ELCA Giving Up

ELCA Assembly Receives Report on Financial Status of the Church
07-CWA-018-AL


CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received reports Aug. 8 on the financial status of the denomination and of the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA.

The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6-11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,071 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"

"Over the past two and a half years, we have seen quite favorable financial results, including increasing operating income, increasing world hunger income and unprecedented giving to disaster response," said Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer.

In 2006 mission support -- unrestricted income from congregations through the 65 synods of the ELCA to the churchwide organization -- increased for the first time since 2001. Jackson-Skelton cautioned that "the level of increases is not yet sufficient to maintain the real value of our grants and other supports."

In contrast, she also highlighted generous giving to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal and Lutheran Disaster Response, noting that fiscal year 2006 saw "the largest single-year increase in World Hunger receipts since 1999" and that between fiscal years 2005 and 2006, an unprecedented $46.2 million was received for disaster response. Of the money received for disaster response, $31.8 million was designated for response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes, she said.

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GJ - The treasurer is not related to Mrs. Ichabod, who does not hyphenate her name.

As always, the facts are fudged. No one fudges faster than ELCA. Income has always been less than the ALC and LCA budgets combined, before merger. Adjusting for inflation, ELCA income has gone down steadily since 1987.

The LCMS and WELS have been following ELCA's doctrinal lead, budget manipulations, and disastrous results for decades. WELS probably has the least amount of cash and credit to get by. All three have embraced Fuller Seminary and Romanism to some degree. ELCA and Missouri seem to be most likely to produce more Roman Catholic priests. WELS is closer to Baptist and Pentecostal worship and practice. The clergy learn this stuff in their seminaries.

Which denomination will ordain women next? Missouri is loudly promoting the move. WELS is quietly instigating the same measures.