The Church Council of the ELCA met at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, Nov. 7-10. Twenty-three new members, elected by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly, were welcomed. The council serves as the ELCA’s board of directors and interim legislative authority between meetings of the Churchwide Assembly.
Among other actions, the council authorized the use of ministry rites for pastors and deacons in response to constitutional changes by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly that identified ordination as the entrance rite for ministers of Word and Service; created an advisory team to track progress on the “Strategy Toward Authentic Diversity in the ELCA,” adopted by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly; and authorized development of a social message on the vocation of citizenship, civic engagement, and church and state, as requested by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.
Read a full list of the council’s actions.
