wfn.org | ELCA Commission For Women Calls For 'Gender Justice'

[NEWS@ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 28, 2004

ELCA Commission For Women Calls For 'Gender Justice'
04-203-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The steering committee of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Commission for Women wants a
proposed redesign of the churchwide organization to replace
references to "work on behalf of women" with efforts for "gender
justice," said Agnes S. McClain, committee chair.  The committee
drafted a rationale for the new language at its Oct. 15-16
meeting here.
     "'Work on behalf of women' can easily be heard or reduced to
'women's work,' which represents a dangerous misunderstanding" of
the commission's mandate, said the rationale.  "Work for justice
around issues of gender is work done not for the sake of women
alone, but for the sake of and for the health of the whole
church," it said.
     The committee stressed "gender justice" over "work on behalf
of women" in the ELCA's efforts toward clergy sexual misconduct
prevention.  Its rationale said a full-time staff person should
direct that work "for the sake of children, men and women."
     The steering committee met with the Rev. Charles S. Miller,
ELCA executive for administration and executive assistant to the
presiding bishop.  Miller is spearheading the church's planning
process to possibly restructure the churchwide organization.  He
also serves as an advisor to the steering committee.
     McClain, an ELCA associate in ministry and assistant to the
bishop of the ELCA Southwest California Synod, Glendale, Calif.,
said committee members told Miller that, after reading an August
draft of the restructuring proposal, "we felt like we had not
been listened to in all of the times we have consulted with the
planning team."
     The proposed churchwide structure does not include the
Commission for Women.  A companion proposal to reorganize the
ELCA's governance does not include steering committees.  The ELCA
Church Council will consider both proposals at its Nov. 11-15
meeting here.
     The commission's staff and steering committee were resigned
to the loss of the commission, but it appeared to them as though
the current restructuring proposal would lose the work of the
commission, too, McClain said.
     "We decided that, if we did not let our voices be heard this
time, this would be our last shot at trying to make some
changes," McClain said.  She said the discussion with Miller was
heated at times but ended on a positive note.  "We felt that he
heard us," she added.
-- -- --
     The Commission for Women's home page is at
http://www.elca.org/cw/ on the ELCA Web site.

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