Draft Social Statement
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Information About This DraftThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is preparing a social statement on human sexuality to be considered by the Churchwide Assembly in 2009.
This document is the draft of that social statement and it will be revised following discussion throughout this church. There are several ways to participate in that process:
- Study, discuss, comment
You are invited to study, discuss, and comment on this draft and thereby contribute to the development of the proposed social statement for 2009.
- Participate in a hearing
You are also invited to attend hearings on this draft to be held in various synods.
Deadline
The deadline for submitting comments is November 1, 2008.
What is a draft social statement?
This document was prepared by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. It represents the task force’s initial attempt to formulate a social statement. As such, it is intended to encourage deliberation on what this church should say about human sexuality.
This draft represents the best thinking of the task force to date, although not all task force members agree with all aspects of this document.
Broad response to it is vital to the process of writing the social statement and central to the life of this church. Responses to the document will inform the task force’s work on the proposed social statement for 2009.
In preparation for this draft, the task force has published three congregational studies and a youth resource in the Journey Together Faithfully series. All of them may be downloaded from this Web site or ordered from Augsburg Fortress (call 800/328-4648).