Posted on 08/19/2003 4:52:51 PM PDT by chance33_98
August 17, 2003
ELCA Assembly Considers "Listening Posts" for Gay, Lesbian People 03-CWA-51-MR
MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- The 2003 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) considered a motion designed to encourage the 5 million-member church to organize "listening posts" for the purpose of hearing the experiences of Lutherans who are gay and lesbian. The assembly voted to refer the motion to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality as "information."
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 11-17 at the Midwest Airlines Center. There are about 2,100 people participating, including 1,031 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: For the Healing of the World."
Sally Young, Waterloo, Iowa, a member of the ELCA Church Council, presented the motion to the assembly along with a recommendation that the motion be referred "as information" to the task force. The recommendation came from the council's Committee of Reference and Counsel, which Young chairs. The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies.
Allison A. Guttu, voting member, ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, who submitted the motion to the committee, asked the assembly to substitute her motion for the committee's recommendation.
With a vote of 386 to 586, the assembly declined to substitute Guttu's motion for the committee's recommendation, and then voted 834 to 136 to accept that recommendation.
In her motion, Guttu wrote that the purpose of the listening posts is "to provide opportunities for conversations with gay and lesbian Lutherans, not to debate homosexuality, ordination or same-gender blessings." Such listening events would be conducted at each of the ELCA's 65 synods in 2004 and 2005 and at the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
The 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly took three actions to call the ELCA into a process of study on homosexuality. That assembly called for a progress report on the studies to the 2003 assembly; a final report with recommendations to be presented to the 2005 Churchwide Assembly; and, asked the ELCA Division for Church in Society to prepare a social statement on human sexuality.
Current ELCA policy expects ministers to refrain from all sexual relations outside marriage. Since the church has no official policy on blessing same-gender relationships, this precludes homosexuals in relationships from ordained ministry. The ELCA Conference of Bishops, an advisory body of the church, stated it does not approve of such ceremonies.
To oversee the church's studies on sexuality, a task force was assembled by the ELCA Division for Ministry and Division for Church in Society in May 2002. The task force assists the divisions in developing study materials, recommendations and proposals regarding the assembly mandates.
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Information about the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at www.elca.org/assembly/03 on the Web.
For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA NEWS SERVICE August 16, 2003 Former Presiding Bishop Says Time Has Arrived For Policy Change 03-CWA-47-JB
MILWAUKEE (ELCA) -- About 150 people attended a "Festival Worship" service Aug. 15 here, led and attended by people who want the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to be more welcoming to people who are gay and lesbian, and want the church to change its expectations for ordained pastors. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, a former ELCA presiding bishop.
The worship service, held here at St. James Episcopal Church, was sponsored by Lutherans Concerned/North America, a gay and lesbian rights advocacy organization. The service was held in conjunction with the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 11-17 at the Midwest Airlines Center. There are about 2,100 people participating, including 1,031 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: For the Healing of the World."
In the ELCA, people who are gay or lesbian may serve as ordained pastors, but they are expected to refrain from homosexual sexual relationships. The church has no official policy on the blessing of same-sex relationships; however, its Conference of Bishops has advised the church that it does not approve of such ceremonies. The conference has an advisory status within the church, not legislative authority.
The ELCA is presently undertaking a four-year study process exploring questions about the ordained ministry and whether people in committed homosexual relationships should be ordained, and whether the church should have an official policy on blessing same-sex relationships.
In his sermon, Chilstrom reflected on the meaning of tradition, and spoke about instances in the Christian Bible where traditions were challenged and in some cases, changed. He cited examples from the books of Corinthians, Deuteronomy, Luke and Acts.
"All are examples of how the word of the gospel breaks down honored traditions that get in its way," Chilstrom said.
The time is now for change in ELCA clergy policies, he said, to allow for those who are in committed homosexual relationships to serve as ordained pastors. In his sermon, Chilstrom spoke about about how he has changed his mind about the issue over time.
"Yes, the time has come," he said. "In fact, it is long, long overdue. I regret that it took so painstakingly long to make that change."
In his sermon, Chilstrom referenced a story in Acts 10, a story which is "really about the conversion of Peter," he said. In that story, God gives Peter a vision, which he resists, an example of how change is difficult, he said.
"I'm like Peter," Chilstrom said. "But I'm thankful God never gave up on me. For me, the "visions" were real human beings, sincere and beautiful daughters and sons of God who share my faith and deserve to share all my privileges."
Every morning, Chilstrom said he and his wife, the Rev. Corrine Chilstrom, pray that their friends who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered, will enjoy the same rights and privileges they have.
"It takes time," Chilstrom said. "I know that from my own slow change of mind. But we must have confidence that the powerful word of the gospel will prevail in the end, because that word is a word of freedom and hope."
Worship leaders were Anita Hill, St. Paul, Minn., and Jeff Johnson, Berkeley, Calif., whose ordinations are not recognized by the ELCA because they are not in compliance with ELCA clergy standards.
Among those attending the service were some ELCA pastors, bishops and churchwide staff, as well as representatives of The Lutheran Alliance for Full Participation, encompassing five gay and lesbian advocacy organizations. They are the Extraordinary Candidacy Project, Lutherans Concerned/North America, Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries, Lutheran Network for Inclusive Vision and Wingspan Ministries.
-- -- -- Information about the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be found at http://www.elca.org/assembly/03 on the Web.
Many of the ELCA's official pronouncements and decisions are in need of slamming! However, to be fair, let me hasten to add that there are still many faithful pastors, congregations, and laypeople left in the ELCA.
You do a major disservice to quite a number of (current and former) Episcopalians.
The war was fought, and at times quite bitterly (but being Episcopalians, we/they were also rather polite about it). It went on a long time, at least three and half decades from onset to now, and mostly without the kind of public uproar that the press loves, so that those on the outside were not likely to know.
This is one on which there is not much disagreement in the Missouri Synod. Even our synodical president--whom I vigorously oppose on many issues--gets this one right:
Kieschnick "saddened" after Episcopal Church OKs first gay bishop
BTW, mine was not the first or only post on this thread to "slam" the ELCA. Virtually every post is doing so. It is the extremely liberal theology of the ELCA that makes liberal decisions like these inevitable.
The Minneapolis Mud-pounders at the top are drunk with power and have got the keys to the car- I don't think I'd care to go along for the ride.
Ex-ELCA and glad of it.
I went to a state synod meeting this year. Out of a couple thousand people, I think I was the only conservative. They bashed the war and promoted homosexuality. The literature section was all about sexuality and why we shouldn't stereotype Muslims.
Wake up...The national council and world council of churches are not about advancing Christianity either.
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