LIFT: Living Into the Future Together
Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA Task Force
Living into the Future Together (LIFT) (external link) is a task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) (external link) commissioned by the ELCA Church Council to develop and recommend options for the future of the ELCA in light of its identity, changes in its environment and its call to God’s mission.
Understanding the path this church has journeyed on will serve as a platform to embrace new opportunities for God’s mission.
What is God calling this church to be and to do in the future?
What changes are in order to help us respond most faithfully?
Background
At its November 2009 meeting, the ELCA Church Council approved a charter for the project, “Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA.” The project task force will study social and economic changes in the 20 years since this church was formed and “evaluate the organization, governance and interrelationships among this church’s expressions,” according to the project charter.
In January 2010, a 12-member task force of the ELCA, plus observers from other church bodies and staff, met for the first time to develop and recommend options for the future of the ELCA. Task force members seek input for their work from ELCA leaders and members leading up to their report to the ELCA Church Council in April 2011. The LIFT task force reaches out to anyone and everyone interested in advancing “God’s work. Our hands.”
The task force is expected to develop a report and recommendations “that will position this church for the future and explore new possibilities for participating in God’s mission,” the charter states. The report and recommendations will be presented to the ELCA Church Council, which can transmit recommendations to the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (external link).
Your input is welcome!
We cannot faithfully address these items without the input of all ELCA members. Go to http://liftelca.org/get-involved (external link) where you will see the various ways members of this church can get involved in LIFT.
Here are some options:
For individuals
- Find LIFT on Facebook (external link) and Twitter (external link) to offer your comments
- Complete the individual questionnaire online (external link)
- You can also download the individual questionnaire (download .pdf file), print it and provide us your written comments on these specific questions via e-mail to Daniel.Taylor@elca.org or via fax at 773-380-2932
For groups
Download the LIFT group discussion questions (download .pdf file) as and discuss the questions with a group at your church (an adult forum, congregation council, etc.) After the discussion, please summarize the responses. Though these questions are intended for group use, individuals are welcome to answer these open-ended questions as well.
Return the summary to us in one of the following ways:
- Enter the responses online (external link)
- E-mail responses to Daniel.Taylor@elca.org
- Fax responses to 773-380-2932
- Mail responses to RE-ELCA, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631
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