" ...that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love..." Colossians 2:2
The Lutheran Association of Christian Educators (LACE) got its start from an initiative and leadership of the Partners in Christian Education of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 2003.
The organization is recognized by the ELCA as an independent affiliated organization of the ELCA since 2005. Throughout 2013, the board and the LACE membership discussed a name change for the Lutheran Association of Christian Educators.
There were many reasons to consider as everyone looked at changing the name of the organization. Is the name representative of what LACE does and who the LACE members are? Is it inclusive of all involved?
Many, many names were considered and discussed. The board always came back to being Christian educators and felt the need to identify the organization that way. The board discovered that more than an "association", we are a network. There is no doubt in the minds of the board members that the organization is solidly grounded in the theology of the ELCA and has a keen interest in specifically supporting congregations in the ELCA across the country.
On January 9, 2014, the Lutheran Association of Christian Educators (LACE) Board unanimously voted to change the name of our organization to the Christian Education Network of the ELCA. The board is pleased with this final decision and grateful to the membership for feedback and insights. On January 27, 2014, the membership was asked to ratify the board decision and nearly unanimously did so.
The Christian Education Network of the ELCA looks forward to developing the new identity, the new look of the website and new ways to "support Lifelong Faith Formation in Home and Congregation."
The Lutheran Association of Christian Educators recently renamed the organization to identify more clearly who the organization feels called to support and connect with in ministry. CENetwork is, no doubt, a group of individuals, both volunteer and paid staff, passionately involved in Christian education. As a volunteer organization, the desire to reach out and help others in the local setting of a congregation can be accomplished through establishing a solid network. The CENetwork is without a doubt well grounded in using theologically sound faith formation tools from a Lutheran perspective.
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