Meeting in Chicago Nov. 12-15, the ELCA Church Council took action on a variety of matters it hopes will move forward the church’s mission and ministries.
The council adopted a social message on gender-based violence and adopted an accompanying foundational document designed for study and analysis. Two years ago, it authorized the work of the social message in response to a request from the ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ, which received concerns from across the church on the growing level of gender-based violence in the U.S.
Since 2012 the task force has been engaged in study toward a proposed social statement on women and justice to come to the Church Council in April 2019 and for possible consideration by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. To read the text, search for “Gender-based violence” at www.elca.org.
The council also invited the church into a conversation about the future of theological education in the ELCA. It approved a working group to receive feedback and create possible implementing strategies for recommendations featured in a report from the Theological Education Advisory Council (TEAC). The Church Council authorized TEAC to address in a holistic way issues on theological education, leadership development, candidacy, call and rostered leaders. TEAC recommendations will be considered at the council’s April 2016 meeting.
In its actions, the council expressed appreciation for TEAC’s work, recognizing and embracing the “Spirit led convergence of new possibilities” for theological education. It affirmed the “innovation and collaboration” underway among the ELCA’s eight seminaries, recognizing the “changing climate of theological education.” It also directed its budget and finance committee to give thought to the funding implications of the TEAC recommendations.
In other business, the council:
- Recommended an action to the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly that would unify the three rosters of laypeople — associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers — to a roster of ministry of word and service.
- Received a report from ELCA Vice President Carlos Peña, who announced that he would not be seeking a third term.
- Accepted the 32 “statements of agreement” from “Declaration on the Way,” an ecumenical document that marks a pathway toward greater visible unity between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. It will be considered by the 2016 Churchwide Assembly.
- Received a report and referred recommendations of the Ministry to and with Same-Gender Couples and their Families Working Group to the appropriate units of the ELCA churchwide organization for implementation with a report back to the council at its fall 2016 meeting.
- Affirmed the efforts of the ELCA presiding bishop to call the entire denomination to confront racism, including a broader, comprehensive strategy to becoming a racially, ethnically diverse church.
- Approved a revised 2016 fiscal-year fund spending authorization of $66,514,340 and a revised 2016 fiscal-year ELCA World Hunger spending authorization of $21 million.
