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)
Source: http://www.elca.org/co/quick.html

Last updated: 2004-07-13