The Bridge in Plain Text
Issue To Be Used Any Time After
April 1, 2008
Below you will find all the
text from The Bridge in plain text format, so you can easily copy
and paste the information into your publications. Links to the graphics are
available below the text.
The Bridge
A monthly publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Connecting the congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Mission of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
Without a map, a traveler is
likely to get lost; without a mission, a church is likely to do the same. A
mission statement helps define a church and its purpose in the world.
The mission statement of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (to which you and/or your
congregation probably belong if you’re reading this) is:
Marked with the cross of
Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the
world.
The vision statement then goes
on to explain what each portion of the mission statement means:
Claimed by
God’s grace for the sake of the world, we are a new creation through God’s
living Word by the power of the Holy Spirit;
Gathered by
God’s grace for the sake of the world, we will live among God’s faithful
people, hear God’s Word, and share Christ’s supper;
Sent by God’s
grace for the sake of the world, we will proclaim the good news of God in
Christ through word and deed, serve all people following the example of
our Lord Jesus, and strive for justice and peace in all the world.
The summary of the ELCA plan
for mission goes on to identify how exactly the church will carry out these
statements in the work that it does. This includes making connections with
congregations, synods, and institutions and agencies of the ELCA; being a
public church in witness and in action; extending relationships beyond our
own church to other faiths and other parts of the world; and raising up
leaders to support and carry out the mission of the church.
The structure of the ELCA has
recently been reworked in order to better carry out its mission. Besides
having administrative divisions to help with records, legal matters,
financial matters, and communication, the ELCA also has program units to
focus on specific ministries. These include Evangelical Outreach and
Congregational Mission (working with congregations, providing resources, and
aiding in networking), Global Mission (making connections throughout the
world), Vocation and Education (everything from lay education, youth and
family education, development, colleges and universities, seminaries, and
more), Church in Society (a variety of poverty and justice issues),
Multicultural Ministries (making connections to other cultures within the
church), Publishing House of the ELCA (Augsburg Fortress), and Women of the
ELCA (ministering to the women of the church.
Featured Resource
Monthly Bible Verse
This Bible verse was selected by Harold Usgaard, bishop of the
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, for everyone in the synod to study.
“[God] saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own
purpose and grace.” 2 Timothy
1:9
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
This issue is designed to be
used any time after April 1, 2008.
Graphics from this issue
Right-click the link and choose "save to disk" to save the
graphic, and then insert it into your desktop publishing program. Graphics
are in high-resolution tiff format. If you require another format, please
call 507-280-9457.
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