CHICAGO (ELCA) -- An Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) board committed itself to discussions regarding "sexual minority" people and the ordained ministry, and it said it will gather information on how sexual minority people are included in the ministries and institutions the board represents.
The board for the ELCA's Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES) met here Sept. 15-17. The board and division staff relate to ELCA colleges and universities, campus ministries and schools. The board's resolution on "sexual minorities" -- an expression the board did not define -- was adopted following a 45- minute discussion Sept. 17. The resolution was offered by the board's campus ministry committee.
The board's resolution said it will give future agenda time to "serious discussion of issues of 'rostering' sexual minority persons=20 in ministry." The ELCA maintains an official roster of its ordained=20 ministers. The board said it will engage in ongoing communication=20 on the issue with the ELCA Division for Ministry and an existing=20 homosexuality task force, which consists of representatives of=20 several ELCA churchwide units.
The board also said it is committed to "gathering information about ways in which the practices of the ministries and institutions related to DHES include sexual minorities."
The resolution was a response to two related documents addressed to the board and other ELCA leaders. The documents are "A Pledge to Act in Support of Our Sexual Minority Colleagues, June 2000," signed by 29 pastors and one associate in ministry, most of whom serve ELCA campus ministries, and "Statement of Grace and Support from Lutheran Campus Ministry Staff, June 2000," signed by 19 ELCA campus pastors and one retired ELCA campus pastor. The documents were distributed to the DHES board, and in its resolution the board "acknowledged" their receipt.
The pledge criticized the church's response to University Lutheran Chapel, Berkeley, Calif., following the chapel's decision to call the Rev. Jeff R. Johnson as its pastor. The Rev. Robert W. Mattheis, bishop of the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod, formally censured the congregation for calling Johnson because Johnson is not on the ELCA's official clergy roster. In addition, a board that administers Lutheran campus ministry funds has withheld funds for University Lutheran's campus ministry because the congregation called a person not on the ELCA clergy roster.
The pledge commits the campus pastors who signed it "to working to change ELCA policies so that our church will welcome sexual minorities currently serving as leaders in our church." It also urged the ELCA to "ordain faithful, gifted lesbian and gay candidates who are living in committed relationships or who hope to live in such relationships," and to place them on the church's clergy roster.
The other document was an open letter addressed to the ELCA and expanded on the commitments in the pledge.
The Rev. Jayne M. Thompson, campus pastor at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., signed both documents and is a member of the DHES board. She participated in the board's discussion on the resolution.
"The board needs to listen to where differing perspectives on this issue are coming from," said the Rev. John G. Andreasen, Fargo, N.D., board chair, in an interview after the board voted to adopt the resolution. "This is part of our being sensitive to different issues. We are formalizing the listening process without determining the outcomes," he said.
The board also spent considerable time in plenary and small groups talking about strategic planning for the division. The discussions included possible revisions of the division's mission statement, available resources and the environment in which the division operates. In remarks to the board, Dr. Leonard G. Schulze, = DHES executive director, said the church needs to articulate its philosophy of education. He expressed hopes that the church may consider writing a social statement on education. There is no such statement, he said.
"The church says it cares about education, but it hasn't ever articulated to itself what that means," Schulze said to the board.
"In the absence of such a statement, many people both inside and outside the ELCA remain confused or misinformed about our commitment to education as an expression of the liberating power of the gospel," he said in an interview after the meeting.
Schulze was elected to the position of executive director earlier this year. The meeting gave the board a chance to "get beyond the introduction stage and build a relationship with him," Andreasen said.
"We felt an openness in Leonard to be connected with different voices on the board," he added.
In other action, the board:
+ adopted a resolution urging that continuing education funds for each campus pastor be raised to a minimum of $1,000 per year. Currently, it is recommended that campus pastors receive a maximum of $550 per year for continuing education.
+ changed the definition of ELCA-affiliated schools to include church bodies with whom the ELCA has a full-communion relationship. Such schools may now be sponsored by more than one ELCA congregation or by an association of at least one ELCA congregation and congregations of other Lutheran church bodies "and/or those church bodies with whom we (ELCA) are currently in full communion." The ELCA has full communion agreements with The Episcopal Church, Moravian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America, and United Church of Christ.
+ asked the division to work to continue financial support of annual conferences that explore what it means to be a Lutheran college or university.
+ heard a brief presentation on the Lutheran Student Movement national gathering Dec. 28-Jan. 1, in New Orleans. The theme will be "2001: A Faith Odyssey."
+ agreed to hold its 2001 spring meeting at Carthage College, an ELCA institution in Kenosha, Wis., provided costs are similar to holding the meeting in Chicago.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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News & Information news@elca.org
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
http://www.elca.org
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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
