Title: ELCA Council Finds Synod Resolution Conflicts With Church Rules ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 7, 2006
ELCA Council Finds Synod Resolution Conflicts With Church Rules 06-057-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) decided a resolution the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod adopted in a special assembly Oct. 29, 2005, "contains inherently conflicting statements that may be read as being in conflict with the constitution and bylaws of this church." The synod resolution addressed "the exercise of discipline" regarding lay professional and ordained ministers living in committed same-sex relationships.
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 here April 1-2. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is here Aug. 6-12, 2007.
The ELCA's 2005 Churchwide Assembly considered three recommendations regarding homosexuality and the church. It adopted the first two recommendations -- urging the ELCA to "find ways to live together faithfully in the midst of its disagreements" and making no policy on the blessing of same-sex relationships.
The assembly rejected the third recommendation that would have allowed the church, under special circumstances, to ordain, consecrate and commission candidates for ministry who are in lifelong, committed same-sex relationships. Current ELCA policy expects ministers to refrain from sexual relations outside marriage, which it defines as "a lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman."
The ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod mandated the special assembly by action of its spring 2005 assembly in the event that the three recommendations were not adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
The synod assembly adopted four points of guidance concerning discipline involving a minister "in a loving, committed, same-gender relationship:"
+ the overriding consideration must be the mission and pastoral needs of the congregation and the synod
+ charges must describe how discipline would best serve the mission and pastoral needs of the congregation and the synod
+ a discipline committee must consider and determine "as a fact" whether discipline would best serve the mission and pastoral needs of the congregation and the synod
+ discipline should not be imposed unless it best serves the mission and pastoral needs of the congregation and the synod
The synod's resolution asked the Church Council to clarify "whether this resolution is in concurrence with the governing documents of the ELCA."
The Church Council received the synod's resolution in November 2005 and referred it to the Office of the Secretary for consultation with the Office of the Presiding Bishop, ELCA Vocation and Education and the Conference of Bishops. That consultation produced an "analysis of the resolution, background information on the issues, and other documentation" on which the council based its response to the synod.
The council commended the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod's expressed desire "to concentrate on finding ways to live together faithfully in the midst of disagreements" and affirmed the synod's stated commitment "to engage with this whole church in ongoing communal discernment on difficult issues within the community of the faithful."
The council acknowledged the synod's recognition "that synods do not have the authority to adopt their own policies and guidelines for discipline, nor do synod assemblies or synod councils have the authority to preempt decisions of any duly constituted discipline hearing committee."
The council decided "that the resolution contains inherently conflicting statements that may be read as being in conflict with the constitution and bylaws of this church and the applicable policies." It thanked the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod for seeking the council's guidance and attached the consultation's report and analysis to the response.
The council concluded its response by urging continued dialogue within the ELCA on matters of mission and ministry.
The Rev. Kenneth M. Ruppar, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Richmond, Va., chairs the council's legal and constitutional review committee, which proposed the council's response.
As an example of "inherently conflicting statements," he told the ELCA News Service the synod's resolution suggested "that you can only submit a charge to the bishop if you describe how it would best serve the mission and pastoral needs of that specific ministry. That's an additional requirement to the current requirements to submit charges. So, in our reading of it, that appears to add to the requirements, and it changes the basis for filing charges."
"We were asked specific questions by the Metropolitan New York Synod in terms of looking at their resolution and whether it complies with guidelines and policies and the constitution of the ELCA," Ruppar said. "At this point we're saying it doesn't."
"The response of the council resolution plus the exhibit will go (to the synod), and it's available for any other individuals or synods that would like to have it as well," Ruppar said. "We have no doubt that additional resolutions of this type will show up in upcoming assemblies," he said.
The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, spoke with staff of the ELCA churchwide office April 4 regarding the action of the Church Council. He said the council's response should be read with the consultation's analysis.
"The original resolution was complicated, and, in a sense, the response, I suppose one could say, is complicated because it is so detailed," Almen said. "That was done out of respect for the deliberations of the Metropolitan New York Synod, in an effort to seek to provide adequate information both to that synod and others on the issues addressed in the original resolution," he said.
The ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod includes approximately 80,000 Lutherans in more than 230 congregations in the New York counties of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. -- -- --
The Church Council's complete response to the synod is on pages 9-14 of the PDF file at http://www.ELCA.org/secretary/governance/Actions20060404.pdf on the ELCA Web site.
A report by the Rev. Stephen P. Boumann, bishop, ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, on actions of the synod's special assembly is at http://www.mnys.org/Headlines/special_meeting_report.html on the synod's Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog