ELCA Church Council responds to actions of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: ELCA Church Council responds to actions of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>November 16, 2011  

ELCA Church Council responds to actions of the 2011 Churchwide Assembly
11-138-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) acted on several recommendations in response to
actions of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The council, which serves
as the ELCA's board of directors, also approved revisions to the 2012
current fund spending authorization and considered other matters when it
met here Nov. 11-13.

The council appointed a six-person advisory committee to continue
the work of the "Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of
the ELCA" Task Force. The 2011 Churchwide Assembly, held Aug. 15-19 in
Orlando, Fla., approved a series of resolutions designed to set a course
for the ELCA's future and to consider this church's structure and
relationships.

The council requested that the advisory committee provide an interim
report for the council's April 2012 meeting and a final report and
possible recommendations for presentation at its November 2012 meeting.

Council member Deborah L. Chenoweth, Hood River, Ore., said the
Living into the Future Together task force report "is not a report that
will sit on the shelf." She said that there are items members of the ELCA
Church Council will continue to work together on, as well as the ELCA
Conference of Bishops. A critical component of the report, Chenoweth
cited, is the call for the 10,000 congregations of this church to engage
in "missional planning."

In a separate action, the council moved to establish a review
process on the current procedures for the development and adoption of
social documents that address social concerns. The 2011 assembly called
for this review.

In its action, the council requested that its executive committee
appoint ELCA members to serve on the Addressing Social Concerns Review
Task Force and approved a charter to facilitate the work of this task
force, which is expected to bring a report to the November 2012 meeting
of the council. The report will serve as a basis for a report and
possible recommendations to the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Social documents guide ELCA members in their moral deliberation and
govern this church's institutional policies and advocacy work.

The 2011 assembly adopted "Genetics, Faith and Responsibility," the
ELCA's 11th social statement. A social statement on criminal justice is
underway and, at the beginning of 2012, a task force will be appointed to
initiate work for a social statement on justice for women.

In other business, the council:

+ Established time lines for response to actions of the 2011 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly that have been referred to the council and the
churchwide organization.
+ Approved an initial 2012 fiscal year current fund spending
authorization of $64,173,000. This amount reflects a $2.4 million or 3.9
percent increase from the budget approved by the 2011 Churchwide
Assembly. The council approved an initial 2012 fiscal year World Hunger
spending authorization of $18.5 million. The council also approved
revisions to 2012 synodical mission-support plans.
+ Amended a continuing resolution on changing the name of the ELCA Board
of Pensions to Portico Benefit Services.
+ Elected council members to serve on its executive committee and
ratified the membership of council committees.
+ Acknowledged the commitment of council members to attend synod
assemblies and synod council meetings.
+ Responded to resolutions from synods about the ELCA's Health and
Benefits Program, a call for the adoption of "The Decade for Women" and
to delay a resolution about "Human Rights Violations Against the Oromo
People" until the April 2012 council meeting.
+ Implemented a resolution designed to add two youth and one young adult
as advisers to the council.
+ Amended continuing resolutions in the ELCA's Constitution, Bylaws and
Continuing Resolutions.

The council received reports from officers and churchwide
organization leaders. The Rev. M. Wyvetta Bullock, executive for
administration, delivered an overview of the 2011-2013 operational plan
for the churchwide organization.

>---

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

>For information contact:
>Melissa Ramirez Cooper
>773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org
>http://www.ELCA.org/news
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