|  home | about | legislation | churchwide assembly |

March 27-30 Church Council Meeting

Thursday, March 26

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.

Saturday, March 28

Today, the ELCA Church Council upheld its previous decision to recommend to the August Churchwide Assembly (CWA) that a simple majority be required to pass any matter, except for those where the constitution required otherwise. Rostering recommendations, including policy change regarding pastors in same gender relationships would therefore require only a simple majority to pass. The council also voted to transmit the Social Statement to the Churchwide Assembly as is, with a recommendation to approve. The Implementing Resolutions were separately voted to be transmitted to the Churchwide Assembly, with one amendment.

On the 2/3 majority issue, a motion was presented to the council that would have recommended to the assembly a rule requiring a 2/3 majority for passage of any resolution coming to the assembly on the subject of or related to the subject of the social statement, including amendments or substitute motions. The rostering recommendations would have been included in this. It was defeated 10 in favor, 21 opposed, with 2 abstentions.

The rules recommended to Churchwide Assembly are based on Roberts Rules plus those laid down by the ELCA constitution and other governing documents. The Social Statement on Human Sexuality will require a 2/3 majority as the constitution requires. The Implementing Resolutions will require a simple majority to pass, but only if the social statement passes. The Recommendations on Rostering are viewed as separate from the Social Statement, do not require the passage of the social statement, and require simple majorities to pass under the council-recommended rules.

The Church Council voted to transmit the social statement to the August Churchwide Assembly as is, recommending the assembly pass it. The Implementing Resolutions that flow from the Social Statement were considered separately and Resolution 7 was amended by the council to simply call on the Board of Pensions to make its eligibility criteria consistent with whatever the rostering policy of the church turns out to be. Those were then transmitted to the assembly with a recommendation to pass.

Executive Director, Emily Eastwood, said of today's actions, "Our thanks are due to the Council for upholding the fairness of a simple majority for elimination of the ban against ministers in same gender relationships. As at CWA07, we expect an attempt to amend the rules on opening night of the CWA09 to include a 2/3 requirement, but such an amendment would itself take 2/3 of the assembly to pass.

"Amendments to the social statement by the council today are acceptable. The amendment to Implementing Resolution 7 eliminated some language which, while helpful to our constituents, could easily have been deemed inflammatory by voting members. While document still fails to provide a right or rite of marriage for same-gender couples, we want the social statement to pass. All in all, this was a very good day for Goodsoil, our allies and the church we love. There is a sense in the council room that this may well be the time for change. Thanks be to God."

Sunday, March 29

Today at its meeting, the ELCA Church Council passed the Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies, the rostering recommendations, and transmitted them to the August Churchwide Assembly. If approved by the churchwide assembly, these will allow the rostered service of those in committed same-gender relationships.

This report and recommendation on rostering was the direct result of a requirement from the 2007 Churchwide Assembly to the Task Force for a separate look at what would be required to change the policy prohibition against LGBT ministers in committed, same-gender relationships. The discussion was wide and varied, respectful and calm.

The report itself was received and passed on to the assembly without change. The vast majority of the discussion was on the recommendation, which consists of the four resolutions at the end of the document.

The council sought and received clarification concerning the roles of congregations, synods, and churchwide units in the calling process. Among the clarifications was that there was no authority granted to synods to opt out of the policy, should it be approved. Congregations and other calling bodies can decide whether they will or will not call a minister in a committed, same-gender relationship.

The church will call on all of the members of the church to make a commitment to respect the bound consciences of those who disagree with them on the matter of service of ministers in committed, same-gender relationships. If approved, the church will allow what is called "structured flexibility in decision-making" necessary to call ministers in committed, same-gender relationships. Everyone will be held to the same, high standards of behavior befitting ministerial service.

In its report on rostering the Task Force described the process of the four resolutions in a stairstep manner - each successive resolution could only be considered if all the preceding resolutions had passed. Neither the Task Force nor the Church Council can bind the assembly to such a process. The assembly itself must decide how it wants to process the recommendation resolutions. If the assembly wants to follow the stairstep approach, it has to pass a special rule for itself, which will require a 2/3 majority. Information will be given to the voting members concerning this prior to the assembly voting on rules.

Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, said of today's actions by the Church Council, "Today's momentous actions by the ELCA Church Council guarantee that for the first time in the history of our church a recommendation for the elimination of the policy of discrimination against ministers in same-gender relationships will come to the floor of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly from the churchwide organization itself. The Church Council has acted for justice.

"Substantive edits by the council helped clarify that what had appeared in the Task Force documents was not intended as a form of synodical option.

"Structured flexibility" in processes will now allow for 'bound conscience' on both sides of the issues. Meaning that 'finding a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders in this church' will be the guiding principle for the church in local matters of 'bound conscience.' Congregations and other calling bodies wishing to call a rostered minister in a same-gender relationship will be allowed to do so. Congregations and other calling bodies opposed to such calls will not be required to act contrary to their 'bound conscience.' This is what we have always wanted, to let the call be the test.

"The fine print is exhausting, but the outcome of today's actions counts as a major turning point in our quest for justice and equality. Our genuine and heartfelt thanks go out to the Task Force and the Church Council for its decisions. Thanks also to the Goodsoil Legislative Team who has been present throughout. I give thanks to God for all of you, for your prayers, your courage, your patience and your resolve. The ball is now passed to synod assemblies where the work of the Goodsoil partners will continue."

Revision of Goodsoil memorial templates is already in progress and will be ready within 48 hours. The full text of the resolutions regarding rostering will be contained in the insert that will come with your copy of the Concord, and can also be found here.

|  home | about | legislation | churchwide assembly |