Is change coming or is this futile?

March 30, 2009 by Pastor Dan.

I’m just passing on this news, as surprising as it is. Can this be the same Church Council that in 1990 summarily approved two documents which “preclude” gay and lesbian people from the ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America? (It took me the better part of two decades to get the back story from an unnamed source who identified the two church executives in 1989 that simply pushed and drafted the language to keep those homosexuals out of the church.)

I suppose the immediate answer to my own rhetorical question is that, no, it’s not the same Church Council as 19 years ago. The membership of any organization keeps changing all the time, and as our friend Howard Erickson keeps reminding me, “There have been a lot of funerals.”

Nonetheless, it is surprising to see the next to the highest legislative authority in the ELCA (the biennial Assembly which meets this coming August in Minneapolis being the highest) actually recommending the very “policy change” that we’ve been working for forever. The final decision, of course, must be made by the Churchwide Assembly, and it remains to be seen whether the composition of that delegation will be substantially different than it was in 2007 when policy change failed to win over a sufficient number of votes.

Here is most of the news release from Phil Soucy, Director of Communications for Lutherans Concerned:

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.”

Phil Soucy, Director Communications LC/NA - communications@lcna.org

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