ELCA Presiding Bishop Highlights Churchwide Assembly Issues

ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA),
highlighted issues to be considered by the 2005 ELCA Churchwide
Assembly, including ethnic ministry strategies and sexuality
proposals in a news conference here Aug. 8.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott
and Convention Center. About 2,300 people are participating,
including 1,018 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial
assembly is "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever."
Hanson requested the media to "keep a wide-angle lens as you
look in on the ELCA this week, because ... you will have the best
picture of who the ELCA is in its 18th year of its life in
ministry," Hanson said.
"If you keep that wide-angle lens you'll also see a church,
the descendants of European immigrants, who are awakening to the
fact that we need to become much more diverse, reflective of the
plurality of this richly diverse society. So we will be acting
upon two ethnic specific ministry strategies," said Hanson.
"They position us as a church that deeply desires to reflect the
diversity of this culture." The assembly will vote on the
proposed Arab and Middle Eastern ministry strategy and the
African Descent ministry strategy this week.
Hanson shared "three daunting statistics" of the ELCA: the
average member is 10 years older than the average population age;
the ELCA is 97 percent white; and 83 percent of congregations are
flat or declining in membership. Despite these statistics,
Hanson sees "great signs of hope" in the church, especially when
meeting with the youth.
Among other proposals are plans for reorganization of the
ELCA churchwide organization, new resources for worship, an
interim Eucharistic Sharing agreement with the United Methodist
Church, a commitment to peace and justice in the world, a
possible social statement on biomedical ethics and other topics
will be discussed and voted on during the week.
Overshadowing other issues is the topic of sexuality. There
are three proposals addressing the blessing of same sex unions
and whether or not the church will ordain gay or lesbian pastors
in committed relationships.
"It would be a concern of mine if we who are heterosexual
took this opportunity to discuss only the sexuality of those who
are gay and lesbian and are not mindful that we are in a process,
as people of faith, of taking sexuality back from the culture
that long ago took it from us, and trivialized it, and
commercialized it. We are now seeking to discern what it means
to be faithful stewards of God's gift of sexuality in the context
of faith," Hanson said.
Scripture has been an important part of the discussion on
sexuality and the interpretation of it is the debate, said
Hanson. "We (as Lutherans) take Scripture very seriously, but we
also take seriously the context in which that Scripture is being
interpreted. So text and context are always in a lively
conversation with each other," he said.
"From the days of Jesus until now, his followers have always
struggled and experienced a fair amount of tension over who is
welcomed among us and on what terms and what standards we should
have on those called into leadership," said Hanson.
Jesus created scandal and controversy while choosing his
disciples and those he spent time with, Hanson said. "I think
the followers of Jesus are always going to experience tension."
When asked about his predictions and personal opinions on
these issues, Hanson said he would not speculate on the outcome
of the votes and that his "personal call this week is to preside
over the discussions and the decisions. It is not to enter into
them. It is to ensure that they are open, respectful of the
rules that we adopt for that process, and that they are
reflective of our witness to the world as the body of Christ. I
will best serve this church this week by presiding well so that
the body may do its decision making well."
"I think it's very fitting that we are discussing these
issues because they belong to us, to our fellow Christians and to
people throughout the world, and we do so mindful of our
interrelatedness to others," Hanson said.
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* Kirsten H. Boettner is a senior communication major at Luther
College, Decorah, Iowa. This summer she is an intern with the
ELCA News Service.

Information about the ELCA Churchwide Assembly is at http://www.elca.org/assembly/05 on the Web.

For more information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news