By merging three failing organizations in 1987, ELCA inflated their figures to 5.3 million baptized. They have lost 600,000 people in 21 years. The ELCA is just as involved as WELS and Missouri in the Church Shrinkage Movement, and it works. All three consult and plan together on joint evangelism and worship projects.
Direct from the maws of Satan, the ministry partner of Missouri and WELS:
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,709,956 in 10,448 congregations in 2007. The ELCA Office of the Secretary analyzed membership and income data obtained from parochial reports that ELCA congregations submit at the end of each year...
The number of African American/Black members in the ELCA went down 0.73 percent, from 53,288 in 2006 to 52,896 in 2007. American Indian/Alaska Native membership dropped 2.01 percent, from 7,007 to 6,866. Asian/Pacific Islander membership declined 1.52 percent, from 22,545 to 22,202. White membership fell 1.43 percent, from 4,624,249 to 4,558,059 in 2007...
Latino/Hispanic membership increased 0.49 percent, from 39,563 to 39,760.
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GJ - All the Hispanic, multi-cultural and diversity programs in ELCA yielded a net increase of 197 people? No wonder WELS and Missouri leaders meet with ELCA.
"Bishop Hanson, how did you get such magnificent results with only a few million dollars? We launched our Run for the Border program and got nowhere. And MLC lost all their groundskeepers."
