If your congregation resembles this description, you are not alone. Twenty percent or more of ELCA congregations in urban areas face the same apparently dismal future. Other congregations have survived the pain of congregational and neighborhood changes and have shaped a new mission with new leaders.
Current plans focus on outreach to the Hispanic community in the neighborhood.
Dozens of congregations in urban settings are rediscovering that mission is possible. The ELCA has strong roots in cities. Many urban congregations can trace generations of Word and Sacrament ministry transforming lives, raising up leaders and lifting high the cross of Christ. Today, many of these urban congregations face a crisis- they must choose between living off their endowments and eventually closing or calling upon the Spirit to breathe a new life and mission in them. Without illusory short-cuts or quick fixes, ELCA congregations can build on the Lutheran legacy in the city.