Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission
To visit other program and service units of the ELCA, return to Churchwide Organization.
Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Program Ministries
This Unit brings together ELCA churchwide ministries that support congregations in their call to be faithful, welcoming, and generous. It assists congregations, synods, and institutions and agencies of this church to grow in evangelical outreach. Among its responsibilities are supporting discipleship, stewardship, and lifelong learning; increasing awareness about the centrality of prayer; starting and renewing congregations; and implementing the ELCA evangelism strategy and pertinent portions of all ethnic-specific strategies.
Input was sought at the All Staff meeting to further develop the purpose and guiding principles for the unit. Following that meeting the primary work on the strategic plan was done by the Lutheran Center EOCM staff, as they developed goals, outcomes, objectives, means of measurement and tactics.
The purpose of the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission program unit is to engage leaders in the formation of evangelizing congregations* that make disciples for Jesus Christ who use their gifts for God’s reign in the church and in the world.
Marked by the sign of the cross we are sent to be an evangelizing church; Praying, Preparing and Renewing Leaders, Teaching Disciples, Starting and Renewing Congregations, we model and invite others to emulate the life of Christ by internalizing the Great Commission, a hope for our broken world.
Prayer groups from across the United States, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, The United Kingdom, and the Caribbean are waiting and willing to pray for your request. Your prayer request will be lifted up in prayer for one month and all information is kept confidential. God answers prayer. As you receive answers to your prayer, please consider returning to this site to share a word of thanks to God for answered prayer.
Christian education is at the very heart of the church. In the educational process the Spirit of God encounters people of all ages so that they are nurtured in faith, grow in knowledge and experience, and are inspired and empowered to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. This call to discipleship compels us to share our faith and serve others in the home, the community, and in God’s world.
EOCM provides Spanish language resources for congregation leaders. A bilingual resource catalog is also available for download.
The vision of Lutheran Men in Mission is for every man to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through an effective men's ministry in every congregation. To build men’s faith, relationships and ministry through the resources we publish, the events we produce and providing ongoing leadership development.
“At the heart of the church” lies stewardship—sharing the gifts God has so abundantly given us. Get the basics on Stewardship and find invaluable resources for your congregation.
Living in today’s world is both challenging and exciting for today’s Christian. Everywhere we look we see both God’s activity in the world and the world to experience the gospel of Jesus Christ. In response to these opportunities and challenges, the ELCA is constantly looking for missional leaders who can and will make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities.
The development of new congregations is a high priority in the ELCA. Local leaders in Synods envision and plan strategies to develop healthy and evangelizing congregations. EOCM connects, engages and accompanies these leaders in their role of making new disciples for Jesus Christ, who use their gifts for God’s kingdom in the church and in the world.
The African National Ministries office of the ELCA strategically works on planting new African immigrant churches, renewing and expanding African national ministries, developing leaders, offering stewardship and economic empowerment trainings, developing and distributing ministry resources and enhancing global connections of African national churches.
Congregational renewal is a Biblical journey by which congregations deepen their understanding of the word of God, expand their practice of the word into the world, and share with others the beauty of the word and its relevance for the Christian walk into the world. The journey will result in a more active engagement in God’s mission and an increase in their capacity for multiplying ministry in the world.
Mission Partners, Mission Founders, and Mission Builders accompany new and renewing congregations of the ELCA as they carry out God’s mission in their communities.
Congregations are communities of faith. Congregations are the heart beat of the church. Regardless of size, congregations are where the people of God gather together to worship, to celebrate, to serve, and to let the pulse of God’s Spirit move them to an even great future of witness and service. Every congregation is gifted, and every sized congregation has special gifts unique to that sized congregation. This page is devoted to celebrating and sharing the unique gifts of large congregations.
Urban America continues to be a mission field, becoming home to myriads of immigrants, new communities, younger generations, marginalized communities and other diverse groups. EOCM partners with outstanding urban leaders in all expressions of the ELCA in order that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may be involved in transforming lives, congregations and communities.
As members of the ELCA, we all share a commitment to spreading God’s word—and sharing God’s love—in the world. To live our lives in and for Christ in both church and society—that’s at the heart of discipleship. But it doesn’t just happen on its own. In this section, you can learn about big and small ways we can pray, participate and provide—to share faith with others.
Our rural people know that this church worships a God who anticipates our needs, who hears our sighs too deep for words, and who calls us into relationships. They know that God hears their distress in times of drought, floods, and low crop prices. God hears their joys at seeing a sunrise, plowing a field, or witnessing a baptism.
Hispanic/Latino Outreach
Coming Soon!
In partnership with synods, EOCM strives to equip congregational leaders in the development of healthy, missional communities of faith. These healthy, missional congregations create systems that work together for the edification of church and world. These systems are fueled and sustained by strong biblical and theological foundations and sense of clear purpose for the ministry.
EOCM supports and implements the evangelical outreach components of the ELCA Ethnic Ministry Strategies. These include strategic plans for the following communities: Asian & Pacific Islander, American Indian & Alaska Native, African Descent& African Ministries, Arab & Middle Eastern and Latino/Hispanic.
Coaching is a way of “walking alongside” someone to help them accomplish the work to which God has called them. Through a process of asking “powerful questions,” coaches assist leaders to find effective solutions and appropriate strategies. Coaching assists the coachee to determine: Where am I? Where am I going? How will I get there?
The Evangelical outreach and Congregational Mission Unit develops plans of action for implementation of the ELCA African Descent Outreach Strategy. In order to provide advice and direction to this effort, and African Descent Outreach Strategy Team, composed of selected lay and rostered leaders, has been established. The work of the team and the Unit is coordinated by the EOCM Unit’s Director for African American/Black Outreach.