Mission Support

Blue Ribbon Committee

The ELCA Church Council, at the urging of the Conference of Bishops, constituted a Blue Ribbon Committee to study mission funding policies and practices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and to present a report to the April 2007 meeting of the Church Council.

This report of the Blue Ribbon Committee, “Mission Flowing from God’s Abundance,” is grounded in the recognition of God’s abundant grace in the life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—its members, congregations, synods, institutions and agencies, and the churchwide organization. The report speaks to historic patterns of giving in this church and its predecessor bodies. The section on “history and current context” is a critically important description of the pattern of decline in giving from congregations to synods and the churchwide organization and its impact on mission and ministry in the ELCA.

The report includes affirmations for mission and a well-defined philosophy of mission funding, built upon the basis of assumptions, outcomes, and goals.

Download the report here

Mission Support Consultations

Mission Support Consultations are held annually in either synodical or regional settings. The main goal of the consultation is the development of strong relationships with synodical bishops and synod leadership particularly in the area of mission support.