CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) asked the ELCA Division for Ministry to prepare a report on a request to create a process for granting exceptions to the ELCA's expectations of its ordained ministers, which include rules against ordaining gay or lesbian Lutherans who are in homosexual relationships. The division develops the church's standards for ministry.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies. The council met here April 7-9. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, 2001, in Indianapolis.
St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., is seeking an exception for Anita Hill, a lay minister who has served the congregation for several years and will earn a master's of divinity degree this year. The degree is a requirement for ordination in the ELCA.
The ELCA's 11,000 congregations are organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. St. Paul-Reformation is a congregation of the ELCA's Saint Paul Area Synod.
On behalf of St. Paul-Reformation, the Saint Paul Area Synod Council petitioned the ELCA Church Council to amend "Vision and Expectations," a document the council adopted in 1990. The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said "Vision and Expectations" describes "both the vision for ordained ministry in the life of this church and the high expectations its members have of those who serve in this ministry."
"Vision and Expectations" states, "Ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships." Hill is a lesbian in a committed relationship with another woman.
The proposed amendment to "Vision and Expectations" would add two sentences to its opening section: "Exceptions to the provisions of 'Vision and Expectations' may be granted by the Conference of Bishops. The Conference of Bishops may consult the Division for Ministry concerning exceptions it seeks to make."
Janet Thompson, council member, Eagan, Minn., said the congregation at St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church has contacted every expression of the ELCA and learned "no one can make an exception to this policy." The congregation is not asking the church to change or suspend its governing documents or to change its process for ordination, she said, but to grant an exception.
The ELCA Church Council voted "to refer the resolution of the Saint Paul Area Synod to the staff of the Division for Ministry in view of that division's responsibility for the document 'Vision and Expectations;' and to request a report from the Division for Ministry, following consultation with the Conference of Bishops, to the Church Council at the November 2000 meeting of the Church Council."
In November 1989 the Church Council approved the ELCA's "Definition and Guidelines for Discipline of Ordained Ministers," which outlines "conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office." It stated, "Practicing homosexual persons are precluded from the ordained ministry of this church."
The ELCA's 1999 Churchwide Assembly denied a motion to suspend enforcement of ordination and discipline standards regarding homosexual clergy. A second motion, asking the Division for Ministry and the ELCA Conference of Bishops to propose strategies leading to the removal of these standards, was also defeated.
Since the council serves as the assembly's interim authority, Brian D. Rude, council member, Coon Valley, Wis., questioned whether it could request a report that seems to contradict the will of the assembly.
The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner, executive director of the ELCA Division for Ministry, said the Saint Paul Area Synod's resolution does not specifically mention homosexual clergy and the assembly's actions would be taken into consideration while drafting a report for the council's November meeting. He also said division staff would consult with representatives of the synod about the full intent of the resolution.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.htmlheld
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
