ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 11, 2007
ELCA Assembly Encourages Restraint in Discipline of Congregations, Leaders 07-CWA-045-KK
CHICAGO (ELCA) - While the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made no changes to its standards for its professional leaders during the 2007 Churchwide Assembly, it encouraged restraint in disciplining people and congregations that call ministers in mutual, chaste and faithful, committed, same-gender relationships, and called for restraint in disciplining professional leaders.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is met here Aug. 6-11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people participated, including 1,069 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly was "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
By a vote of 538 to 431, the assembly encouraged the ELCA's synods, bishops and presiding bishop to "refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining" people and congregations who call qualified leaders on the professional rosters of the ELCA "who are in a mutual, chaste and faithful, committed, same- gender relationship." The assembly also stated that the same restraint should apply to the professional leaders who are on the official rosters and are in committed same-gender relationships. The proposal was adopted by the assembly as a substitute for a recommendation of the Memorials Committee.
Initial debate centered on referring recommendations on standards for rostered leaders to the Task Force on Studies of Sexuality, which is developing a social statement on human sexuality for consideration by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.
The substitute proposal was made by the Rev. Paul R. Landahl, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod. He said, "We pray that somebody here today will listen to what we are trying to say and give us some breathing space to do what God is calling us to do."
"We need to refrain from harming good leaders," said Eric M. Peterson, ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin. "Stop the bleeding of our church, and focus on mission and ministry."
Arthur Murphy, ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, was opposed to the action. "We're trying to get in the back door what we did not do through the front door. I urge us not to make haphazard, piecemeal policy but create a comprehensive solution at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly and pass it one way or another."
At a news conference following the decision, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said the key words from the adopted action were that the Churchwide Assembly "prays, urges, and encourages" refraining or demonstrating restraint in discipline. "These are words of counsel. They are not words that change the standards of the church. They reflect the mind of this assembly as it seeks to give counsel to the leaders of the church."
In a separate decisions, the assembly referred memorials to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality regarding requests to make changes in ELCA clergy standards. The assembly added an amendment to the referral, directing the task force to "specifically address and make recommendations to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly on changes to any policies that preclude practicing homosexual persons from the rosters of the church." The assembly also referred other related memorials on sexuality to the task force. - - -
Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news