Editor
By Daniel J. Lehmann
Pulling together for engagement
It starts with Sunday gathering S
unday and worship still go hand-in-hand for millions of Americans and ELCA members. But the two are heading apart at an increasing
rate. That’s where this magazine and leaders in this church hope to influence a course correction.
The trend is disheartening. In 1972, fully 35 percent of the American popu-
lation reported weekly worship attendance. That sank to 26 percent by 2008. Meanwhile, those who never attend worship shot up from 9 percent in ’72 to 21 percent in ’08. In the ELCA, average weekly worship attendance fell from 1.5 million in 2003 to 1.19 million in 2010, a 21.1 percent decline. Much but not all of that came from membership loss (14.3 percent to 4.27 million) over the same period.
Where is the ELCA in all this? We are a church that believes God is calling us into the world—together. We don’t have to do it all alone, and we don’t have to do everything. We work through our 9,800 congregations, 65 synods, eight seminaries, 26 colleges, numerous social service agencies, the church- wide organization and the Lutheran World Federation. The theme for the 2012 churchwide organization report to synod assemblies
this spring came from Martin Luther, who declared we are people with a “liv- ing, daring confidence in God’s grace.” As such, two priorities drive the efforts of the churchwide organization: supporting congregations to be growing cen- ters for evangelical witness, and building capacity for evangelical witness and service in the world, to alleviate poverty, and to work for justice and peace. In response, the ELCA planted 60 congregations in 2011. In partnership
with synods and others, 197 congregations were engaged in renewal pro- grams. On a larger scale, ELCA World Hunger saw an increase of 8 percent in the number of congregations providing support that reached $19 million in 2011. And more than $3 million in cash and pledges has been raised toward the $15 million goal of the four-year ELCA Malaria Campaign. In The Lutheran, Peter W. Marty shifts gears in his page 3 column to “Ele- ments of the Lord’s day.” He intends the series to be something of an honest and playful look inside the human psyche at the meaning, intent and impact of a day of worship—why do we go and what do we do along the way? You’ll understand after reading this month’s inaugural piece, “The windup.” These promise to be columns for sharing. The magazine’s April cover story, “Inactives: Where are they?” drew an unusually larger num- ber of comments, many questioning the linkage of church attendance to faith life. But as Mark Wilms, a pastor in Blue Earth, Minn., put it: “What do you want, dis-organized religion? Our faith is not a pri- vate party between you and God. It is handed down by believers coming together.”
‘What do you want, dis-organized religion? Our faith is not a private party between you and God.’
4 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
MICHAEL D. WATSON
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