Lutheran CORE’s major announcement

“Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5)

November 18, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The past couple months since the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and Lutheran CORE’s Convocation have filled us with a strong sense of hope. The Spirit has stirred up a remarkable outpouring of activity by traditional Lutherans across the country.  Congregations are entering into discernment processes to determine their own future courses. Congregations and individuals are refocusing their benevolence giving on faithful ministries. New local and regional renewal movements are being formed almost weekly. Just this past week, we welcomed six new regional affiliates of Lutheran CORE, from Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and the Southeastern US, as well as the Union of Oromo Evangelical Churches and the Seven Marks group of pastors.

It is now clear that a very substantial portion of the ELCA cannot and will not accept the decisions of the Churchwide Assembly this past summer. Along with the WordAlone Network and our other renewal movement partners, we in Lutheran CORE are now hard at work planning pathways forward for faithful Lutherans, both for those who decide to stay in and those who decide to leave the ELCA. This letter describes some recent significant decisions about those future pathways.

The Lutheran CORE Convocation in Fishers, Indiana, voted to transform our ministry into a free-standing synod, operating apart from any Lutheran church body. This free-standing synod will serve as a coalition of those who choose to leave and those who choose to remain within the ELCA. It will include congregations, reform movements, individual pastors and laypersons, synods, and schools, from across the USA and hopefully Canada as well. It will carry out many synodical functions and will serve in partnership with other reform movements. In this manner, Lutheran CORE will continue to be a confessing and confessional movement that is open to all faithful Lutherans.

Many of our members and friends, both congregations and individuals, will stay in the ELCA, at least for the time being. For them, the free-standing synod will provide a fellowship or community of traditional Lutherans and an ongoing connection to orthodox Lutherans who leave the ELCA. It will also provide, as a service to its member congregations, faithful synodical functions such as missions and evangelism support, assistance in the call process, and resources for theological education, congregational teaching and worship.

It has also become clear over the past few months that many faithful congregations will certainly leave the ELCA as a result of the ELCA’s departure from Biblical teachings. Some of those congregations will join Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), an association of Lutheran congregations formed in 2001 which we view as a valued partner in mission. Other congregations, however, have come to us asking us to form a church body with a more traditional denomination structure and scope.

As a result of these conversations and requests, and after much prayer and deliberation, the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee has decided to explore the formation of a new Lutheran church body in North America. We do this in service to those congregations who wish to leave the ELCA, and perhaps also for congregations who might wish to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as a result
of similar issues in that church body, and to advance the mission of Christ by planting new churches across North America.

This new church would have a confession of faith and a constitution. It would have the competence to examine and ordain clergy, and a discipline process for congregations and clergy. It would be capable of reaching church-to-church relationships. Its constitution would provide for the election of officers and it would be governed by a representative assembly of delegates. The new church would provide for dual membership for congregations and ordained ministers. It would invite other Lutheran churches and entities to participate in shared ministry. It would utilize resources for ministry from already-existing para-church movements and from the WordAlone Network, and would develop other resources as needed. We intend for this new church to be complementary to the ministry and mission of LCMC.

The new Lutheran church body and the free-standing Lutheran CORE synod would cooperate closely in ministry and mission. Special attention will be given to the calling and mobility process, resources for ministry, local and global missions, and strengthening a sense of community and witness to the Gospel. The new Lutheran church body and the free-standing synod will also seek to develop close relationships with other Lutheran churches and entities – particularly with LCMC, and also with others including the ELCA, the ELCIC, and the LCMS.

One thing we want to lift up clearly. We are seeking to do something that has proven difficult in other denominations: maintain tangible unity and organic relationships between those who leave and those who stay in the ELCA. For this reason we are forming both a new church body and a free-standing synod, and both are essential to our vision of continued fellowship and common ministry. Please join us in making a commitment to this important goal.

We have asked our Vision and Planning Working Group to develop narrative designs for the new Lutheran church and for the continuation of Lutheran CORE’s ministry as a free-standing synod. Those designs will be published for review and comment in February 2010. After that, constitution task forces will prepare a constitution for the new church, as well as constitutional amendments necessary to implement the free-standing synod, for adoption at the 2010 Convocation of Lutheran CORE on August 26-27 in Columbus, OH.

In all that we do, we remain in prayer and seek to discern the will of God. Likewise please keep us and the members of the Vision and Planning team in your prayers. That team includes retired Bishops Paull Spring and Ron Warren, Pastors David Glesne, Dan Selbo, Michael Tavella and Cathi Braasch, Mrs. Carolyn Nestingen and Mr. Ryan Schwarz. Please feel free to reach out to any of them, or any of us, with your thoughts and suggestions. Contact information is available on our website, www.lutherancore.org.

We grieve that it has become necessary for so many to leave the ELCA and for so many others to alter their relationship with the ELCA, but we are heartened by the clear sense of mission and ministry that is motivating these changes. As we move forward, let us walk humbly as we seek to follow the path that God has in store for us.

In His service,

The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee

Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 

ELCA NEWS SERVICE – October 29, 2009

Some ELCA Congregations Vote to Leave or Redirect Funds, Find It’s Not Easy
09-241-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) — Throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), leaders and members have responded in a variety of ways to changes in the church’s ministry polices, a decision made by voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. Some members agreed with the decision. Some were opposed. Some weren’t sure how to react.
     Since the assembly, some ELCA congregations have taken votes to leave the denomination or redirect funds away from the ELCA. Leaders and members in a few such congregations report it’s not always easy to make such choices, and there can be unintended consequences.
     The 2009 assembly, which met Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis, adopted proposals to change ELCA ministry policies. One change makes it possible for Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers.
     For some ELCA leaders and members, the assembly directive was inconsistent with their understanding of biblical authority. They often repeat the assertion that “the ELCA has left them.”
     The assembly also adopted by exactly a two-thirds majority a social statement on human sexuality. The statement addressed a wide range of matters related to human sexuality, but a portion of it addressed same-gender relationships, causing disagreement among the voting members.
     Through Oct. 27, the ELCA Office of the Secretary reports an estimated 50 of the ELCA’s 10,396 congregations have taken first votes to leave the denomination or have scheduled them, nearly all because of the assembly’s actions on sexuality. Five such votes have failed. The estimate is based on reports from synod bishops, said David D. Swartling, ELCA secretary.

Some Vote to Leave the ELCA or Try
     Generally congregations that want to leave the ELCA are required to take two votes, at least 90 days apart, and must achieve a two-thirds majority of voting members present for each vote. They are also required to “consult” with the synod bishop between votes to leave. Former Lutheran Church in America congregations and ELCA-established congregations must be granted “synodical approval” before their ELCA membership is terminated. The same approval is needed if the congregation chooses to be independent or relate to a non-Lutheran church body.
     At Wangen Prairie Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls, Minn., 31 members of the 40-member congregation voted 20-11 to leave but failed to achieve the required two-thirds needed under constitutional rules. That has left the Rev. Joy M. Gonnerman, who serves the congregation half-time, with a difficult situation. And she expects some members to challenge the vote.
     Gonnerman told the ELCA News Service the congregation narrowly defeated an attempt to leave in 2005, after the churchwide assembly that year declined a proposal to change ministry policies. She said Wangen Prairie’s ELCA membership “has been tenuous at best.”
     “I keep praying for them, keep preaching and keep administering the sacraments,” she said.
     Gonnerman noted that most of the 11 who voted to stay attend worship regularly, and many of the others don’t. “I find that those so angry about the sexuality issue talk a lot about God, but not much about Jesus. We (Lutherans) read the Bible through the lens of Jesus,” Gonnerman said.
     Gonnerman said she focuses on keeping the congregation together. “I work on unity. My goal as pastor is to work on unity and welcome people with their diverse ideas.” In the coming weeks she said she will offer guidance to members and keep in mind that whatever the congregation decides to do “must come from within.”
     A similar situation exists at Christ Lutheran Church, Cottonwood, Minn., which voted 74-44 on Oct. 18 to leave the ELCA, but the vote failed to achieve a two-thirds majority. The congregation’s president, Joel C. Dahl, declined to be interviewed by the ELCA News Service, but said in an e-mail message, “I have hopes that after some further education of our congregation, we will vote again in the affirmative to separate from the ELCA and join another Lutheran denomination.” He told the Marshall Independent newspaper that an informational meeting for the congregation is planned sometime next month.
     The Rev. James L. Demke, pastor, confirmed that the 600-member congregation will have “more discussion about the issues.”
     St. John Lutheran Church, a 1,200-member congregation in Roanoke, Va., voted 342-143 to leave the ELCA Sept. 27, barely achieving the two-thirds majority required. The congregation plans to take a second and final vote to leave the denomination Jan. 10, said the Rev. Mark A. Graham, senior pastor.
     Graham explained that the congregation has been discussing issues of marriage, family and human sexuality for many years. After the churchwide assembly acted, he and St. John’s two associate pastors recommended to the congregation council that St. John begin the process to leave the ELCA on the grounds that “the ELCA has left traditional biblical teaching.”
     It has not been an easy process. Graham expects as many as one-third of the members will leave the congregation. Some have already left.
     “The last thing I ever expected is to bring a recommendation that would cause conflict and division,” he said in an interview. “I know there are good Christians who disagree with us. It breaks my heart, but we see no other way.”
     Even if the pastors had not made their recommendation, Graham believes many members would have left on their own, perhaps more than the one-third St. John expects to lose. “We would have had conflict here either way if we had not taken action,” he said.
     And what will happen if St. John fails to achieve a two-thirds majority at its second vote in January? Graham paused when asked that question. He said he will have some decisions to make about his own future in the ELCA.
     “We’ve had publicity about this, and it’s not the kind I’m proud of. It’s a hard thing to convince people that were not anti-homosexual. We’re trying to convey a deep love for the Word of God. It breaks my heart that my own denomination would make decisions based on other factors,” he said.
     About five congregations have taken two votes to leave the ELCA so far this year, the ELCA secretary reports. Of those, the largest was Community Church of Joy, Glendale, Ariz., which formally left Sept. 27. Only 129 of its 6,800 baptized members were present for the second vote, which was unanimous.

Some Choose to Withhold Funds
     Some ELCA congregations, unhappy with the assembly’s actions, have stopped sending funds to support synod and churchwide ministries. The funds are used, for example, “to plant and renew congregations, to raise up and train leaders in seminaries and campus ministries, to send missionaries, to respond to hunger at home and abroad, and to rebuild communities after natural disasters,” said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, in a Sept. 23 letter to the church’s professional leaders.
     The ELCA Constitution requires the churchwide organization, synods and congregations “to share in the responsibility to develop, implement and strengthen the financial support program of this church.” Similar required language appears in the ELCA’s Model Constitution for Synods and the Model Constitution for Congregations, yet, decisions are being made in some places to direct funds elsewhere.
     The congregation council at 250-member Peace Lutheran Church, Rockdale, Texas, suspended its benevolence payments to the ELCA shortly after the congregation’s pastor, the Rev. Janice A. Campbell, returned from the assembly where she was a voting member. Instead, it sent its September funds to support a Lutheran orphanage in Tanzania and will send funds for the remainder of 2009 to a local food bank and Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Peace’s annual benevolence is nearly $21,000, according to the 2009 ELCA Yearbook.
     Campbell told members from the beginning that she didn’t want anyone to leave, and she urged the congregation members to respond together. Campbell said she is concerned about a member and a family that may leave the congregation. “I don’t want to lose those people. It is important that we listen to one another,” she said.
     Some members are talking about joining Lutheran Congregations for Mission in Christ (LCMC), she said. “I don’t know if I’m going with them or not. LCMC is not for me,” she said. Campbell said she has been a strong supporter of the ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod in the past.
     Global relationships are more valuable to Campbell than is the denomination, she said. In particular Lutherans in Africa have much to teach the ELCA, she said. Campbell said she was not happy that objections to the sexuality proposals voiced by Lutheran churches in Africa were “skimmed over” and not shared with voting members at the assembly.
     “I wish there was a way for the ELCA to come to realization that this was a catastrophic (theological) error,” she said of the actions on sexuality. “I will continue to pray for the ELCA, for the synod and for the bishops.”
     The congregation council at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Cottage Grove, Minn., made a similar decision. St. Luke’s senior pastor, the Rev. Timothy J. Housholder, a churchwide assembly voting member, declined to be interviewed for this story. But he wrote to his congregation earlier this month that, since the assembly, he had received more than 100 communications, most expressing concern about the decisions. The council redirected remaining 2009 benevolence funds away from the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod and the churchwide organization, he said, “to allow time for St. Luke to ‘breathe’ and discern what the ELCA’s recent actions mean for us.” Lutheran Social Services and Lutheran World Relief will be sent St. Luke’s funds, Housholder reported. St. Luke has 2,200 baptized members, and gives about $43,000 annually in benevolence funds.
     Not all are in agreement. Two members of St. Luke, Rebecca and Alan Holz, wrote to the South Washington County Bulletin newspaper saying that the decision to withhold the funds was made without approval of the church’s members. “My husband and I feel strongly that this act is counter to what St. Luke’s prior statement to the community was of ‘the Welcoming Church,’ and we are deeply disappointed we were not allowed to express our views prior to the council’s decision,” their Oct. 14 letter said.
     Member Natalie Seim also wrote the paper’s editor to point out that the council’s vote to begin “discernment” was not shared by all members.
     The council has scheduled a forum for St. Luke members on Nov. 1.

October 29, 2009
Submitted by Richard Quirion
Greetings in Jesus’ Name:

“God is reforming the churches of the Reformation . . . The question for us is not so much whether we ought to re-vision Lutheranism in North America, but rather how will we respond to this clear invitation to re-vision Lutheranism in North America,” Ryan Schwarz of Lutheran CORE Steering Committee told the Lutheran CORE Convocation September 25 in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, Indiana.

The next day, the 1,200 Lutheran CORE members at the Convocation unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a process “leading toward a possible reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism.” The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee was charged with developing a recommendation for action. Having been entrusted with overseeing this process, we want to keep you informed as to what is happening and how you can be involved in shaping the future for Lutherans in North America.

A timeline for reconfiguration has now been developed, the detail of which is below. In short, a major statement of the direction of reconfiguration will be published by the Steering Committee following its meeting on November 17-18, 2009. A design for reconfiguration will be created and published by February 2010, and that design will be presented for adoption and implementation to the 2010 Lutheran CORE Convocation, which will be August 26-27, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio.

Seven working groups are being formed. They will address various aspects of the life and work of Lutheran CORE and the work toward reconfiguration. The Vision and Planning working group, chaired by Ryan Schwarz, will serve as the lead unit in developing the reconfiguration proposal. Information on the groups and an application form for those who feel called to serve are available online at www.lutherancore.org.

Literally dozens of regional groups and gatherings have been organized post-Fishers. The Steering Committee has prepared a short list of discussion questions for such meetings, seeking input for the reconfiguration process. These questions are available on our website, www.lutherancore.org. If you are organizing a regional gathering, please download the questions and plan to provide your group’s ideas for the reconfiguration working groups.

This is an exciting time for faithful Lutherans in North America as we discover the future God has in store for us. A summary of the timeline for our common work over the coming months follows:

Nov 2, 2009 – Lutheran CORE and WordAlone Network leaders meet for preliminary conversations
Nov 17-18, 2009 – Lutheran CORE Steering Committee meeting, followed by public statement on reconfiguration
Dec 2009 – Initial meeting of Vision and Planning Working Group
Early Jan 2010 – Consultations with partner renewal movements and congregational members of Lutheran CORE
Mid Jan 2010 – Meetings with movements and Lutheran church bodies that are not a part of Lutheran CORE
Late Jan 2010 – Preparation of draft proposal by Vision and Planning team
Early Feb 2010 – Review by Lutheran CORE’s Advisory Council, the theologians and church leaders who advise Lutheran CORE on significant issues
Mid Feb 2010 – Final review by Steering Committee and publication of recommendation for review by Lutheran CORE members and partners
Mar 2010 – Constitutional Working Group begins work on constitutional amendments required for implementation of reconfiguration design
July 2010 – Proposed constitutional amendments published for review by Lutheran CORE members and partners
Aug 26-27, 2010 – Lutheran CORE Convocation considers recommendation on reconfiguration and proposed constitutional amendments

Please pray for all those who are involved in this process that God might show us His plans for the future of Lutheranism in North America. Also please pray for all those ELCA members, pastors, and congregations who have been hurt by the actions of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. This is a difficult time for many, but it is also a hopeful time as God is calling the faithful to stand together and to work toward the future He is giving us.

Your servants in Christ,

Lutheran CORE Steering Committee

Bishop Paull Spring – Chair
Pastor Mark Chavez – Director
Pastor Scott Grorud
Pastor Rebecca M. M. Heber
Pastor Kenneth Kimball
Pastor Victor C. Langford III
Mr. Ryan Schwarz
Pastor W. Stevens Shipman – Secretary
Pastor Paul Ulring
Pastor Erma Wolf – Vice Chair

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 

 Foundation provided $250,000 for efforts to change ELCA teaching and policy on marriage and homosexual behavior

 A foundation dedicated to changing attitudes on homosexual behavior and bankrolled by a Michigan billionaire provided $250,000 for efforts to change ELCA teaching and policy on marriage and homosexual behavior. The Arcus Foundation’s 2008 annual report lists a grant to Lutherans Concerned of “$200,000 over two years to organize and support a grassroots collaborative effort to change existing denominational policy at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America toward the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith.”

 Arcus’2007 report lists a grant to Lutherans Concerned of “$50,000 to support the work of allied Lutherans at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to end discrimination against gay clergy within the Lutheran Church.” The efforts by Lutherans Concerned led to votes by the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to change ELCA teaching to affirm homosexual behavior and to allow pastors and other rostered leaders to be in same-sex relationships.

 The Arcus Foundation was founded by Jon L. Stryker of Kalamazoo, Mich., who is the foundation’s president. Forbes magazine lists Striker as one of the “400 richest Americans.” He is the grandson of Homer Stryker, the surgeon who invented the mobile hospital bed and other medical products including cast cutters and specialty stretchers. The foundation’s “Religion and Values Program” has “the goal of achieving long-term change in cultural attitudes and religious institutions that currently stigmatize same-gender sexual orientation and gender variance.

The goals of this program are to engage with and advance greater understanding and acceptance of sexual orientation and gender variance by mainstream religious institutions and leaders, and to help create a positive shift in cultural attitudes and values toward sexuality in general and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) issues in particular,” according to a 2007 press release announcing the program.

 

“In our Theory of Change strategic planning process for the Arcus LGBT Program, we identified several barriers that must be addressed in order to advance the cause of LGBT human rights and equality. Moral values based on religious or secular teachings are often raised as reasons why lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people should not have equal rights. The Arcus Foundation is therefore interested in supporting efforts that examine the beliefs and principles that these moral values are based on, and that explore ways to promote LGBT acceptance.  

 In the area of ‘values,’ we envision that applicants may be focused on issues related to procreation, pleasure, sexual behavior, sexual identities, and family structure as well as other issues that involve cultural and religious norms and ‘morality.’ We welcome requests to support efforts that pose new paradigms and visions of morality and values that affirm and promote LGBT acceptance and LGBT realities,” the Arcus website states.

“The goal of the Religion & Values Program is to achieve LGBT moral equality.” The Lutherans Concerned grant was the program’s third largest grant for 2008. The program list three funding goals: “Achieving policy change within religious denominations (e.g.,Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran) in the United States and globally.”, “Influencing leaders and leadership structures in denominations where the potential for significant impact exists, e.g., Catholicism, the Baptist movement and Islam.” and  “Creating an effective pro-LGBT faith-based movement.”

 The Arcus Foundation’s website highlights the 2009 ELCA votes to change church teaching and policy as one of its achievements: “A little more than a month after the Episcopal Church affirmed ordination processes inclusive of LGBT people and the blessing of same-sex unions, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America passed its ‘Social Statement on Human Sexuality,’ and eliminated the ban against ministers in same-gender relationships. The Arcus Foundation believes in the full inclusion of LGBT people within religious communities is a core social justice issue and applaud the actions of the Evangelical Lutheran and Episcopal Churches. This is an extraordinary moment for those who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the LGBT faithful.”

“The mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes.” The Arcus Foundation provided $50 million in grants through its LGBT programs and $40 million through its “Great Apes Program” from 2000-2008.

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 

 ELCA releases draft of revised standards for pastors

 The ELCA churchwide organization has released a draft of proposed changes to “Vision and Expectations” — the document that states the ELCA’s standards for pastors — resulting from the actions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to change ELCA teaching on marriage and homosexual behavior and to allow pastors and other rostered leaders to be in same-sex relationships. The sentence in the current document that read: Ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships. has been replaced by this sentence: An ordained minister who is in a publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous same gender relationship recognized and supported by an expression of this church is expected to live in fidelity to his or her partner, giving expression to sexual intimacy within a publicly accountable relationship that is mutual, chaste, and faithful.

The draft also adds a reference to “publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships” in a section that refers to marriage: Ordained ministers, whether single, married or in a publicly accountable, lifelong monogamous, same-gender relationship, are expected to uphold an understanding of marriage and family in their public ministry as well as in private life that is biblically informed and consistent with the teachings of this church.

 The draft includes the ELCA’s proposed official definition of a “publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationship:” The terms in the phrase “publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship” are intended to have their common meanings. “Lifelong” means that the relationship is intended to last as long as both parties to the relationship shall live. “Monogamous” means that the relationship is between two people —one to one. “Same-gender” means that the relationship is between two men or two women.  “Public accountability” means that the two parties to the relationship openly acknowledge the relationship, have a demonstrable commitment to the relationship, and have a willingness to seek and accept the aid of individuals and community in sustaining the relationship. For an ordained minister, both church and community are part of the public to which he or she is accountable. Public accountability for an ordained minister in a heterosexual marriage includes recognition and support in a congregation of this church and legally recorded civil recognition. Similarly, public accountability for an ordained minister in a lifelong, monogamous, same – gender, relationship includes recognition and support in a congregation of this church and may include a legally recorded civil recognition and other evidence that the relationship is lifelong and monogamous.

 The draft states that the ELCA will “provide for” those who — because of consciences captive to God’s Word —do not support the ELCA’s changes in teaching and practice regarding marriage and homosexual behavior: The ELCA intends both to allow the rostered service of people who are in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship and to provide for those whose convictions do not favor such service.

The proposed draft only includes changes to Part III — “The Ordained Minister as Person and Example.” Changes will also be necessary in Part II — “Faithfulness to the Church’s Confession” — to accommodate the ELCA’s new teaching and practice. This section includes this statement:  Ordained ministers of this church are to confess and teach the authoritative and normative character of the Scriptures “as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life” (ELCA Constitution, 2.03). The ecumenical creeds are to be taught as true declarations of the faith of this church. The Lutheran Confessions are to be acknowledged as true witnesses and faithful expositions of the Holy Scriptures. In identifying specific documents as normative for preaching and teaching, this church expects its ordained ministers to understand that the faith of the church is corporate, not individualistic; catholic, not sectarian; orthodox, not heretical. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America expects that its ordained ministers teach nothing “that departs from the Scriptures or the catholic Church” (Conclusion to the Augsburg Confession).  The current document and proposed draft are available at www.elca.org.

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

  

ELCA will not allow synods to maintain traditional standards

 ELCA synods will not have the option of upholding traditional Christian teaching on marriage and homosexuality in their standards for pastors and other rostered leaders according to a draft of candidacy rules released Oct. 10 by the ELCA churchwide organization. No synod or bishop may make decisions on ministry standards that differ from the new policies of the ELCA churchwide organization as defined by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, the policy draft explains.

 The ELCA now allows pastors and other rostered leaders to be in committed same-sex relationships. “By the governing documents, all candidacy and call decisions are made on an individual basis, thus no body can make a blanket statement of approval or disapproval for a group of candidates. Nor can a body alter the policies which this church has accepted. However, a decision making body may express its general understanding of what will best serve the mission of Christ in the places and times for which they have decision making responsibility. No body can restrict the authority given to another by the governing documents. Thus, for example, a synod council cannot bind a synod call committee nor can a synod bind its congregations, but any of these entities may express convictions and preferences to the others,” the draft states.

The only option for a synod candidacy committee that wishes to uphold traditional standards for sexuality is to transfer a candidate to another ELCA synod. “There is local option on same-sex blessings — no congregation is to be forced to perform them (that is what the Assembly adopted; we will have to see how it develops). But ordination policy as proposed is, so far as I can see, tolerance as long as one does not obstruct. A synod could urge partnered gay and lesbian candidates to go somewhere else, but it could not outright refuse them,” the Rev. Dr. Michael Root of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary wrote on the “Lutherans Persisting” blog.

 The proposed standards suggest that those who believe in biblical standards for sexuality resign from synod candidacy committees: “Individuals who have a share in discernment and decision-making responsibility need to decide whether they can function in that role under the new policies.”

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 ELCA proposes expedited process to reinstate gay pastors

 The ELCA Church Council is expected to approve an expedited process to reinstate pastors who were removed from the ELCA clergy roster for misconduct related to homosexual behavior. The council will consider the proposal at its Nov. 13-15 meeting. The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly changed ELCA ministry standards to allow pastors to be in same-sex relationships.

 The proposal states: “For a period of two years, from January 1, 2010, until December 31, 2011, Candidacy Committees may begin to consider, without waiting for five years to elapse, applications from those whose removal from the roster was solely the result of being in a lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship.”

 It is likely that few pastors would truly qualify as “those whose removal from the roster was solely the result of being in a lifelong, monogamous,same-gender relationship.”

 Many LGBT pastors have been active in Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and taken part in unauthorized ordinations. Their teaching and behavior would violate several sections of the ELCA constitution which states: “Ordained ministers shall be subject to discipline for: a. preaching and teaching in conflict with the faith confessed by this church; b. conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office; c. willfully disregarding or violating the functions and standards established by this church for the office of Word and Sacrament; d. willfully disregarding the provisions of the constitution or bylaws of this church; or e. willfully failing to comply with the requirements ordered by a discipline hearing committee under 20.23.08.”

 The reinstatement requirements also state that “In the case of an applicant where inappropriate conduct or allegations of misconduct led to resignation or removal from the roster, the synodical bishop examines the applicant for indications of repentance and amendment of life.”

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 

 Everything I learned about the redirection of financial support, I learned from the ELCA

By Pastor Steven King

 One of the questions, often raised by those in disagreement with an institution or entity that they previously have supported, is whether or not it is appropriate and faithful to use the redirection of financial support away from that institution or entity as a  means to influence policy. Having never been much of a political activist, my first encounter with this concept came in my seminary years. In describing the possible ways we would be able to allocate our pension funds as new pastors, we were introduced to what were called “social purpose funds” through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Board of Pensions. These funds were set up by the ELCA specifically so that we could be assured that our money would not be invested in companies and institutions acting contrary our church’s faith position. At that time, the church was taking an active stance against the policy of apartheid by the government of South Africa, and “South Africa-Free” investments were popular as a way of applying financial pressure to that government. When I attended the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, I noted how the church endorsed this same strategy, by calling on the ELCA to use economic pressure and redirection of investments as a means to influence political policy in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Part of a larger memorial approved by that assembly asked: “To call upon the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to underscore the call for economic initiatives by this church and its members in the ‘Peace, Not Walls’ campaign. Such initiatives could include: purchasing of products from Palestinian providers, and exploration of the feasibility of refusing to buy products produced in Israeli settlements. Also to be explored is the entire investment activity by this church.”

 In the discussion of the memorial, Rev. Rebecca Larson, executive director of the ELCA’s Church in Society unit, was asked if the practice of using financial pressure as a means of influence fit with the ELCA’s overall position and practice of stewardship.

 “Larson explained, ‘The recommendation is consistent with the churchwide strategy adopted by the 2005 Churchwide Assembly, particularly its economic stewardship section. The emphasis,’ she explained, ‘is on positive economic investment to help those most in need,’” according to the report of the ELCA Secretary, 2007 Churchwide Assembly: Preliminary Minutes.

 The ELCA has always recognized as an expression of legitimate and faithful stewardship the practice of reducing financial support to entities that do not reflect a church’s faith position and redirecting such funds to other entities that might better serve our faith mission. Going all the way back to the 1999 social statement on “Economic Life -Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All,” the ELCA has been clear about the need to maintain the connection between financial decisions and faith perspective, saying: “We commit ourselves as a church and urge members to . . . integrate social values into our investment decisions.”

 Following the decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, I recommend that congregations consider this stewardship guidance in their budget planning for the coming year.  As an expression of good stewardship, congregations should seriously consider whether the institutions, organizations and ministries they support through their benevolence dollars are in harmony with their local congregation’s faith perspective. If a congregation finds itself in conflict with the values of an institution, that congregation has an obligation to redirect its support to the needs of ministries that better share its own social values.

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion

 

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ

Here is a brief summary of what went on at the LCMC annual gathering in Fargo written by Pastor Larry Lindstrom, Chair of LCMC Board of Trustees

Sunday: We opened with a worship service that left people inspired and on fire for our Lord. Dale Wolf (host pastor) preached, and the music was a blend of contemporary and traditional tunes. The visitors (about half the crowd) were amazed to see how positive and uplifting the tone of the evening was.

Monday: Walt Wangerin spoke on God’s invitation to “receive” the gifts of grace. He is dealing with cancer, and he spoke openly about preparing to die. His comments brought the house down (actually, he got standing ovations at the end of each speech).

At lunch, the Board met with representatives of the immigrant churches in the US. We had Sudanese, Chinese, Ethiopian, and other pastors who told us about their determination to leave the ELCA after the August decision. They represent about 100 US churches, made up of immigrants. We had a good conversation, and they seemed very interested in possibly affiliating with LCMC.

The afternoon included the “State of the Association” presentation, which the vice chairman and I gave. Then we did our business, which consisted of only two resolutions (one giving permission to the Board to have conversations with other Lutheran groups). Again, the visitors were amazed to see how simple and transparent the business session was.

Tuesday: Our keynote speaker was Marilee Pierce Dunker, daughter of the man who founded World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse. She gave a passionate speech about the need for global outreach, and people were really touched by what she had to say.

At lunch that day, the Board met with a campus pastor who gave us an update on things. He reported that campus ministry programs are facing major cuts, and we talked about how LCMC congregations in college towns might work to either add campus ministries or support the existing ones (that are still Christian).

That afternoon, we received greetings from several individuals and groups. Jaynan Clark from Word Alone spoke to the crowd, as did Erma Wolf from CORE. They both pledged their support for us and said they would encourage congregations to come our way.

Wednesday: The speaker for the day was Walt Kallestad from Community Church of Joy in Arizona. He commended our association (of which he is now a member) and encouraged us to continue in the Word. Our closing worship service included a sermon from Paul Braafladt, the outgoing vice chairman of the Board.

A few things are clear after the gathering:

? LCMC is about to grow by leaps and bounds. The ELCA visitors who were with us were mostly beat-up and wounded, and many of them found the experience of the gathering to be like “coming home.” So we can anticipate dozens of new member churches. In addition, it seems pretty clear that the immigrant churches (African, Hispanic, and Asian) will look to affiliate with us very soon. So we may double (or even triple) in size during the next 12 months.

? That will pose some challenges for the Board of Trustees. We need to anticipate what type of infrastructure a larger group will need, while keeping things at the top as flat and simple as possible. One of the visitors compared it to a small town taking in refugees. If a town of 250 takes in 1000 needy people, some adjustments have to be made. Otherwise, everybody suffers.
I hope this gives you a sense of what went on in Fargo.

New Congregations:These congregations have voted to join LCMC since the Aug. 26^th ELCA National Assembly vote:

Zion Lutheran Church	Deary , ID	8/30/2009
St Paul’s Lutheran Church	Peabody , KS	8/30/2009
Concordia Lutheran Church	Kingsburg , CA	8/30/2009
Spirit of Peace Church	Valley , NE	8/30/2009
Calvary Lutheran Church	Kallispell , MT	9/13/2009
Hebron Lutheran Church	Hebron , KY	9/13/2009
New Hope Lutheran Church	Independence , MO	9/13/2009
Trinity Lutheran Church	Houghton , SD	9/20/2009
St John’s Lutheran Church	Hecla , SD	9/20/2009
Joy in Christ	Eastlake , CO	9/26/2009
Light of Christ Lutheran Church	Chandler , AZ	9/27/2009
Zion Lutheran Church	Wellington , CO	9/27/2009
Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Western Reserve	Stow , OH	9/27/2009
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church	Irvine , CA	9/27/2009
Grace Lutheran Church	Paradise , MT	10/3/2009
Grace and Truth Bible Church	Oconomowoc , WI	10/18/2009
St James Evangelical Lutheran Church	Holland , IN	10/25/2009
Light of the Desert	Cave Creek , AZ	10/25/2009
Mt Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church	Haralson , GA	10/25/2009
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church	Champion , MI	10/28/2009
St Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church	Saint Joe , IN	11/1/2009
Faith Lutheran Church	Little Falls , MN	11/3/2009

 Submitted by Richard & Colleen Quirion