Evangelical Lutherans Try to Attract More Black Members
By Dionne Walker
Associated Press Writer
Sun, May. 13 2007

Like black ministers across Virginia, she aims to tap the energy of her church and direct it toward worship. But she's an Evangelical Lutheran, and her tiny Chesapeake church is part of an effort to diversify the overwhelmingly white denomination, so closely identified with its German and Scandinavian roots.

Faced with shrinking membership, the denomination is changing the culture of some of its congregations to attract other ethnicities. In the case of Rejoice Lutheran Church, that means soul revivals and free car washes, urban mentoring programs and vibrant, gospel-infused services.

The denomination's goals are ambitious and there are many obstacles to overcome. Mills says most blacks tell her they're puzzled by the Lutheran tradition, and often mistake it for Roman Catholicism. Others imagine stuffy services where freewheeling praise is discouraged. the rest