wfn.org | ELCA Council Delays Establishment of Two Commissions

[NEWS@ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 11, 2003

ELCA Council Delays Establishment of Two Commissions
03-CWA-02-MR

     MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) authorized a delay in requests
for the establishment of an ELCA commission for "sexual
minorities" and a commission for "children and families" until
the churchwide organization's strategic plan is implemented.
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and
serves as the legislative authority of the church between
churchwide assemblies.	The council met Aug. 10 at the Hilton
Milwaukee.  The 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is meeting at the
Midwest Airlines Center here Aug. 11-17.
     The ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod and Metropolitan New York
Synod and the 2001 Churchwide Assembly requested consideration of
the establishment of a commission for sexual minorities.  In a
separate resolution, the ELCA Oregon Synod asked for
consideration of the establishment of a commission for children
and families.
     In response to the resolutions the council acknowledged the
ELCA's strategic plan, "Faith Yet Changing:  The Plan for Mission
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America."  At its April
2003 meeting, the council affirmed Faithful Yet Changing.
     Janet Thompson, Eagan, Minn., council member, said it is
premature to respond to the requests for two distinct commissions
now, since the specifics of the strategic plan and churchwide
office structure is uncertain at this time.   Thompson is chair
of the council's planning and evaluation committee.
     At its meeting here, the council acted to remove the two
resolutions from "en bloc" to discuss and act on them separately
from other "en bloc" memorials.  Memorials are resolutions sent
from the ELCA's 65 synods.
     Faithful Yet Changing will be presented to the 2003
assembly.  If affirmed and directed by the assembly, the ELCA
Office of the Bishop will begin an alignment of the churchwide
spending plan, staffing and structure with Faithful Yet Changing
this fall.  The plan includes a mission statement, a vision
statement, a signature phrase and five strategic directions for
the church for 2003-2012.

Information on the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is available at
http://www.elca.org/assembly03 on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news