ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 20, 2003

ELCA Council Revises CSR Process,  Acts On Other Matters
O3-212-FI/JB

     CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a revised
governance process for the church's work in corporate social
responsibility (CSR).  It also acted on proposals for a "Race Relations
Sunday," synodical requests for a new commission, a tax exemption
case involving a Jerusalem hospital and campus ministry policies.
The council also heard an update on the ELCA Studies on Sexuality
and declined to hold a summer meeting in 2004.
     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 Nov. 13-16 at the
invitation of the ELCA North Carolina Synod, and joined in a
celebration of the synod's 200th anniversary Nov. 15 at Wake
Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.  Churchwide assemblies are
held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, 2005, in Orlando,
Fla.
     The board of the ELCA Division for Church in Society (DCS)
offered the council a governance proposal for the church's work
in corporate social responsibility.  Through an advisory
committee, DCS counsels various institutions of the church and
shareholders about the social records of corporations in which
they hold stock.  Meetings in which ELCA governing bodies would
decide the church's reaction to such records often lagged behind
the annual cycle of corporate meetings.
     The council approved the new governance process, which gives
editorial responsibility to the board's advisory committee and
approval authority to the DCS executive director.  The DCS board
identifies the broad range of issues to be addressed, and the
council approves issue papers "with boundaries for voting proxies
and filing resolutions."
     In a related action the council approved five issue papers:
"Global Warming and Climate Change" and "Environmental Topics"
based on the ELCA social statement on the environment;
"International Access to Pharmaceuticals" based on the ELCA
social statement on health and health care; and "Sustainability"
and "Domestic Access to Capital" based on the ELCA social
statement on economic life.

Race Relations Sunday
     The steering committee of the ELCA Commission for
Multicultural Ministries asked the Church Council to urge all 65
synods and 10,721 congregations to observe a Race Relations
Sunday each year, beginning in 2004, with prayer, reflection and
study on a Sunday of their choosing.  The committee's resolution
noted that 2003 is the 10th anniversary of the ELCA's social
statement on racism -- "Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity and
Culture."
     The council voted to ask the synods "to encourage all
congregations to consider the timely importance of addressing
race relations as they develop their annual program emphases."
It also pointed to resources recommended by the commission and
the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service "on the topics of
race relations, racism, xenophobia, discrimination and hate
crimes."

Commission for Gay and Lesbian People
     In 2000, the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod asked the 2001
Churchwide Assembly to establish a "Commission for Sexual
Minorities," and the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod asked for a
"Commission for Gays and Lesbians."  The matter was referred to
the Church Council, which voted to delay its response,
anticipating a proposal to restructure the churchwide
organization.
     At the November 2003 meeting, the council directed that the
synod requests be considered "as part of the Churchwide Strategic
Planning Process currently under way."  It also asked "that the
strategic design proposal when adopted be the response of this
council."

Support for Middle East Lutherans, Augusta Victoria Hospital
     The council adopted a resolution to address a tax exemption
case involving Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives
in East Jerusalem.  Augusta Victoria is operated by the Lutheran
World Federation. Its exemption from a State of Israel employer's
tax has been challenged successfully by the government in an
Israeli court, threatening the hospital's services to refugees.
     The council action "acknowledged the commitment of this
church [ELCA] to provide support, encouragement and advocacy to
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) in its
ongoing efforts to maintain the tax exemption," and it requested
DCS to continue its advocacy work through the Lutheran Office for
Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the ELCA's federal public policy
office in Washington, D.C.  The council was responding to a
similar resolution from the ELCA North Carolina Synod, which
called on LOGA to develop new strategies to address this
situation. Ghassan "Gus" Khoury, council member, Mt. Prospect,
Ill., who asked the council to support the resolution, said the
hospital serves Palestinians.
     "This is more than supporting a hospital," he said.  "August
Victoria gives life to people [and hope] that there [will be] a
just resolution to this issue.  It is very important that we
voice an opinion on this."

Campus Ministry Policies Adopted
     The council adopted a set of "Campus Ministry Policies and
Procedures," and asked for a report on their implementation from
the ELCA director for campus ministry and the ELCA Division for
Higher Education and Schools (DHES) at its November 2004 meeting.
The policies were sent to the council for approval by the DHES
board.
     The new policies "seek to clarify ways in which the work of
the churchwide organization, area campus ministry agencies and
campus ministry agencies is coordinated to advance the mission of
campus ministry," according to information sent to the council.

"Minority Report" Possible for Sexuality Studies, Says Council
Member
     The council discussed the timeline for a task force to
report recommendations of the ELCA Studies on Sexuality to the
church.  The Rev. James M. Childs Jr., ELCA director for studies
on sexuality, said the task force agreed to a series of reporting
dates regarding the studies and recommendations.  In 2004 the
task force has three meetings planned, including some time with
the ELCA Conference of Bishops in October.  It will report its
progress to the DCS and ELCA Division for Ministry boards and the
Church Council.
     The task force will compile responses to "Journey Together
Faithfully: Part Two" during the coming year and plans to
distribute a final draft of its report beginning in January 2005,
Childs said.  Recommendations in the report will be acted on by
the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  In 2004 the task force will
also work on a draft of a social statement on human sexuality for
the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.
     In a brief report to the council, Judy Biffle, Houston,
council member and council representative to the studies, said
the council must be prepared when the task force recommendations
become public, and she suggested the possibility of a second
report.
     "It is my feeling there is a potential that, for whatever
recommendations there are, there could be a 'minority report,'"
she said.  "If that is the case, then what does the council do
with that?"
     Council members asked several questions about the process of
how boards, the council and the assembly will handle the
recommendations, and whether the report can be amended.  They
also asked questions about what margin -- a two-thirds majority
or simple majority -- is required for adoption of report
recommendations.  The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, said
he cannot say now what margin is required because the answer
relates to the type of recommendations and what they might
require.

Summer Meeting Canceled for 2004
     To reduce spending in 2004, the council decided to cancel
plans for a July meeting.  In 2000 the council began a practice
of holding a non-legislative meeting every other year -- during
years in which there is no churchwide assembly -- to discuss
important issues facing the church.
     In its action, the council affirmed the value of previous
mid-summer meetings but called off next summer's meeting "as an
expression of the Church Council's stewardship in view of the
necessary reductions in churchwide expenditures."

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news