ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 21, 2009  

ELCA Assembly Takes First Steps on Ministry Policies Document
09-CWA-32-MRC

     MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- Voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are in the middle of
taking steps to make it possible for the Lutherans in same-gender
relationships to serve as professional leaders in the denomination.
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA,
is meeting here Aug. 17-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About
2,000 people are participating, including 1,045 ELCA voting members. The
theme for the biennial assembly is "God's work. Our hands."
     Voting members have begun considering four distinct resolutions Aug.
21, which are designed to change current ELCA policy that requires the
denomination's professional leaders to abstain from "homosexual sexual
relationships."
     The resolutions are contained in a report and recommendation on
ministry policies developed by the Task Force for the ELCA Studies on
Sexuality.
     A majority vote is required to pass each of the four resolutions.
     With a 771-230 vote, the assembly amended and approved a resolution
that states "that in the implementation of any resolutions on ministry
policies, the ELCA commit itself to bear one another's burdens, love the
neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all."
     With a 619-402 vote, the assembly approved a second resolution that
commits the ELCA "to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do
so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountably life-long,
monogamous, same-gender relationships."
     Prior to considering the two resolutions, voting members defeated a
"substitute" motion with a 344-670 vote to strike out all four resolutions
and replace it with the following: "rostered leadership of this church who
are homosexual in their self understanding are expected to abstain from
homosexual sexual relations and practicing homosexual persons are
precluded from rostered leadership in this church."  Albert Quie, voting
member from the ELCA Minneapolis Synod, made the substitute motion.
     As voting members were considering resolution two, Edward A. Kirst,
voting member from the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod, made a motion to
require a two-thirds vote -- instead of a majority -- for approving the
remaining resolutions.  That motion was defeated with a 407-576 vote.
     During the afternoon plenary, voting members will consider the two
remaining resolutions -- that the denomination find a way for Lutherans in
same-sex relationships to serve as ordained ministers and other
professional leadership roles in the church, and that the denomination
consider a proposal for how it will exercise flexibility within existing
structures and practices to allow for Lutherans in same-sex relations to
be approved for professional service in the church.
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 Information about the 2009 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 [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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