LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS Archives

ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS  April 2004

ELCANEWS April 2004

Subject:

ELCA Council Endorses Timeline For Studies On Sexuality

From:

[log in to unmask]

Reply-To:

[log in to unmask]

Date:

Thu, 22 Apr 2004 17:26:33 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (93 lines)

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 22, 2004

ELCA Council Endorses Timeline For Studies On Sexuality
04-075-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) endorsed a timeline for communicating the report
and recommendations of the church's Task Force for the Studies on
Sexuality.  The 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is to receive the report and
consider the recommendations on whether or not the church should bless
same-gender relationships and whether or not people in such relationships
should be allowed to serve as ELCA ministers.
     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 April 17-18.  Assemblies are held every other year; the
next is Aug. 8-14, 2005, in Orlando, Fla.
     Members of the ELCA are involved in a study process that is informing
the task force as it prepares its reports and recommendations, which the
task force plans to draft by the end of the year.  The task force compiled
the study guide "Journey Together Faithfully, Part Two: The Church and
Homosexuality" with a response form to be completed and returned by Nov.
1.
     The council approved a detailed timeline that involves e-mailed
updates to the ELCA's 65 synods for distribution among congregations and
ordained and lay ministers.  Those updates will follow this meeting of the
council and the council's November meeting in preparation for release of
the report and recommendations in January.
     A "target date" of Jan. 12 was set for "a confidential preview" of
the report and recommendations, which are to be "available electronically"
to ministers and other key leaders of the church.  The preview is to be
"embargoed" and not made public until 24 hours later.
     The target date for the public release of the report and
recommendations is Jan. 13, when the timeline says they will be posted on
the ELCA Web site at http://www.elca.org/faithfuljourney/ and mailed to
all ELCA congregations and ministers.
     The Rev. James M. Childs Jr., director for the ELCA Studies on
Sexuality, and the Rev. Margaret G. Payne, chair of the 14-member task
force and bishop of the ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass., are to
be involved in a news conference here at the Lutheran Center when the
report and recommendations become public.
     Once the report and recommendations are public, the ELCA timeline
calls for "broad distribution" throughout the church with an invitation
for responses from synod councils to the church council and from synod
assemblies to the churchwide assembly.  Each of the ELCA's 65 synods plans
to hold an assembly in April, May or June 2005.
     The council is to meet here April 8-11, 2005.  The timeline said at
that meeting the council is to transmit the report and recommendations to
the 2005 Churchwide Assembly as information.  The council may prepare one
or more assembly resolutions about the report and recommendations.
     Judy Biffle, church council member, Houston, Texas, serves as the
council's advisory member to the task force.  She told the council that
the report will be the report of the task force and cannot be amended.
The Churchwide Assembly can amend the recommendations of the church
council before voting on them, so discussion and resolutions leading up to
the assembly could be about the recommendations.
     The council action that endorsed the timeline also thanked the task
force for its work and noted "opportunities for broad participation in
this study" through the development of study materials "as well as readily
available information on the studies' Web site."
     The Rev. Jonathan L. Eilert, council member, Brecksville, Ohio, made
the motion as part of his report for the council's program and services
committee.  He noted that any change in ELCA policy may require either
two-thirds approval by the assembly or a "simple majority" of more than
half of the voting members, depending on what change the assembly is
considering and the specific rules established by the assembly.
     The committee proposed that the council make decisions regarding the
margin of vote at its April 2005 meeting.  Several council members said
that would be too late in the timeline and that the required margin should
be information that is available with the recommendations.
     The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, asked that
such a discussion be held in the context of the whole assembly.  "I don't
want this [the recommendations] to seem to be the singular focus of the
assembly," he said.  There will be many equally important items on the
assembly's agenda, he said.
     The council asked that a draft of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly's
rules and procedures be presented for consideration at the council's
November 2004 meeting.  The same action asked that the meeting's agenda
include a "committee of the whole" discussion using materials of the
studies on sexuality.
     The 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly mandated a study in preparation for
the decisions by the 2005 assembly.  In addition, the study is to develop
a proposed social statement on human sexuality for the assembly to
consider in 2007.
     Current ELCA policy expects ministers to refrain from all sexual
relations outside marriage.  The church has no official policy on blessing
same-gender relationships.  The ELCA Conference of Bishops, an advisory
body of the church, stated it does not approve of such ceremonies.

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

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996
September 1996
August 1996
July 1996
June 1996
May 1996
April 1996
March 1996
February 1996
January 1996

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager