ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 27, 2009  

ELCA Churchwide Organization Begins Revising Its Ministry Policies
09-189-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) directed that ministry policies be
revised to eliminate prohibitions against partnered gay and lesbian
members serving as lay and ordained leaders of the church.
     When the policy documents have been revised, congregations will have
the option of calling a person in a publicly accountable, lifelong,
monogamous same-gender relationship, but they will not be required to do
so, said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, executive director, ELCA Vocation and
Education.
     The assembly also directed that the policies "recognize the
conviction of members who believe that this church should not call or
roster" people in committed same-gender relationships.
     "The drafting process begins," Olson said. "The proposals will be
reviewed by the Conference of Bishops of this church and then given to
the Church Council, which has the authority and the responsibility to
make the changes."
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, met Aug. 17-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 2,000
people participated, including 1,045 ELCA voting members. The theme for
the biennial assembly was "God's work. Our hands."
     Existing ministry policies remain in effect until the Church Council
approves amended policies. The council serves as the legislative
authority of the church between churchwide assemblies.  Its next meeting
will be here Nov. 13-15.
     The ELCA maintains one roster for ordained ministers and three
rosters for lay ministers: associates in ministry, deaconesses and
diaconal ministers.
     Various ELCA documents currently guide those responsible for
candidacy, call and discipline processes regarding the church's rosters.
+ "Vision and Expectations" says that ordained, consecrated and
commissioned ministers who are "homosexual in their self-understanding
are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships."
+ "Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline" says, "Practicing
homosexual persons are precluded from the ordained ministry of this
church."
     Olson said the ministry policy revisions will have to explain a
phrase used in assembly actions: "publicly accountable, lifelong,
monogamous, same-gender relationships." The explanation can then be used
as part of the standards for people entering the candidacy process,
already in the candidacy process, already on an ELCA roster, previously
removed from an ELCA roster, or in other situations, including leaders in
other Christian denominations who seek placement on an ELCA roster, he
said.
     "Because these situations are diverse, there are many factors to
consider," Olson said. "As is always true in this church, decisions are
individually made on the basis of churchwide policy."
     "Staff and others will begin working soon on the mandated changes
and expect to have some of the necessary recommendations ready in time
for the November meeting of the Church Council," Olson said. Some more
detailed matters may not be possible to address by November.
     Olson stressed that the assembly's actions do not change the way the
ELCA makes decisions about its leaders. "Congregations will still call
their own pastors. Bishops still have specific responsibilities. Synod
candidacy committees still have the same responsibilities they have
always had," he said.
     "What has changed is that the pool of potential church leaders now
includes those gay and lesbian members who are in partnered
relationships," Olson said. "It's a change that will affect congregations
only to the extent that they wish it to affect them. They will still call
their own pastors."
     A separate action of the assembly committed the ELCA "to finding
ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support
and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender
relationships."
     "If (congregations) choose to find ways to recognize these same-
gender relationships, they are now free to do so. There will not be a
liturgy, a blessing developed for the whole church nor any other standard
way of recognizing these, but congregations now do have that possibility
as a part of their own ministries," he said.
-- -- --
     Information about the 2009 Churchwide Assembly is at
http://www.ELCA.org/assembly on the ELCA Web site.
     Answers to frequently asked questions about the 2009 Churchwide
Assembly actions regarding human sexuality are at
http://www.ELCA.org/faithfuljourney/faq on the ELCA Web site.

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