Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG's 'Vision 2020'

Captions: 1. ELCPNG general secretary Isaac Teo…mapping out plan for Vision 2020. 2. ELCPNG headquarters at Ampo in Lae.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG) is preparing policy framework and guidelines for programme formulation for its strategic planning called the ELCPNG Vision 2010-2020.

The policy framework and guidelines will direct planning in each department and district of the church to formulate their respective mission statements, value statements and programme details.

Vision 2010-2020 concept paper was presented at the 26th general synod of the ELCPNG in January of this year.

The late Bishop Reverend Dr Wesley Kigasung highlighted the vision statement - “Sharing the Faith, Building the Church” - and the concept for planning together with the guiding principles that will enable planning to achieve the objectives, mission and vision of the church.

 Rev. Dr Zirajukic Kemung of Martin Luther Seminary discussed the human development criteria and elaborated on the need for Vision 2010-2020 to focus on the “household”.

 The message was loud and clear that the planning process aims to achieve balanced human development addressing both physical and spiritual development needs of every human person.

Mr Isaac Teo, general church secretary of ELC-PNG discussed the state of the socio-economic development challenges that the country is facing today.

He highlighted issues with regards to education and health such as HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and malaria which have encouraged both the government and non-government sectors to develop programmes aimed at addressing these problems.

“ELCPNG as a Christian church empowered by the Word of God with a ministry to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, has been actively involved in promotion of health and education program over the past 122 years of establishment,” Mr Teo said.

“The Ogelbeng Synod endorsed the timeframe to Vision 2020 with separation and extension of planning and implementation periods to cover 2008–2010, 2011–2015 and 2016-2020.

“These will enable planning set realistic and achievable short-term and medium term goals with proper design of impact evaluation and assessment on term basis.

“ELCPNG departments will continue with their implementation of the current programmes, and carryout timely review so that the programs will be fine tuned in line with the new Vision, Mission and Objectives of the ELC-PNG Vision 2020.

“As a guiding principle of a strategic planning process,  this policy framework and programme formulation guidelines should help ELCPNG departments to re-focus planning on priority areas, starting with a department mission statement and value statement and of course re-formulation of program objectives and strategies for implementation through out the planning period.

“The Vision 2020 strategies of ‘integral mission’,   ‘leadership focus’,  ‘area focus’ and ‘household focus’ places much greater emphasis on the multi- level planning capacities within the existing church’s institutional and organisational hierarchy.”

  It also calls for reorganisation of the existing institutional arrangements that will cater for programs on leadership focus and training of evangelist for proclamation of the Gospel in new strategic mission areas.

“There is also greater need for ‘devolution’ of administrative function and responsibilities with readily-available resources and capacities at the ELCPNG districts to support holistic ministry program in the parishes, congregations and the household,” Mr Teo continued.

“Since the ‘overseas missionaries’ had left in the late 1980’s these functions have slowly come to a halt and are of non-existence at the present time.

“The overall objective of Vision 2010-2020 is to provide a clear and consistent policy framework for promotion and development of holistic ministry planning and programming of ELCPNG Vision 2010-2020.

“The ELCPNG institutional framework is ‘people empowerment’ structure that needs to be consolidated and made to function effectively.

 “The starting point is obviously the ‘reorientation’ of the existing seven programmes of ELCPNG inline with the Vision 2010-2020 concept of ‘household focus’.

“The idea is to emphasise the main programme groups - build life, empower life, support life - which will form the main pillars of the church ministry, a force that would drive the mission statement in realising the purpose of Vision 2010-2020.

“Reformulation of current programmes and projects should start with the definition of goals and by putting it into its right context and perspective for a holistic ministry program.”