The Purpose Statement, A Brief History: Part 3

The Purpose Statement

From the start, the women understood that it was crucial to know who they were and why they came together as a community. Enter the purpose statement — a true gem of the organization, then and now. Fashioned as the organization was forming, with input from a host of women, it reflects an exhilarating and radical grasp of Christian calling and commitment — and it has set the stage for all the organization’s actions and ministries.

As a community of women
   created in the image of God,
   called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and
   empowered by the Holy Spirit,

We commit ourselves to
   grow in faith,
   affirm our gifts,
   support one another in our callings,
   engage in ministry and action, and
   promote healing and wholeness
      in the church,
      the society,
      and the world.

No sooner had the purpose statement been shaped in English than it was translated into Spanish, signaling the organization’s commitment to inclusivity and to its existing Caribbean unit.

The Constituting Convention approved documents and structures, including a constitution, 12 principles (a 13th, on anti-racism, was added later, as the organization grew more fully in its sensitivity and commitment), three program areas to frame the organization’s work, and various expressions of the community: a churchwide office with paid professional staff and executive director; 64 synodical women’s organizations (SWOs) to match the 64 ELCA geographic synods; some 600 synodical clusters or conferences; and thousands of congregational and intercongregational units — special units, such as those on college campuses or in assisted living facilities, for example, would be added later. Staff (directors and administrative support) would represent the racial and cultural diversity outlined in the ELCA constitution and provide for diversity in developing programs and resources.

Mujeres de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América

El Propósito
En tanto que somos una comunidad de mujeres
   creadas a imagen de
   Dios,
   llamadas a convertirnos
   en discípulas de
   Jesucristo, y
   fortalecidas por el
   Espíritu Santo,

nos comprometemos a
   crecer en la fe,
   afirmar nuestros dones,
   apoyarnos las unas a
      las otras en nuestras
      respectivas
      vocaciones,
   involucrarnos en el
      ejercicio del ministerio
      y la acción, y
   promover la sanación
      y la integridad
         en la iglesia,
         la sociedad, y
         y el mundo.

From the beginning, the women made it clear the organization belonged to the women: No money from the ELCA budget would go to Women of the ELCA for its work; all financial support would come as contributions from the women themselves. Yes, the organization and its participants would still be part of, and would willingly support, the ELCA and its ministries. One way the women have kept this promise is with the yearly gift to the ELCA. Yet Women of the ELCA would be a separately incorporated entity, calling itself an organization, not an auxiliary — a past designation many felt made the women’s group sound more like an appendage than a body with its own identity.

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