ELCA Policy to Stress Study Over Statements

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In its first 10 years the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has issued social statements on abortion, the death penalty, the environment, peace, and racism. The ELCA Division for Church in Society (DCS) that developed the statements has drawn up policies saying the study leading up to a statement is more important than the statement itself.
     The DCS board approved "Policies and Procedures of the ELCA for Addressing Social Concerns," when it met here Feb. 27-March 1, and recommended that the ELCA Church Council approve the policies at its meeting here April 3-7.
     "We've always assumed that one of the main goals was to produce social statements," said Ingrid Christiansen, Chicago, DCS board chair.  "The new document points out the importance of study and consideration of ideas by people in this church without necessarily these things going toward social statements."
     The first of four "spheres of activity" asks the ELCA Office of the Bishop to appoint a team of people from various sectors of the church.  That team would "plan and publicize" 10-year plans of studies throughout the ELCA.
     The second sphere has the Division for Church in Society formulate two-year programs "for the study of selected topics and for the development of relevant resources -- people, networks, materials."  This sphere would involve the ELCA's 5.2 million members in "moral deliberation" on specific issues.
     The third sphere is the development of social policy in the church.  The procedures outline steps from the selection of topics for new social statements to the reconsideration of an existing position.
     In the final sphere the Division for Church in Society advocates the ELCA's social policies in public and corporate settings.
     The policies and procedures emphasize moral deliberation, and the decision to develop a social statement will come only after the church has studied an issue, said Christiansen.  The ELCA Church Council continues to have the option of issuing a short message that clarifies the church's position on a timely matter.
     "It's not a dramatic change," she said.  "It is a widening and deepening of our sense of ourselves as a church that does consider, study, dialogue and debate around social issues but does not necessarily legislate around them."
     In related action the DCS board asked staff "to prepare a study guide on gambling for congregational use as a sphere two resource" and "to undertake an exploratory study of the critical and emergent issues in the arena of health care."
     In 1996 the ELCA's Minneapolis Area Synod passed a resolution asking for "a statement on gambling that expresses the church's opposition to gambling" and educational materials "regarding gambling's effect on moral values and its destructive impact on the stewardship of money."
     Moral deliberation on gambling will be important, said Christiansen, because "the issues are complicated and many- layered."  Besides questions of addiction to gambling, Lutherans can discuss "the rights of Native Americans to have gambling on reservations as a way of producing income" and the fact that many U.S. churches use gambling as a fundraising method.
     An exploratory study of health care issues will help the ELCA decide "if it would like to undertake a major study of health care in some way in the future," she said, noting that the church has already addressed facets of health care, such as genetic testing, end-of-life decisions and physician-assisted suicide.
     "Lutherans are involved in health care," said Christiansen, with hospitals and social service agencies across the United States.  "Technology is advancing so quickly, it's a field where questions of ethics are only becoming deeper and more complex."

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html