ELCA Commission Said Safety Is More than Physical

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Conversation centered on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) being a safe place for women, particularly for lesbians, when the 12-member steering committee of the ELCA Commission for Women met here March 20-22.
"We took some time to look at our focus area of safety and what that really means," said the Rev. Ann M. Tiemeyer, New York, steering committee chair. The commission's mandate is to "assist the ELCA to realize the full participation of women, to create a safe environment for women and to advocate justice for women in the church and in society."
For its 10-year history the commission has been involved in harassment and domestic violence issues. Tiemeyer said the "safe environment" that the commission works to create is more than a place of physical safety but will give women the freedom to discuss their theological perspectives. "It's the safety of being able to have your whole being recognized as part of God's gift to the world," she said.
"As we challenge the church to change, we don't necessarily create safety," Tiemeyer noted. The steering committee concluded that it must risk its own safety to "offer it as a gift for others," she said. Tiemeyer is pastor of St. Jacobus Lutheran Church, Woodside, Queens.
"People who fight for justice are not looking for safety," said Glenn D. Bryan, committee member from Philadelphia.
"Our responsibility is to make it safe for someone else," said Ronald K. Jacobson, committee member from Everett, Wash.
"Security comes from God," added Jean Martensen, the commission's associate director for leadership development and studies.
The commission participated earlier in an exercise in "moral deliberation" in which it convened about a dozen women for a confidential conversation about what it means for the ELCA to be welcoming and hospitable to lesbians. The steering committee reviewed a videotaped report from that conference.
The steering committee came to the conclusion that the personal experiences of Christians must be considered while reading such sources as the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions for direction. "If we share our stories, we get at how those sources become important in our lives," said Tiemeyer. "Moral deliberation has to start with the stories."
Another focus of the Commission for Women is to enable the ELCA "to foster partnership between women and men." The steering committee continued its discussion of Promise Keepers -- an inter-denominational Christian outreach headquartered in Denver that has attracted millions of men to stadium events across the United States. Promise Keepers has recently sent letters to some Lutheran congregations asking for contributions.
"We want to find a way to hold up the value of men experiencing and discovering spirituality and support amongst each other. We know that's incredibly important," said Tiemeyer. She said Lutheran Men in Mission, the men's organization of the ELCA, is providing "similar types of experiences with a theology and a community that we support."
The Rev. Richard Jensen, a professor of homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, gave the committee a presentation on Promise Keepers. He outlined the promises that the organization is asking men to keep to God, their wives and to their families.
"If all men did this, the world would be a better place," Jensen said, noting that Promise Keepers has had a very positive impact on millions of lives.
On the other hand, Jensen said, Lutheran theology is based on the fact that people cannot keep all their promises. "God keeps promises," he said.
"The nature of the gospel is at stake in this conversation," said Jensen. The love of God is not given on the condition that we keep promises or live by social structures described in the Bible, he said.

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