ELCA Is "Called To Be A Safe Place"

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has given its Commission for Women the assignment to "assist this church to create a safe environment for women in this church and society." The commission is coordinating series of programs around the theme "Called to be a Safe Place."
"We never approached it as a campaign," said Joanne Chadwick, executive director of the ELCA Commission for Women. "Maybe we should."
Chadwick told the commission's steering committee, when it met here Feb. 28-March 2, about a recent trip to Germany. The Lutheran churches there asked her to come and present the ELCA's "campaign."
"I went from place to place to talk about how the church could be involved in the community and make statements against violence against women," she said. "I also spoke to Stuttgart's commission on the status of women, to help the communities see that the church needs to be involved."
The German interest in the ELCA's work came from discussions through the Lutheran World Federation and its 122 member church bodies. "It's become a global concern," said Chadwick. "We've taken it on as a serious concern and not just something to quote statistics about."
"We're finding that much of our work revolves around this theme of how the church can be a safe place. To be a welcoming place it certainly needs to be a safe place," said the Rev. Ann M. Tiemeyer, New York, steering committee chair, ELCA Commission for Women.
"Issues around violence and abuse fall into that realm as well. How the church becomes a safe place has a lot of dimensions to it and much of our work revolves around that element," Tiemeyer added.
What does a safe church look like? "Every woman will be safe to go to church on Sunday morning. Right now, that's not so, either because of what's happening in the home or what's happening in the church itself," said Chadwick.
The commission has worked with the ELCA Division for Ministry and Conference of Bishops to develop the "ELCA Strategy for Responding to Sexual Abuse in the Church." A preventive resource, "Safe Connections," helps pastors and their congregations establish appropriate boundaries.
"As I do this work in the church, I realize that there are other areas where women are not safe and one is in our theological thinking," said Chadwick. "We need to figure out a way that this church can be a place where women can do the exploration they need to do around theological concerns."
Chadwick recalled phone calls "about clergy not being able to respond to women who are being abused physically, psychologically or spiritually."
The commission has begun to work with the ELCA's eight seminaries to address abuse and violence through their pastoral care curriculum. "Making Home a Safe Place: Pastoral Care and Domestic Violence" was launched during a November 1996 consultation with seminary faculty. A second consultation is set for November 1997.
"We will either be looking at writing a unified curriculum that can be used in each seminary or looking at some other options," said Chadwick. "We are recommending looking at what's being taught in Old Testament, what's being taught in New Testament, what are the theological issues."
"No seminary to date had created a required class on the subject," reported Jean Martensen, the commission's associate director for leadership development and studies. "Most seminaries offered elective courses in which the subject is treated." Domestic abuse is often the subject of special educational events.
Martensen also reported to the board on a many-layered set of resources for use in ELCA congregations. "Stop the Violence: Heal Hurting Families" has sections for women, men and youth.
Several units of the church, including the Division for Church in Society, Division for Congregational Ministries, Lutheran Men in Mission and Women of the ELCA, have helped develop the "Stop the Violence" resources. Chadwick said another segment of the program may soon deal with child abuse.
The commission's steering committee viewed a portion of "Broken Vows," one of the videotapes used in the program on domestic violence. "Healing and Empowering Women" is an eight- week curriculum for women's support groups. A resource on dealing with anger is being developed.
Lutheran youth have developed a one-day workshop for Lutheran youth, said Chadwick. "It's hard for us to hear how unsafe they feel. They don't find safety anywhere ... in school ... in the neighborhood ... in their homes."
The ELCA Commission for Women is preparing itself to be more involved in using "inclusive language" in worship services. If the church adopts a series of initiatives to deepen the church's worship life, "that will come back on our agenda in a more aggressive way," said Chadwick.
The commission is also working with the ELCA Division for Church in Society to engage the church in "moral deliberation" on homosexuality. "Now our work is to help the church respond to what it would mean to be a welcoming place for lesbians," she said. "The violence toward that community is also a concern."
A safe place is one in which "power is shared equally between men and women," said Chadwick. A safe church "will be one where discussion will be alive and loud but no one will be abused psychologically, spiritually or physically."

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