ELCA NEWS SERVICE

December 11, 2009  

ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod Council, Bishop Respond to Assembly Actions
09-276-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) declined to rule on the
validity of resolutions of the synod council regarding the sexuality
decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.  The Rev. Steven L.
Ullestad wrote in a Dec. 4 e-mail to the synod that the resolutions "test
the implications of the churchwide decisions for our synod."
     Ullestad added he will help facilitate conversation in the synod
about the resolutions, leading up to the synod's next assembly in June
2010.
     The Northeastern Iowa Synod Council adopted the resolutions last
month.  Voting 10 to 5, with one abstention, a resolution on the "bound
conscience" of the synod said that the ELCA's current ministry polices,
adopted in 1990, "shall remain in effect" for the synod.  The council
encouraged the synod's candidacy committee and the synod bishop to abide
by those standards until the synod's next assembly.  The action also
recommended that the 2010 assembly adopt a continuing resolution that the
synod will continue to abide by the policies adopted in 1990.
     Current ELCA policy says that "ordained ministers who are homosexual
in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual
sexual relationships."  The 2009 Churchwide Assembly directed changes to
ELCA ministry policies, creating the possibility for people in publicly
accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as
clergy and professional lay workers.  The assembly also adopted by a two-
thirds vote a social statement on human sexuality.
     Some in the ELCA do not agree with those decisions, most often
citing their views of Biblical authority as the reason.
     A second resolution adopted by the synod council, 8 to 6 with two
abstentions, repudiates the decisions of the assembly to adopt the new
ministry policies and the social statement.  It calls those actions
"violations of the Confession of Faith, Chapter 2 of the ELCA
Constitution."  The council also asked the ELCA Church Council
to "repudiate" the assembly's actions, "and begin the process to overturn
these decisions at the 2011 Churchwide Assembly."
     The Rev. Marshall E. Hahn, synod secretary and pastor of Marion
Lutheran Church and Norway Lutheran Church, both near St. Olaf, Iowa,
brought the two proposals to the synod council.  Hahn was a voting member
at the churchwide assembly. In an interview with the ELCA News Service,
he noted that the bound conscience resolution cites several past actions
of the synod assembly.  The churchwide assembly materials, he
said, "emphasize respecting the bound conscience of the people of the
church," including synods, Hahn said.  The assembly also said it would
allow "structured flexibility" in decision-making for approving or not
approving a candidate for ministry or extending or not extending call to
a person in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender
relationship.
     The synod resolution quoted the pre-assembly report, stating: "If
structured flexibility were added to the process, this assumption would
still protect any congregation, candidacy committee, synod or bishop from
having to violate bound conscience by approving, calling, commissioning,
consecrating or ordaining anyone in a publicly accountable, lifelong,
monogamous same-gender relationship."
     Hahn argues that the basis for the second resolution is the concept
that traditional marriage -- between a man and a woman -- and publicly
accountable, lifelong, monogamous, committed same-gender relationships
are treated as equally valid.  There is no "clear and compelling evidence
from Scripture for doing that," he said.
     "Without showing a clear, compelling reason for doing so, we've
changed what is in our confessions, our confession of faith and
Scripture," Hahn said. "That violates our commitment as stated in our
confession of faith."
     ELCA Secretary David D. Swartling acknowledged receipt of the
resolutions and said they will be addressed by the ELCA Church Council at
its next meeting in April 2010.  "Any response now is premature," he said
in a statement to the ELCA News Service.
     Swartling expressed concern, however, that the resolutions as
worded, appear to conflict with the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing
Resolutions of the ELCA.  "Where authorized by our governing documents,
the Churchwide Assembly establishes churchwide policy," he
said. "Therefore, neither a synod council nor the Church Council
can 'repudiate' an authorized action of the Churchwide Assembly." Synods
are welcome to submit resolutions or memorials asking the 2011 Churchwide
Assembly to revisit the issue of ministry policies, or to amend or
rescind them, he said.
     Policy documents implementing the actions of the Churchwide Assembly
on issues related to official church rosters are in the process of being
prepared. They will be reviewed by the ELCA Conference of Bishops and
considered by the Church Council in April, Swartling said.
     "I anticipate that these documents will incorporate flexibility in
the candidacy and call processes, and we invite input from and
conversation with synods about them.  However, once adopted, they become
the policy of this church, and a synod cannot impose a previous policy on
its clergy and congregations that has been superseded," Swartling
stated.
     Drafts of the policy documents are available at
http://www.elca.org/ministrypolicies on the ELCA Web site. They
are "Vision and Expectations," which addresses standards for conduct by
professional leaders on official church rosters and "Definitions and
Guidelines for Discipline," which establishes standards for discipline.
     In his letter, Ullestad said he would not rule on the resolutions
because "it is the calling of the people of God, and not the bishop or
Conference of Bishops to determine the ethics of the church."
     "That is why we engage the whole church in the development of social
statements and have votes by those who have been elected by the people,
the laity and pastors of the churchwide assembly and synod council in
order to determine the policies of the church," he wrote.  The presiding
bishop, synod bishop and units of the churchwide organization have no
legislative authority in this regard, he added.
     Ullestad said his role will be to work with the synod to engage in
conversation about the resolutions, remind members of Lutheran theology
and the implications for the eight commandment (that prohibits bearing
false witness against one's neighbor), and "the powerful witness of our
oneness in Christ in the midst of difficult and challenging times."

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