wfn.org | ELCA Is "Called To Be A Safe Place"

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 27, 1997

ELCA IS "CALLED TO BE A SAFE PLACE"
97-12-031-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
has given its Commission for Women the assignment to "assist this
church to create a safe environment for women in this church and
society."  The commission is coordinating series of programs
around the theme "Called to be a Safe Place."
     "We never approached it as a campaign," said Joanne
Chadwick, executive director of the ELCA Commission for Women.
"Maybe we should."
     Chadwick told the commission's steering committee, when it
met here Feb. 28-March 2, about a recent trip to Germany.  The
Lutheran churches there asked her to come and present the ELCA's
"campaign."
     "I went from place to place to talk about how the church
could be involved in the community and make statements against
violence against women," she said.  "I also spoke to Stuttgart's
commission on the status of women, to help the communities see
that the church needs to be involved."
     The German interest in the ELCA's work came from discussions
through the Lutheran World Federation and its 122 member church
bodies.  "It's become a global concern," said Chadwick.  "We've
taken it on as a serious concern and not just something to quote
statistics about."
     "We're finding that much of our work revolves around this
theme of how the church can be a safe place.  To be a welcoming
place it certainly needs to be a safe place," said the Rev. Ann
M. Tiemeyer, New York, steering committee chair, ELCA Commission
for Women.
     "Issues around violence and abuse fall into that realm as
well.  How the church becomes a safe place has a lot of
dimensions to it and much of our work revolves around that
element," Tiemeyer added.
     What does a safe church look like?  "Every woman will be
safe to go to church on Sunday morning.  Right now, that's not
so, either because of what's happening in the home or what's
happening in the church itself," said Chadwick.
     The commission has worked with the ELCA Division for
Ministry and Conference of Bishops to develop the "ELCA Strategy
for Responding to Sexual Abuse in the Church."  A preventive
resource, "Safe Connections," helps pastors and their
congregations establish appropriate boundaries.
     "As I do this work in the church, I realize that there are
other areas where women are not safe and one is in our
theological thinking," said Chadwick.  "We need to figure out a
way that this church can be a place where women can do the
exploration they need to do around theological concerns."
     Chadwick recalled phone calls "about clergy not being able
to respond to women who are being abused physically,
psychologically or spiritually."
     The commission has begun to work with the ELCA's eight
seminaries to address abuse and violence through their pastoral
care curriculum.  "Making Home a Safe Place: Pastoral Care and
Domestic Violence" was launched during a November 1996
consultation with seminary faculty.  A second consultation is set
for November 1997.
     "We will either be looking at writing a unified curriculum
that can be used in each seminary or looking at some other
options," said Chadwick.  "We are recommending looking at what's
being taught in Old Testament, what's being taught in New
Testament, what are the theological issues."
     "No seminary to date had created a required class on the
subject," reported Jean Martensen, the commission's associate
director for leadership development and studies.  "Most
seminaries offered elective courses in which the subject is
treated."  Domestic abuse is often the subject of special
educational events.
     Martensen also reported to the board on a many-layered set
of resources for use in ELCA congregations.  "Stop the Violence:
Heal Hurting Families" has sections for women, men and youth.
     Several units of the church, including the Division for
Church in Society, Division for Congregational Ministries,
Lutheran Men in Mission and Women of the ELCA, have helped
develop the "Stop the Violence" resources.  Chadwick said another
segment of the program may soon deal with child abuse.
     The commission's steering committee viewed a portion of
"Broken Vows," one of the videotapes used in the program on
domestic violence.  "Healing and Empowering Women" is an eight-
week curriculum for women's support groups.  A resource on
dealing with anger is being developed.
     Lutheran youth have developed a one-day workshop for
Lutheran youth, said Chadwick.  "It's hard for us to hear how
unsafe they feel.  They don't find safety anywhere ... in school
... in the neighborhood ... in their homes."
     The ELCA Commission for Women is preparing itself to be more
involved in using "inclusive language" in worship services.  If
the church adopts a series of initiatives to deepen the church's
worship life, "that will come back on our agenda in a more
aggressive way," said Chadwick.
     The commission is also working with the ELCA Division for
Church in Society to engage the church in "moral deliberation" on
homosexuality.  "Now our work is to help the church respond to
what it would mean to be a welcoming place for lesbians," she
said.  "The violence toward that community is also a concern."
     A safe place is one in which "power is shared equally
between men and women," said Chadwick.  A safe church "will be
one where discussion will be alive and loud but no one will be
abused psychologically, spiritually or physically."

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html