Mission of WELCA

Jan:

Mission statements aren't generally written as a recruitment tool. Mission statements define the work of those within the group. I've never joined a cause or a group because of its mission statement.

That said, the mission of Women of the ELCA is broad: mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. That mission can be seen as inviting: inviting women in who want to mobilize their own faith, inviting women who want to act boldly, inviting in those who want to help women act boldly.

The churchwide organization of Women of the ELCA offers many supports for existing participants who want to encourage younger women to participate in the organization. We also know that in some places the older women aren't always that welcoming to younger women, whether intentionally or unintentionally. So the churchwide organization also offers many resources for younger women themselves, both as an introduction to the organization and as supports for them on their own spiritual journeys. One such resource is Cafe, available as an electronic magazine at www.boldcafe.org and also as a podcast. The churchwide staff includes a director for intergenerational programming, who is the primary lead in all of this work.

The purpose of Women of the ELCA, to which all participants ascribe, states that we support one another in our callings. There's no distinction made on age. So, yes, those who currently participate in Women of the ELCA should want to support younger women in their callings. So, what kind of ideas do you have? It's quite possible that your ideas would be totally consistent with our commitment to suppot one another in our callings.

Linda Post Bushkofsky
Executive director, Women of the ELCA