Lutheran CORE offers this resource to help members of ELCA congregations to participate in the process leading to an ELCA Social Statement on Sexuality and to enable them to better understand some of the questions on human sexuality that will be considered at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. You may also download this resource as a PDF file.
It is a draft statement awaiting responses from ELCA members, congregations, and synods. This draft statement was produced by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. ELCA members, congregations, and synods have the opportunity to respond to its content and to offer suggestions for its improvement. ELCA members, congregations, and synods should submit responses and suggestions to the Task Force by November 1, 2008.
ELCA Social Statements are to explain what the ELCA understands to be Scripture’s teaching and faithful Christian responses to a given topic. They are intended as teaching statements addressing the members of ELCA congregations to help them in their own ethical decision-making. Social Statements also shape the activities of ELCA organizations as they address social issues through church policy and through efforts to influence government action.
The 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly made no changes to ELCA standards for pastors and other rostered leaders. The Assembly rejected requests to make immediate changes to ELCA policy regarding clergy in same-sex sexual relationships.
However, the 2007 Churchwide Assembly did vote “to direct the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality specifically to address and to make recommendations to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly on changes to any church policies that preclude practicing homosexual persons from the rosters of this church.”
The 2007 Churchwide Assembly also approved a resolution which “prays, urges, and encourages synods, synodical bishops, and the presiding bishop to refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining those rostered leaders in a mutual, chaste, and faithful committed same-gender relationship who have been called and rostered in this church.”
On the other hand, the 2007 Churchwide Assembly voted to “request the Conference of Bishops to enter into discussion and consideration of the matter of the accountability of bishops to the adopted policies, practices, and procedures of the ELCA and to formulate a clear statement of such accountability for consideration and adoption by the 2009 assembly of this church.” This request came, in part, because some synod bishops have refused to enforce ELCA policies including policies regarding pastors in same-sex sexual relationships.
The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality is scheduled to announce its recommendations regarding whether to change ELCA policy to permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other rostered leaders in the ELCA in February or March of 2009. Those recommendations are to go directly to the ELCA Church Council.
There are members of the ELCA who are asking the ELCA to reject what has been accepted Christian teaching and to affirm same-sex sexual activity. The 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly asked the ELCA to consider questions about whether to bless same-sex unions and whether to permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other rostered leaders in the ELCA. The 2001 Churchwide Assembly also asked for the production of a social statement on human sexuality after the questions about the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of persons in same-sex sexual relationships had been addressed.
No. The 2005 report of the ELCA Task Force for Sexuality Studies showed that only 22 percent of ELCA members who responded to the study favored change in church teaching to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions or the ordination of persons in committed same-sex relationships. A significant majority (57 percent) opposed change to accepted Christian teaching on homosexual behavior to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions or the ordination of persons in committed same-sex relationships. These results are similar to those in polls of ELCA members.
They believe that the ELCA must remain faithful to the Scriptures and to the settled Christian consensus of nearly 2,000 years on sexual ethics and homosexual behavior. They have considered the arguments of those asking the ELCA to reject the classical understanding of Scripture and the settled teaching of the Church. They have not found those arguments to be convincing. They find Scripture’s teaching on marriage and on same-sex sexual activity to be clear. They believe that there must be overwhelming evidence in favor of change to be willing to reject what they see as the clear witness of the Bible and its interpretation by generations of Christians.
Yes. The ELCA Constitution states: “This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life.” As the source of the Church’s proclamation, faith, and life, Christians draw their understandings for faith and life from the Bible. As the norm of the Church’s proclamation, faith, and life, Christians look to the Bible to define what is a faithful interpretation of the Christian faith. A commitment to the clear word of Scripture was central to the Lutheran Reformation. It is essential that all statements and actions of the ELCA reflect this commitment to Scripture stated in our constitution and essential to our identity as Lutherans.
No. There is agreement among Bible scholars that Scripture does not support same-sex sexual activity. Even scholars who support gay and lesbian unions agree that Scripture does not approve of same-sex sexual activity. Instead, they argue that the Bible’s testimony is no longer valid regarding homosexual behavior or that the biblical writers never thought about gay and lesbian committed unions in the way that they are talked about today. Some Christians who are open to civil unions for gay and lesbian persons have acknowledged that the church cannot bless those unions without rejecting the clear witness of Scripture.
Yes. The Law reveals God’s intention for us and helps to order society. The Law also shows us when we fail to live up to God’s intention. It reveals our sin and drives us to Christ. The Gospel tells us about God’s love and God’s forgiveness in Christ. A social statement naturally flows from the Law. It describes God’s intention for us and for society. Explaining God’s intention for us may point out ways that we have failed to live up to God’s intention. That knowledge of sin then allows us to hear the Gospel word of God’s forgiveness and love.
Yes. The 1996 ELCA Church Council Message Sexuality: Some Common Convictions notes the role of the Ten Commandments in discussions of sexuality: “Because human sexuality is a powerful, primal force in personal and communal life, both church and society seek to order sexual expectations and expression. God’s Law serves this purpose by providing guidance and exposing sinfulness. For example, the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:1-17) have implications for sexuality:
Yes. In keeping with Scripture and nearly 2,000 years of accepted Christian teaching, the social statements of the ELCA’s predecessor churches — The American Lutheran Church (ALC) and Lutheran Church in America (LCA) — affirmed marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Christians believe that God’s clear intention for sexuality is that it be a marriage relationship between one man and one woman.
The 1996 ELCA Church Council Message Sexuality: Some Common Convictions states the Christian understanding of marriage: “Marriage is a lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman. In marriage, two persons become ‘one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24; Mt. 19:4-6; Mk. 10:6-9; Eph. 5:31), a personal and sexual union that embodies God’s loving purpose to create and enrich life. By the gift of marriage God ‘founded human community in a joy that begins now and is brought to perfection in the life to come.’”
The ELCA received the social statements of its predecessor churches as “historical documents.” The document Policies and Procedures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for Addressing Social Concerns explains that: “Social statements and other resources on social concerns build on the rich legacy of the church bodies that united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As a confessional church with an historical sense, this church continues to look to the social statements of The American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America for guidance, while it develops its own social statements and further deliberates on social concerns.”
The ALC and LCA each adopted social statements on human sexuality that affirm the traditional Christian understanding of sexuality. These statements continue to shape ELCA policy. They provided the basis for Sexuality: Some Common Convictions, the 1996 Message adopted by the ELCA Church Council. They also continue to shape ELCA policy on homosexual behavior.
The predecessor church body statements are available online:
The message explains its own status: “Messages of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, adopted by the Church Council, are intended to focus attention and action on timely, pressing matters of concern to this church and society. They do not establish new policy for this church, but build upon previously adopted policy positions, especially from social statements.”
Sexuality: Some Common Convictions covers many areas of agreement on sexuality among ELCA members. It affirms the traditional Christian understanding of sexuality in keeping with the social statements of ELCA predecessor churches. Messages are adopted by the ELCA Church Council while social statements require the approval of a Churchwide Assembly. The proposed new ELCA social statement is to cover areas of human sexuality included in the message but also additional areas of sexuality including homosexual behavior.
The ELCA Church Council Message Sexuality: Some Common Convictions is available online at www.elca.org/socialstatements/sexuality
“We, as the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, recognize that there is basis neither in Scripture nor tradition for the establishment of an official ceremony by this church for the blessing of a homosexual relationship. We, therefore, do not approve such a ceremony as an official action of this church’s ministry. Nevertheless, we express trust in and will continue dialogue with those pastors and congregations who are in ministry with gay and lesbian persons, and affirm their desire to explore the best ways to provide pastoral care for all to whom they minister.”
It is the name of documents that detail the vision and the expectations that the ELCA has of its pastors and of other rostered leaders. Vision and Expectations articulates a broad vision for the faithfulness of the public leaders of the church. The document for pastors is divided into these four sections based on the four questions asked of future pastors when they are ordained:
Vision and Expectations: Ordained Ministers in the ELCA states its purpose in these words:
“In this document the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seeks to state its vision and expectations for ordained ministers of this church. This document should not be understood as a juridical standard. Neither is it intended to suggest unrealistic or impossible expectations for those who serve on the roster of ordained ministers. Instead, it seeks to express the high value and importance that the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament has in the life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is offered for those who are already on the roster of ordained ministers of this church as a statement of expectations and hopes for the shape of ordained ministry, as well as an invitation for reflection and consideration to those who seek to serve in the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”
Vision and Expectations is available online at www.elca.org/assembly/votingmatters/VisionandExpectations.pdf
It is the name of documents that define the grounds for which an ELCA pastor, other rostered leader, or a congregation may be subject to the discipline of the ELCA.
Definition and Guidelines for Discipline of Ordained Ministers explains its purpose in these words:
“As an expression of its life in the gospel of Jesus Christ, this church embraces disciplinary processes of counseling, admonition, and correction, with the objective of forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing.
“Simultaneously, out of deep concern for effective extension of the gospel, this church remains alert to the high calling of discipleship in Jesus Christ. The ordained ministers of this church, as persons charged with special responsibility for the proclamation of the gospel, are to seek to reflect the new life in Christ, avoiding that which would make them stumbling blocks to others. To that end, this church recognizes that there is behavior that is deemed to be incompatible with ordained ministry, and that calls for disciplinary action.
“The following definitions and guidelines do not set forth the high expectations this church has of its ordained ministers. (A document of such expectations has been developed by the Division for Ministry for this church.) The normative expectations of this church for its ordained ministers focus upon faithful and effective exercise of ministerial leadership. In all matters of morality and personal ethics, this church expects its ordained ministers to be exemplary in conduct.
“These definitions and guidelines describe the grounds for which ordained ministers may be subject to discipline according to the practice of this church. Their purpose is juridical: to assist in the processes of consultation, discipline, and appeals.”
Definition and Guidelines for Discipline is available online at: www.elca.org/assembly/votingmatters/DefinitionsandGuidelinesForDiscipline.pdf
Science continues to debate the causes of homosexual orientation. Regardless of its cause, homosexual orientation is not something that a person chooses. However, Christians believe that all human beings have orientations to sin that should be resisted. Lutherans confess in our worship liturgies that “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” All of us struggle with orientations to behaviors that are sinful. There are individuals who struggle with greed, overeating, gossip, selfishness, and other desires. These are orientations that must be resisted. An orientation may reveal our humanness and our need for Jesus as Savior, but just because something is natural does not mean that it is not sinful.
The social statements of the ELCA’s predecessor churches support civil rights for gay and lesbian persons even while affirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Christians oppose discrimination in society based on race, sexual orientation, and other factors. It is possible for Christians to affirm the dignity of all people without endorsing all of their behaviors. The ALC and LCA statements both make this distinction. The ALC and LCA social statements also make clear that there is a difference between what is moral and what should be legal or illegal. There are many behaviors that are legal but are not moral. However, Christian teaching on what God intends for us remains clear and consistent.
The church welcomes all people as fellow sinners loved by and redeemed by Christ. What we all have in common is our need for a Savior. The question before the ELCA is not whether gay and lesbian persons are welcome in the church. All people are welcome because Jesus died for all. All people are welcome on the same basis — as human beings — sinners who need a Savior. Those asking for the acceptance of same-sex sexual relationships are not asking for acceptance and welcome as forgiven sinners. They are asking that same-sex sexual activity not be considered sinful and saying that they do not need God’s forgiveness for homosexual behavior.
The Gospel is the good news of Jesus as Savior and Lord. God’s love is for all people. Gay and lesbian people — like all people — are welcome in the church as fellow sinners loved by and redeemed by Christ.
Some people have confused acceptance and affirmation with the Gospel of God’s love in Jesus Christ. They have substituted a “different gospel” of acceptance and affirmation for the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. The Bible tells the story of human sinfulness and God’s forgiveness. Jesus’ death for us shows God’s love and at the same time reveals our sinfulness. As a seminary professor once put it, “If Jesus died for you that must mean you’re a sinner.” Jesus does not die to justify our sins but rather to save us from them.
The question before the ELCA is not whether gay and lesbian persons are welcome in the church. All people are welcome because Jesus died for all. All people are welcome on the same basis — as human beings — sinners who need a Savior. Those asking for the acceptance of same-sex sexual relationships are not asking for acceptance and welcome as forgiven sinners. They are asking that same-sex sexual activity not be considered sinful and saying that they do not need God’s forgiveness for homosexual behavior.
Yes. Members, congregations, and entire dioceses have seen no choice but to leave the Episcopal Church to maintain accepted Christian teaching including Christian teaching about marriage and sexuality. Given that a significant majority of ELCA members remain committed to traditional Christian teaching that marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman and to traditional Christian teaching on same-sex sexual activity, something similar could happen in the ELCA if the ELCA chooses to reject accepted Christian teaching. ELCA members must work together to help the ELCA to affirm accepted Christian teaching on sexuality to avoid this possibility.
Yes. Leaders of Lutheran churches throughout the world — especially leaders of Lutheran churches in Africa — have asked the ELCA to remain committed to Scripture and to accepted Christian teaching on sexuality. For example, the bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania issued a statement in 2004 affirming traditional Scriptural understandings of sexuality and challenging those who would change Christian teaching on homosexual behavior.
Yes. If the ELCA would reject traditional Christian teaching on sexuality, it would place the ELCA at odds with the vast majority of the world’s Christians. This would hurt our ecumenical efforts with several Christian traditions. It would severely damage our relationship with the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church as well as our relationship with most Protestant denominations.
No. There is significant Biblical support for the ordination of women. It also was through reading Scripture that Christians came to challenge slavery as an institution. Those asking for the ordination of practicing homosexual persons are asking the ELCA to reject the clear teaching of Scripture on homosexual behavior and the settled teaching of the Christian Church for nearly 2,000 years.
No. Christians have never said that divorce is God’s intention for marriage. Likewise, Christians have consistently taught that the marriage of one man and one woman is God’s intention for sexual relationships. It is true that Christians have sometimes failed to live up to God’s intentions in our relationships. However, Christian teaching continues to affirm the importance of marriage.
We welcome and accept people who have experienced the brokenness of divorce or who have engaged in sexual relationships outside of marriage as forgiven sinners who, like all Christians, rely on Jesus for forgiveness and new life. We believe that, in Jesus, forgiveness and new beginnings are possible for all people. Those asking for the acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships are not asking for acceptance and welcome as forgiven sinners. They are asking that same-sex sexual activity not be considered sinful and saying that they do not need God’s forgiveness for homosexual behavior.
No. Lutheran pastors are not self-appointed. They are called by God through the Church to the office of ministry. The ELCA document that sets standards for ordained ministers explains this well:
No. This is clearly explained in Vision and Expectations: Ordained Ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
“Pastoral identity carries with it expectations and accountabilities that are determined by the whole Church and not simply by a given congregation, synod, institution, or agency served by the ordained minister."
“The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has high expectations for those who serve within the ordained ministry of this church. It does so because it recognizes that when offense is given by an ordained minister, the witness of the gospel may be impaired and the ability to carry out public ministry is threatened.”
The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality will receive responses to its first draft until November 1, 2008. In February or March of 2009, the Task Force will release its final draft of a proposed ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality and its recommendations regarding whether to change ELCA policy to permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other rostered leaders in the ELCA.
The Task Force’s final draft of a social statement and its policy recommendations will then go to the ELCA Church Council. The ELCA Church Council may amend the social statement and policy recommendations. Synod Councils may submit resolutions regarding these proposals to the Church Council before its March 27-29, 2009, meeting. The social statement and policy recommendations from the ELCA Church Council will go to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
ELCA members, congregations, and synods may respond to the social statement and policy recommendations from the ELCA Church Council through memorials (resolutions) at their 2009 synod assemblies.
The voting members of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly may revise or amend the text of the statement before deciding whether to adopt an ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality. Approval of an ELCA social statement requires a two-thirds majority at a Churchwide Assembly. It is unknown what type of majority vote will be required at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly for any changes to ELCA policy that would permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other rostered leaders in the ELCA. Given that this would be a significant change in teaching and practice that could divide the ELCA, an overwhelming majority vote should be required for the good of the ELCA.
The hearings are opportunities for members of ELCA congregations to share comments and concerns with members of the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality regarding the draft statement and regarding possible changes to ELCA policy to permit pastors and other rostered leaders to be in same-sex sexual relationships. The schedule of synod hearings is available online at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney/synods.
Send a response to the ELCA Task Force on Human Sexuality before November 1, 2008, sharing your perspective on the proposed social statement. Take part in your synod hearing on the draft social statement. Talk to your pastor, to other members of your congregation, and to members of other ELCA congregations about how to work together to help the ELCA remain faithful in its teaching and practice on sexuality. Volunteer to attend your synod assembly or the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. Contact members of your synod council and the ELCA Church Council to encourage them to help the ELCA to remain faithful in its teaching and practice regarding human sexuality. Contact Lutheran CORE to volunteer your support.