ELCA reaches milestone in welcoming new congregations
5/28/2015 3:00:00 PM
CHICAGO (ELCA) – For the Rev. Ruben Duran, the message is quite clear – “Christ’s church is not dying.” That’s a different message, he says, than what has been widely reported in recent years about the decline in membership among U.S. mainline denominations, such as the 3.8 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
As director of ELCA new starts, Duran believes that this church “is not dying. It is changing” – particularly as the ELCA reaches a significant milestone this spring.
Put that all together, he said, and “we have 10 percent of the denomination in the growing stages. This is a good moment to celebrate. God is making all things new. The new start is the new skin of this church, and the new skin of the ELCA is a fusion of many nations being welcomed into the ELCA. It reflects the country that we’re becoming. We are not dying. We are changing.”
Read the entire article at ELCA News and Events.