
Augsburg Fortress
Board of Pensions
ELCA Foundation
The Lutheran Magazine
Mission Investment Fund
Women of the ELCA

 Final Note