The Church Council of the ELCA gathered at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, April 3-6. The council serves as the ELCA churchwide organization’s board of directors and interim legislative authority between meetings of a churchwide assembly. The council’s work, grounded in faith in Jesus Christ, focused on actions that will go before the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, July 26-Aug. 2.
In key action, the council received the final report and recommendations of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC). In response to its recommendations, the council:
- Authorized its Executive Committee to consult with the Strategy Toward Authentic Diversity advisory team to review its purpose and to create an ELCA handbook that includes recommendations for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) standards for congregations.
- Directed the Office of the Secretary to explore collaborating with ELCA full communion partners, as neutral parties, to develop processes independent of the churchwide organization to resolve conflicts within this church.
- Requested that the Committee on Appeals develop resources to help synods identify candidates for synod consultation committees who demonstrate competency in working with people of varied ethnic backgrounds.
- Voted to establish a task force on interdependence and purpose to assess the ELCA’s statements of purpose, current governance structures and how those structures have or may have perpetuated systemic inequities, and to recommend changes to the current synod structure.
- Authorized the Executive Committee to create a financial coordinating task force to review existing ELCA financial management resources; explore greater collaboration and shared financial processes among the financial functions of the three expressions of the church (congregations, synods and the churchwide organization); and encourage greater collaboration among the separately incorporated financial ministries (the ELCA Foundation, the Mission Investment Fund and Portico Benefit Services).
- Encouraged rostered ministers, congregations and synods to identify and share existing resources on congregational management and governance.
- Affirmed the vocation of ministers of Word and Service and encouraged congregations and synods to educate their members about the role of these ministers and the varied contexts in which they serve.
- Adopted a continuing resolution that establishes the ELCA Association of Synod Vice Presidents.
Recommendations for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly
The council also recommended that the 2025 Churchwide Assembly:
- Adopt the proposed social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All and its proposed implementing resolutions. Creation of the social statement was authorized by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.
- Adopt proposed editorial changes to the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust in response to the memorial “Reconsideration of Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” which was approved by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
- Approve the following triennial budget proposals: (1) a current fund-spending authorization of $61,500,000 for 2026; (2) a current fund-income proposal of $56,915,000 for 2027 and $56,320,000 for 2028; (3) an ELCA World Hunger spending authorization of $21,550,000 for 2026; and (4) an ELCA World Hunger income proposal of $21,300,000 for 2027 and $21,050,000 for 2028.
- Authorize the Church Council to revise the spending authorizations after periodic review of revised income estimates.
- Adopt additional bylaw amendments to “Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA” to allow for exchange of deacons with certain full communion partners and to establish additional standards for rostered ministers.
- Receive the 2024 Lutheran-Orthodox “Common Statement on the Filioque.” “The Filioque” refers to the words “and the Son,” which divided the Eastern and Western churches when they were added to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in 1054 (“We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified”). This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, a unique opportunity for reconciliation between Eastern and Western Christianity.
Read a full list of actions taken at the meeting.
