wfn.org | ELCA Ministry Board Tackles Study, Exceptions

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 18, 2001

ELCA MINISTRY BOARD TACKLES STUDY, EXCEPTIONS
01-258-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division for Ministry of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) launched into topics that
will occupy its agenda for the foreseeable future here Oct. 12-14.  A
study of homosexuality and an exception to ordination practices were two
of those topics.
     In August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly asked the Division for
Ministry and Division for Church in Society to lead a comprehensive
four-year study of homosexuality that will consider issues such as the
possibility of the church's accepting ministerial candidates who are in
committed homosexual relationships and the blessing of same-gender
relationships.  The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's chief legislative
authority; it meets every two years.
     The assembly also asked the Division for Church in Society to
prepare a social statement on human sexuality.  That request did not
include a deadline.
     Staff of the two divisions developed a six-point "Protocol for
Managing the ELCA Churchwide Study on Homosexuality and Aspects of the
Social Statement on Human Sexuality" to coordinate the assembly
mandates.  The protocol outlines how leadership in the projects will be
shared, the selection of a study director, how the director is to be
supervised, the selection of a task force, how and when study reports
will be issued and how study documents will be authorized for
distribution.
     The Division for Ministry board adopted the protocol.  The board
of the Division for Church in Society will consider the protocol at its
meeting Oct. 18-20 in Baltimore.
     "While the Division for Church in Society bears responsibility for
developing a social statement on human sexuality, aspects of that social
statement process and the study on homosexuality overlap," said the
protocol.  "Where appropriate, these two projects will be integrated and
the two units will collaborate."
     Kevin J. Boatright, Madison, Wis., conducted a straw poll of the
Division for Ministry board, which he chairs.  The purpose of the poll
was to determine the will of the board regarding the timing and scope of
the study -- the size of the task force, as well as the number of
hearings, focus groups and other consultations.
     "This group was saying, in a straw vote, that we would prefer not
to delay the implementation of this mandate and that we would prefer to
go ahead with a fairly large task force, a lot of involvement and
feedback throughout the church," said Boatright.  The board recognized
that this was probably the most expensive of the options, he said, "but
the feeling was that if we are going to do this study, we should do it
well and do it in a way that involves all facets of the church."
     "This division has been involved in some major studies -- the
study of ministry, the study of theological education," said Boatright.
"Whenever the church undertakes a study, it's because we want to learn
all we can about an issue.  We want to learn the mind of the church on a
particular issue.  We want to have a biblical understanding of an
issue."
     "Perhaps people question why we are conducting this study or why
we aren't just making decisions now," said Boatright.  "We conduct a
study to help make decisions about what the direction of the church
should be.  At this point, before the study has begun, I assure you
there are no preconceived notions about the outcomes," he said.
     In August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved a bylaw change
that will allow pastors, after approval by their synod bishops and in
consultation with the presiding bishop, to ordain new ELCA pastors in
"unusual circumstances."  As part of a full-communion agreement that
went into effect this year with The Episcopal Church, USA, only Lutheran
bishops are to ordain ELCA clergy.  The ELCA is organized into 65
synods, each headed by a bishop.
     The assembly said the policy of allowing exceptions to ELCA
ordination practices "shall be evaluated periodically by the Division
for Ministry."
     The division's board voted to ask the ELCA Office of the Presiding
Bishop to supply the division with semi-annual reports on "the number of
exceptions granted by each synod."
     Boatright said the purpose of the request was "simply to monitor
whether there are many or few of these exceptions being granted and, if
so, is this a general issue in the church or is it a particular issue
only for certain parts of the church."
     Leaders in the Episcopal Church and many ELCA proponents of full
communion expressed concern about possible abuses of the exceptions
policy, said Boatright.  "Hopefully we will be able to ensure that this
is not going to be a wholesale granting of exceptions," he said, "but at
least that option does exist for those who wish to make use of it."
     The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner, executive director of the ELCA Division
for Ministry, and the Rev. A. Craig Settlage, the division's associate
executive director, led the board in discussions of issues related to
the ongoing work of the division.  Those topics included theological
reflection, leadership development and recruitment, ecumenical
possibilities, the changing scene of theological education, health and
wellness, and multicultural enhancement of the ELCA.
     In other business, the board elected Boatright to a second two-
year term as its chair.  It re-elected Phyllis C. Wiederhoeft, Verona,
Wis., as vice chair and Phyllis Stromme, Kennewick, Wash., as secretary.
Jacqueline Hoop-Sinicrope, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the Rev. Robert J. Karli, Austin, Texas, were also elected
to the executive committee.
     The board approved a division budget of almost $6.2 million for
2002.  That budget includes more than $4 million in direct grants to the
ELCA's eight seminaries.
     The board also adopted guidelines to assist "ELCA chaplains,
pastoral counselors, clinical educators and others in specialized
ministries [who] may face the unfortunate circumstance of a strike by
employees in their institutions."  The guidelines advise such church
workers to make it clear to management and to unions that "they will
continue to minister to all, even under strike conditions."

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