ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 15, 2007  

ELCA Church Council Elects Leaders, Acts on Variety of Proposals
07-193-FI/JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected four churchwide
leaders, heard a report from the ELCA presiding bishop, acted on
proposals regarding social policy on sponsorship of legal gaming
by American Indian tribes, a proposed "Lutheran Malaria
Initiative," and received an implementation plan for a churchwide
mission funding effort.
     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. 9-11.
Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 17-23,
2009, in Minneapolis.
     The council elected two new churchwide executives. The Rev.
M. Wyvetta Bullock was elected to a six-year term as executive
for administration, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop,
succeeding the Rev. Charles S. Miller, who retired Oct. 31.  The
council elected the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the ELCA
Metropolitan New York Synod, to a four-year term as executive
director, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission,
effective Jan. 1, 2008.  He will succeed the Rev. Richard A.
Magnus, who will retire Dec. 31.
     It elected Christina Jackson-Skelton to a second six-year
term as ELCA treasurer.  As treasurer she serves as one of the
four officers of the church and as a member of the council's
executive committee.  Her new term will begin Feb. 1.  The
council re-elected the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla as executive
director of ELCA Global Mission.  The former bishop of the ELCA
Caribbean Synod was elected in 2003 to his first four-year
appointment to the position.  His new term began Aug. 1.

ELCA presiding bishop discusses leadership, church challenges
     The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, who began
his second six-year term Nov. 1, asked the 37-member council to
join with him in "shared leadership" for the ELCA.  One-third of
the council members were attending their first meeting after
their election at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.
     Hanson also discussed other topics:
     + "Interreligious relationships are absolutely critical,"
Hanson said.  A "Lutheran-Muslim Consultative Panel" is being
formed, he said.
     + Hanson identified four challenges for the ELCA: building
trust throughout the church, creating awareness by telling the
ELCA's "story," raising expectations for what the Holy Spirit is
doing, and lowering anxiety about sexuality as the church
prepares a social statement on human sexuality for consideration
at the 2009 ELCA assembly.
     "We cannot let that social statement define solely the life
and work of this church or our leadership," Hanson told the
council. "That's going to take shared leadership.  If we become
so preoccupied with 2009, we are conveying a message that
sexuality defines this church, and (because of) sexuality, this
church could potentially be divided. Frankly, that's heresy.
That's absolute heresy.  The gospel of Jesus Christ defines this
church."
     "I think this (the social statement) is hugely important
work for us in these next two years.  I'm committed to it, but I
will not let it solely define my leadership of this church,
because I think that's not responsible," he said.

Council addresses several churchwide matters
     + The council expressed gratitude for a plan to implement
recommendations of the church's Blue Ribbon Committee on Mission
Funding.  The council will receive regular progress reports on
the plan, which will include one-on-one visits among ELCA leaders
to discuss the importance of tithing.
     + The council received the report of a consultation, Sept.
30-Oct. 1 in Tampa, Fla., on the church's response to disasters.
Council members voted to reaffirm guiding principles for ELCA
disaster response as identified by the consultation.  The council
noted that the consultation reached areas of general consensus
and raised topics to be addressed at future consultations. A
report and specific recommendations in response to a variety of
concerns raised by resolutions from the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf
Coast Synod and ELCA Southeastern Synod is to be presented at the
November 2008 council meeting.
     + The council approved an "ELCA Social Policy Resolution on
the Sponsorship of Legal Gaming by American Indian Tribes." It
reaffirmed concerns the ELCA has with gambling, including
opposition to lotteries and other state-sponsored gambling;
reaffirmed the ELCA's respect for the inherent sovereignty of
American Indian tribes and Alaska Native peoples; strongly
encouraged the exercise of social responsibility by all
parties involved; and the ELCA reaffirmed the importance of
building positive and supportive relationships with North
American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and recommitted itself to
promoting dialogue and moral deliberation regarding Indian gaming
and other American Indian concerns.
     + Following a lengthy discussion the council authorized
churchwide staff, coordinated by the ELCA Office of the Presiding
Bishop, to develop, in partnership with Lutheran World Relief
(LWR), the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Nations
(U.N.) Foundation, a proposal for a possible "Lutheran Malaria
Initiative."  It authorized the council's executive committee to
monitor and take action "relating to a possible malaria appeal
and program, including the possible receipt of funding from the
U.N. Foundation."  The council asked the presiding bishop to seek
input from ELCA churchwide leaders, and asked that information be
shared so that council members would have a chance to offer input
before any decisions are made. LWR is developing the initiative,
intended to be an effort to comprehensively address and work to
contain malaria. LWR and its partners hope to raise $75 million
for the initiative over five years.
     + The council received an update on planning for the ELCA
initiative "Book of Faith," in which church members engage the
Bible with Lutheran principles of reading Scripture, centering on
the witness to Christ crucified and resurrected.  Several council
members related personal stories of how Bible reading has
influenced them.
     + David D. Swartling gave his first report to the council as
ELCA secretary.  In August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly elected
Swartling, who left his law practice in Seattle.  He described
his vision of the Office of the Secretary as "the oil in the
engine of the ELCA."  He said his future reports will include
"parliamentary tips."
     + The council approved an initial 2008 fiscal year current
fund spending authorization for the churchwide organization of
$83 million. It approved an initial World Hunger spending
authorization of $19.25 million for the same period.  It also
asked the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop to give "particular
consideration" to grants to ELCA campus ministries if 2007 income
is anticipated to exceed expenses.

Council elects new member, others to boards and committees
     The council elected a number of people to fill vacancies on
ELCA boards, committees and the Church Council.  The year in
which the term ends is in parentheses:
ELCA Church Council:
     + The Rev. Norene A. Smith, Milwaukee (2009)
Program Committee, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational
Mission:
     + The Rev. Robert W. Fritch, Jamaica, N.Y. (2009)
     + The Rev. Kristine L. Carlson, Minneapolis (2011)
     + Barbara R. Dowdy, Richmond, Va. (2011)
Program Committee, ELCA Vocation and Education:
     + The Rev. Heidi M. Murken, Grafton, Wis. (2011)
Advisory Committee, The Lutheran:
     + The Rev. Pamela Russell, Seattle (2013)
Board of Trustees, ELCA Board of Pensions:
     + Ingrid S. Stafford, Evanston, Ill. (2011)
     + Bruce D. George, Westborough, Mass. (2011)
ELCA Committee on Discipline:
     + Kathryn E. Baerwald, Washington, D.C. (2009)
ELCA Committee of Hearing Officers:
     + The Rev. Charles H. Maahs, Olathe, Kan. (2013)
     + The Rev. Paul J. Blom, Houston (2013)
     + Kevin D. Anderson, Gaithersburg, Md. (2013)
The council ratified the appointment of Kathleen M. Rehl, Tampa,
Fla., to fill a vacancy on the board of trustees of the Endowment
Fund of the ELCA and board of advisors of the ELCA Foundation.
---
     Information about the ELCA Church Council is at
http://www.ELCA.org/secretary/ on the ELCA Web site.


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