ELCA Churchwide Assembly to Meet in Indianapolis Aug. 8-14

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Voting members to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly Aug. 8-14 in Indianapolis will elect a presiding bishop and secretary, and consider adoption of a proposed constitutional bylaw that is intended to respond to concerns about the ELCA's full-communion agreement with the Episcopal Church. The assembly will also consider adoption of a social policy resolution on school vouchers.
More than 2,000 people -- including 1,040 voting members -- are expected to participate in the ELCA's seventh biennial assembly at the Indiana Convention Center. The theme is "Making Christ Known: Sharing Faith in a New Century."
The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's highest legislative authority and represents the 5.15 million members of the ELCA, the fourth-largest Protestant denomination in the United States and Caribbean. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop.
Worship, Bible study and prayer will be an integral part of the assembly. Voting members will also have the opportunity to participate in various community service projects.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, who will leave office as ELCA presiding bishop Oct. 31, will chair the assembly. The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, will assist him.
Anderson will be honored during the churchwide assembly for his service as presiding bishop. He was elected at the 1995 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.

ELECTIONS, KEY ISSUES TO BE DECIDED
The presiding bishop and secretary will be elected by ecclesiastical ballot. Each election, conducted separately, could require as many as five ballots, the maximum prescribed by the ELCA Constitution. Nominations are made on the first ballot; each ballot requires a nominee to receive a certain percentage of all ballots cast to be elected. A specified number of candidates receiving the most votes on a ballot have their names placed on the next ballot. The fifth ballot, which matches the two nominees with the most votes, plus ties, is decided by majority vote.
The presiding bishop and secretary will be elected to six-year terms.
A key issue to be considered by assembly voting members is a proposed constitutional bylaw that would allow a synod bishop, under certain circumstances, to delegate to another pastor the authority to preside at an ordination. The controversial proposal resulted from concerns of some Lutherans related to "Called to Common Mission" (CCM), a full-communion agreement of the ELCA and the Episcopal Church.
Under CCM, bishops must ordain new pastors. Prior to CCM, a bishop could delegate to another pastor such authority. The requirement that a bishop preside at all Lutheran ordinations has brought criticism from some Lutherans who say the policy increases the power of bishops. Some also have said CCM threatens Lutheran identity.
The bylaw proposal was reviewed by the ELCA Division for Ministry, the ELCA Conference of Bishops and the ELCA Church Council before the council transmitted it to the churchwide assembly.
In April 2000, the church council adopted an interim social policy on school vouchers and sent it to the assembly for discussion and ratification. The policy is meant to guide the public policy advocacy ministry of the church as it evaluates a variety of proposals considered by state legislatures. The interim policy listed eight criteria to evaluate proposals for education reform.

REPORTS, PROPOSALS TO BE HEARD
Churchwide assembly voting members will hear a variety of reports and consider other proposals. Many issues will be discussed in a series of hearings before they are considered for action in plenary. Some of the key items are:
+ a report on conversations within the church on human sexuality issues.
+ a report of the church's evangelism strategy from 1991-2001, and a proposal for a new strategy for the future.
+ reports on evangelism strategies to reach out to Latinos and to Asians and Pacific Islanders.
+ a final report on the ELCA's "Initiatives for a New Century," a series of seven critical areas for the church in the 21st century. The initiatives focus on worship, teaching, evangelism, mission, children, youth and young adults, and leadership development. The initiatives were endorsed by the 1997 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Philadelphia.
+ a proposal that the ELCA be "a partner in mission and dialogue" with Churches Uniting in Christ, a project for greater unity among nine Protestant church bodies.
+ a proposal that calls for strong partnership of ELCA congregations with "Stand With Africa: A Campaign of Hope." The three-year campaign focuses on issues significant to Africa, including HIV/AIDS, food security, and peace and reconciliation. The campaign is coordinated by the ELCA World Hunger Program; Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS); and Lutheran World Relief, the overseas relief and development agency of the ELCA and LCMS.
+ responses to memorials, which are specific concerns from synods sent to the churchwide assembly for consideration. Memorials submitted by 2000 and 2001 synod assemblies for response address issues related to implementation of CCM, the ELCA's position on committed relationships of gay and lesbian people; ELCA policy on ordination of gay and lesbian people; and youth mission experiences. Churchwide assembly voting members may also offer resolutions for possible consideration.
+ consideration of budget proposals for churchwide ministries. Proposed for fiscal year 2001-2002 is a $103.1 million budget, which includes a $16.5 million proposed budget for the ELCA World Hunger program; for fiscal year 2002-2003, the proposed $105.3 million budget includes a $17 million proposed budget for the hunger program.
+ elections of ELCA members to churchwide boards and committees.
In addition, representatives from the ELCA's ecumenical partners, other church bodies and church organizations will make brief presentations at plenary sessions. Young Lutherans will attend a youth convocation or young adult convocation. Both will be held in Indianapolis at the same time as the churchwide assembly.
Prior to the assembly, a Women's Leadership Roundtable is planned, under the direction of the ELCA Commission for Women and supported by most churchwide units. Lutheran Men in Mission, the church's men's organization, will hold a half-day gathering in Indianapolis during a break in the assembly business sessions on Sunday, Aug. 12.

'COUNTY FAIR' TO HIGHLIGHT CHURCHWIDE MINISTRIES
From mid-afternoon Thursday, Aug. 9, through mid-afternoon Saturday, Aug. 11, the assembly will include a series of interactive displays in a specific area known as "County Fair." County Fair will provide assembly members and visitors the opportunity to explore the work of the church through a variety of activities, games, contests, music and photo opportunities. Churchwide units will highlight their work in a setting that typifies a county fair.
County Fair participants will have the opportunity to visit exhibit areas created and staffed by ELCA churchwide employees. ---

Details of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly plans and activities are at http://www.elca.org/assembly/01/ on the ELCA's Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html