Mission Founders

Mission Founders are individuals, congregations, small groups of neighboring congregations, organizations, or synods that Make Christ Known by funding a mission developer at a new U.S. mission site. They:

1. Pledge a significant financial gift toward the compensation package of a mission developer at a new U.S. mission site. (The average total cost is about $175,000 over three years. This amount may vary, depending upon local and synod support and whether the Founder is an individual congregation or a group of congregations;

2. Select the site to support from a packet of New Ministry Profiles. It may be within the donor's synod; more often, it will be in one of the fast-growing areas of the country;

3. Promise to uphold the new ministry with prayer, encouragement, and volunteers, as practical, and maintain regular contact; and

4. Participate, if possible, in the new congregation's landmark occasion – first worship service, charter Sunday, organization Sunday, dedication of first facility, etc.

Mission Founders gifts:

• are “over and above” regular mission support,

• are usually made to the Division for Outreach but occasionally to a mutually agreed upon local fiscal agent),

• may be paid over one to three years (five, if necessary for the donor), and

• have enabled the start of more than 63 ELCA congregations, in addition to those started out of the Division's budget, over the past seven years.

Previous Founders have:

• shared an eagerness to be involved in the miracle of new life,

• wanted to live out Christ's Great Commission in a tangible, visible way,

• have recognized that starting a new congregation also brings great rewards to the donor, and

• have felt that the best legacy to leave for the future is another growing, serving, witnessing church.

Examples:

• One couple has committed $100,000 for a new start in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, and $50,000 for another yet undesignated mission.

• As part of their capital campaign, Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Sioux City, Iowa, committed $150,000 for a new start in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

• A cluster of congregations in Santa Maria, California, committed $25,000 for each of five years to support a new Latino start in their area.

• The Southeastern Iowa Synod is contributing $40,000 toward a new start in Easter Lake, Iowa, and $20,000 + toward a new start in Las Vegas, Nevada.

• A group of area congregations has provided the funds to completely support a new congregation focusing on young adult ministry in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

• First Lutheran Church, Fargo, North Dakota, is utilizing the gifts of one of its pastors to start a satellite in a different part of the city.

• A California couple contributed $600,000 which, when combined with the gifts of other partners and the Division for Outreach, gifted seven new ministries.

 

To learn more about how you can be involved in Mission Founders, contact:

Deaconess Marlys Waldo
ELCA Mission Founders
Marlys.Waldo@elca.org

or

Director for Evangelical Mission, TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod
281-873-5665

synod@gulfcoastsynod.org