ELCA Ministry Board Tackles Study, Exceptions

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of the Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) launched into topics that will occupy its agenda for the foreseeable future here Oct. 12-14. A study of homosexuality and an exception to ordination practices were two of those topics.
In August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly asked the Division for Ministry and Division for Church in Society to lead a comprehensive four-year study of homosexuality that will consider issues such as the possibility of the church's accepting ministerial candidates who are in committed homosexual relationships and the blessing of same-gender relationships. The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's chief legislative authority; it meets every two years.
The assembly also asked the Division for Church in Society to prepare a social statement on human sexuality. That request did not include a deadline.
Staff of the two divisions developed a six-point "Protocol for Managing the ELCA Churchwide Study on Homosexuality and Aspects of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality" to coordinate the assembly mandates. The protocol outlines how leadership in the projects will be shared, the selection of a study director, how the director is to be supervised, the selection of a task force, how and when study reports will be issued and how study documents will be authorized for distribution.
The Division for Ministry board adopted the protocol. The board of the Division for Church in Society will consider the protocol at its meeting Oct. 18-20 in Baltimore.
"While the Division for Church in Society bears responsibility for developing a social statement on human sexuality, aspects of that social statement process and the study on homosexuality overlap," said the protocol. "Where appropriate, these two projects will be integrated and the two units will collaborate."
Kevin J. Boatright, Madison, Wis., conducted a straw poll of the Division for Ministry board, which he chairs. The purpose of the poll was to determine the will of the board regarding the timing and scope of the study -- the size of the task force, as well as the number of hearings, focus groups and other consultations.
"This group was saying, in a straw vote, that we would prefer not to delay the implementation of this mandate and that we would prefer to go ahead with a fairly large task force, a lot of involvement and feedback throughout the church," said Boatright. The board recognized that this was probably the most expensive of the options, he said, "but the feeling was that if we are going to do this study, we should do it well and do it in a way that involves all facets of the church."
"This division has been involved in some major studies -- the study of ministry, the study of theological education," said Boatright. "Whenever the church undertakes a study, it's because we want to learn all we can about an issue. We want to learn the mind of the church on a particular issue. We want to have a biblical understanding of an issue."
"Perhaps people question why we are conducting this study or why we aren't just making decisions now," said Boatright. "We conduct a study to help make decisions about what the direction of the church should be. At this point, before the study has begun, I assure you there are no preconceived notions about the outcomes," he said.
In August the ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved a bylaw change that will allow pastors, after approval by their synod bishops and in consultation with the presiding bishop, to ordain new ELCA pastors in "unusual circumstances." As part of a full-communion agreement that went into effect this year with The Episcopal Church, USA, only Lutheran bishops are to ordain ELCA clergy. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop.
The assembly said the policy of allowing exceptions to ELCA ordination practices "shall be evaluated periodically by the Division for Ministry."
The division's board voted to ask the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop to supply the division with semi-annual reports on "the number of exceptions granted by each synod."
Boatright said the purpose of the request was "simply to monitor whether there are many or few of these exceptions being granted and, if so, is this a general issue in the church or is it a particular issue only for certain parts of the church."
Leaders in the Episcopal Church and many ELCA proponents of full communion expressed concern about possible abuses of the exceptions policy, said Boatright. "Hopefully we will be able to ensure that this is not going to be a wholesale granting of exceptions," he said, "but at least that option does exist for those who wish to make use of it."
The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner, executive director of the ELCA Division for Ministry, and the Rev. A. Craig Settlage, the division's associate executive director, led the board in discussions of issues related to the ongoing work of the division. Those topics included theological reflection, leadership development and recruitment, ecumenical possibilities, the changing scene of theological education, health and wellness, and multicultural enhancement of the ELCA.
In other business, the board elected Boatright to a second two- year term as its chair. It re-elected Phyllis C. Wiederhoeft, Verona, Wis., as vice chair and Phyllis Stromme, Kennewick, Wash., as secretary. Jacqueline Hoop-Sinicrope, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Rev. Robert J. Karli, Austin, Texas, were also elected to the executive committee.
The board approved a division budget of almost $6.2 million for 2002. That budget includes more than $4 million in direct grants to the ELCA's eight seminaries.
The board also adopted guidelines to assist "ELCA chaplains, pastoral counselors, clinical educators and others in specialized ministries [who] may face the unfortunate circumstance of a strike by employees in their institutions." The guidelines advise such church workers to make it clear to management and to unions that "they will continue to minister to all, even under strike conditions."

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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