Always in membership decline, the ELCA has been losing members most rapidly since 2002 ; it lost 76,000 members in 2008, and its budget shrank to $67 million this year, down from $81 million in 2005.
A 2005 ELCA report found that only 22 percent of ELCA members favored blessing gay unions or ordaining practicing homosexuals, and 57 percent opposed the changes.
Hosanna Lutheran of Lakeville (6,084 members; largest of all ELCA churches in operating budget at $6.9 million) is one church whose dollars Bishop Hanson will sorely miss. Its pastor wrote to the St. Paul area bishop:
". . .We strongly disagree with the decisions made.
We do not feel that the actions taken represent the beliefs and desires of the majority of the ELCA, but rather a small fraction of the denomination, politically well organized and driven by personal agenda. We feel these actions are biblically indefensible. Now, we are forced to deal with the aftermath. Many are asking "when are we leaving the ELCA?" Part of my response has been "they have left us." It feels like we have been abandoned. But we are not alone.
The leadership at Hosanna! is putting into place a "Plan for Decision and Discernment." Ours will not be a knee-jerk reaction and I suspect these events and opportunities will unfold over the next 6-8 months. This letter is a first step. It will be posted on our website and read to the congregation this coming weekend. Second, I will also be speaking to the congregation about our relationship with the ELCA this weekend. Third, I will be speaking next week with the leadership team of The Lighthouse Covenant. We will affirm common ground, talk about next steps, and consider a mid-winter Lighthouse Covenant Conference to encourage and care for other pastors and congregations that are hurting, angry, or confused. Fourth, we invite you to meet with our Vision Board sometime this fall. We meet the third Tuesday evening each month. Fifth, we will schedule a town hall forum for Hosanna! members to attend to voice their concerns. Finally, we will explore affiliation with numerous groups, both within and outside the ELCA: CORE, LCMC, ARC, Word Alone, and others.
Finally, I need to tell you that we are going to suspend immediately all financial support to the Saint Paul Area Synod and the ELCA. Our giving beyond Hosanna! will remain strong, but we cannot give our benevolence dollars to a denomination that has moved in a direction so contrary to some of our core beliefs."
Lutheran Ping!
Lutheran Ping!