ELCA Church Council begins deliberations on Social Statement and Rostering Recommendations - meeting March 27-30, 2009
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ELCA Church Council begins deliberations on Social Statement and Rostering Recommendations - meeting March 27-30, 2009 PDF Print E-mail

The ELCA Church Council (Council) and its attendant committee meetings are meeting in Chicago March 27–30, 2009. On the agenda are discussion and decisions regarding the final texts of Social Statement entitled Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust (Social Statement) and Recommendations on Ministry Policies (Rostering Recommendations) regarding the rostering of ministers in same-gender relationships. The final texts of both documents will be presented to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, August 17–23, 2009 in Minneapolis. The preliminary documents call for the recognition and support of same-gender relationships and the elimination of the current policy precluding the rostered service of ministers in same-gender relationships.

The Church Council has also been asked by a number of synod councils to reconsider its November decision setting the requirement of a simple majority for the Rostering Recommendations. Several synod councils have requested a 2/3 majority instead. Two RIC synod councils, Metro DC and Southwest California, have thanked the Council for the decision on simple majority and requested holding that line.

Members of the Goodsoil Legislative Team will be present throughout the meeting. Executive Director, Emily Eastwood said, "To our knowledge there are no openly LGBT people on the Council to speak authentically from their own perspectives. So, the Council will be making decisions without engaging the people most affected by those decisions. The lives, loves and ministries of LGBT people have been sacrificed in public and behind closed doors by this church almost since its inception. The ELCA is constituted as a public church. We have been present in mostly silent witness throughout the eight-year process leading to this Council meeting. Now, at this kairos time, we will engage every avenue available to us. We are not here to demonstrate or make threats. We are here to help those Council members who wish to speak for us to do so. We ask your prayers for the Council and for our Goodsoil Legislative Team."

Saturday afternoon, the Council will take up edit-and-approval of the text for the Social Statement. Rostering Recommendations are on the agenda for Sunday afternoon. A proposed domestic and global HIV/AIDS Strategy is also on the docket. Though the Council meeting ends on Monday we do not expect an ELCA press conference or official announcement of decisions to be made until Tuesday, March 31st.

No matter the outcomes here in Chicago, when the Council meeting is completed, our attention will turn to the Synods. Goodsoil memorial templates appropriate for synod assemblies will be edited within 48 hours of the Council decisions. You will receive an email announcing that they are ready and posted on www.goodsoil.org. Most synods have moved their memorial deadlines until April or later. Goodsoil and LC/NA synodical teams will need to act quickly to make the deadlines.