Posted By

Amber Leberman

Living into the Future Together, a task force decicated to "renewing the ecology of the ELCA" has issued a request for scenarios for the future of the ELCA.

The LIFT website reads: 

"The members of the LIFT Task Force are seeking insight and help from the members and friends of the ELCA. The LIFT Task Force is the group called together to help renew the ecology of the ELCA by offering ideas about ministry in the next 5 to 10 years. The task force has written a document that asks for scenarios of what could be or should be, based on experience and history, hopes and dreams."

The task force is requesting responses be completed by Sept. 10.

Learn more and respond at the LIFT website ...

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

Pictures of the devastation are distressing, but seeing earthquake-ravaged Haiti in person is far worse than what Rafael Malpica Padilla imagined.

"It is overwhelming," said Malpica Padilla, executive director for ELCA Global Mission, told the ELCA News Service Aug. 24. Describing piles of rubble where buildings once stood, and trash that continues to pile up, Malpica Padilla said cleaning up will be "a major affair." Finding permanent housing for more than 1 million people who are still displaced from their homes and living in make-shift camps after the January 12, 2010 earthquake is also "a massive undertaking," he said.

'What we need...is work' 

During an Aug. 22-25 trip to Haiti, Malpica Padilla and two other Global Mission colleagues (Louis Dorvilier, director for international development and disaster response, and Raquel E. Rodríguez, director for Latin America and Caribbean continental desk) are meeting with Haitians to hear their stories. One woman from Carrefour, Haiti, told Malpica Padilla that what "we need in this community is work, people who will trust us and give us a chance to rebuild our lives."

In Carrefour, the ELCA supports the work of the Lutheran Church in Haiti to provide shelter materials, distribute food and water, and address sanitation issues needed for daily living, safety and security,  Malpica Padilla said. He also said the ELCA is exploring opportunities to build "permanent houses in several communities in collaboration with The Lutheran World Federation and possibly with Church World Service."
The ELCA is a member of the LWF and participates in the work of CWS.

"When I met with members of the community, I told them that I would not take care of them, but seek to empower the community. We need to move beyond the 'assistance approach' in relief and development to empowering people, so they can do their work. (Residents) need to claim ownership. Then together we can transform communities," Malpica Padilla said. Relief and rebuilding efforts must be "complementary, focused and urgent," he added.

In an Aug. 23 meeting with Haiti's chief economic advisor to the prime minister, Malpica Padilla said ELCA  work in Haiti must complement that of others. "There are tasks that the (Haitian people) should do, what the church will do, and what the government has to do," he said. Together "we can develop an integrated process to accomplish goals."

"We do not want to be spread too thin by building here and there," Malpica Padilla said. "We need to focus our efforts ... We need to be urgent. Rebuilding should have happened yesterday, not for our sake but for the sake of people who remain displaced from their homes, who are without work and who have nothing."

Haitian people, a source of hope

At the heart of recovery and rebuilding is "internal solidarity," he said. "When the earthquake happened, people found themselves with dead loved ones and nowhere to go. Survivors turned to one another and offered help. What little they had, they shared and worked on together. We need to build on that, especially agencies and organizations coming from the outside. The resilience of the Haitian people gives me hope in the midst of many challenges."

ELCA members have contributed more than $12.2 million to support disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Click here to add your gift.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

In an August 24 e-mail to ELCA churchwide staff, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said wrote that that those drafting a churchwide restructuring proposal will present that proposal to the ELCA Church Council Oct. 8.

Planners, called the "churchwide organization design team," have made "steady progress" and "intentionally connected with our partners and governing bodies (Living into the Future Together [LIFT] Task Force, Conference of Bishops, ELCA Church Council's Executive and Planning and Evaluation committees)," Hanson wrote.

During an executive session (closed to media), the council "will be asked to affirm concepts as described in the proposal," including "personnel implications and potential amendments to the ELCA's governing documents," Hanson wrote.

"Notification of the changes in personnel, programs and operations will begin the week of October 11, 2010," Hanson wrote. "We anticipate that the Church Council will act on the final recommendations at its November 12-14, 2010 meeting."

Hanson asked for prayers for the design team and all of the churchwide organization.

Posted By

Julie B. Sevig

Edward C. “Fast Eddie” Soistman, 91, lay minister of St. John Lutheran Church, Winter Park, Fla., was killed in an early-morning automobile collision Monday after leaving his home to make a hospital visit.

Soistman was featured in the February issue of “The Lutheran” magazine: “Meet ‘Fast Eddie’: He’ll give you cookies, communion and a $2 bill.” Until last year, when Soistman’s official status became “retired,” he was the oldest active associate in ministry on ELCA records.
    
At age 55 Soistman retired from a 36-year career at Martin Marietta Corp. (now Lockheed Martin) to work at his church for no pay. Within 15 minutes of his Martin Marietta retirement lunch he was making the first of some 1,600 hospital calls he logged that first year of ministry.
    
Soistman left his home at 5:30 Monday morning for yet another hospital call to pray with a member awaiting surgery. After pulling out of his driveway and onto a nearby street, his car was struck by a sheriff’s deputy car.
    
In 2009 the Florida-Bahamas Synod and the community designated Feb. 22 “Eddie Soistman Day.” Walt Disney World presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award, calling him “a spiritual beacon to generations of Walt Disney World cast members and guests.” In more than 28 years, Soistman conducted 220 worship services at Disney.

Soistman was known for the $2 bills he gave away with John 3:16 written on them (in memory of his wife Dorothy “Dot”). Sometimes the bills were taped to a copy of Luther’s Small Catechism. He said his secret for a long, active life was massage, pedicure and an occasional beer: “It’s OK to have a good time... in moderation.”

In an envelope Soistman had left to be opened after his death were the instructions: "Celebrate and have a great time."

Posted By

John Brooks

ELCA Secretary David D. Swartling said in a report that data indicate a 2009 decline of 90,850 members and 48 congregations-slightly more than membership declines in the preceding two years.

Total receipts for ELCA congregations exceeded $2.6 billion in 2009, down 2.94 percent from 2008, according to the report. However, reported total assets of ELCA congregations actually grew in 2009 by 1.2 percent to $20.9 billion, the report said. Funds held in endowments and memorials also increased to almost $1.2 billion in 2009. Average giving per baptized member grew 2.8 percent in 2009 to $492, the ELCA secretary reported.

Swartling said that 2009 was a turbulent year nationally and internationally, and that "the ELCA certainly had its share of turmoil."

Despite the challenges, "ELCA members have continued to be remarkably steadfast in their giving, and many ELCA congregations remain surprisingly healthy from an economic perspective," Swartling said. "We must not forget that by the world's standards we remain a wealthy church that must continue to look for innovative ways to translate that wealth into effective ministry through this whole church to God's world."

The secretary's report said the average number of people in worship in ELCA congregations declined slightly from the previous year. A total of 1,289,967 people or 28.39 percent of baptized ELCA members attended weekly worship in 2009. That number was 1,330,709 (28.71 percent of baptized members) in 2008, the report said.

For the first time parochial reports asked congregations to provide information about the number of people participating in the congregation's ministry, not simply members, Swartling said. "Our hope is that we will be able to develop more meaningful data in the future based on participation," the ELCA secretary said. "It also will allow us to link congregations more effectively to take advantage of particular strengths in their ministries."

In this new category congregations reported 2,527,941 people participating in congregational activities. More than 35 percent of ELCA congregations reported African American/Black participation and 32 percent reported Latino participation.

The number of congregations reporting more than 5 percent multicultural membership has also risen, the report said. "Many ELCA congregations continue to be proactive in their efforts to be intentionally inclusive," Swartling added.

Click here to view a summary of annual membership data.

Posted By

John Brooks

Through the ELCA International Disaster Response, ELCA members committed $100,000 to help partners respond to widespread flooding in Pakistan.

Those partners— a U.S.-based ecumenical agency named Church World Service, will provide emergency assistance to some 70,000 people, food assistance to about 35,000 people, emergency shelter supplies for 17,500 people, and mobile health access for 17,500 people, said Megan Bradfield, associate director, International Disaster Response, ELCA Global Mission.

As many as 1,500 people have died in the Pakistan floods — caused by the seasonal monsoon — and at least 1.5 million people were displaced by severe flooding in provinces including Balochistan, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Kyber Paktunkwa and Sindh. The monsoon normally affects Pakistan between June and September. Pakistan's military deployed 30,000 troops, rescuing nearly 21,000 people. Rescue workers are struggling to save more than 27,000 people still trapped by water.

The most pressing humanitarian needs are food and safe drinking water, said a spokesperson for Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority. Survivors face serious challenges given the loss of housing, crops and livestock, Bradfield said. Additionally, more than 100 bridges were destroyed and more than 3,700 houses were swept away, Church World Service reported.

Bradfield said initial efforts by Church World Service include  providing food and shelter kits; conducting assessments in affected areas and identifying beneficiaries; and providing emergency health assistance through a mobile health unit.

Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for ELCA Global Mission, said that thanks to "the ELCA's commitment to strong ecumenical partnerships ... we are pre-positioned to respond with CWS to those affected in Pakistan." The ELCA's efforts with CWS are "an expression of the global ACT (Action by Churches Together) Alliance," he added.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

What is the future of inter-Lutheran cooperation between the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America? LCMS President-elect Matthew Harrison calls it "complex."

Harrison spoke to interviewer James Heine from the LCMS Reporter about topics from the LCMS restructuring and debtload to how Harrison will approach relations with the ELCA. Reporter is a monthly newspaper the LCMS mails to some 33,000 clergy and lay leaders. The interview was posted August 4.

When asked whether the Missouri Synod can work effectively with the ELCA in inter-Lutheran groups, Harrison called it "a hard issue," that does not have "an immediate one-size-fits-all answer."

"It will be difficult to move to resolution in any way, shape or form, because people are deeply invested, and it's complex," Harrison said. "On the positive side, I've served on the inter-Lutheran boards.I've spent more time with ELCA leadership and ELCA people than, I think, virtually anybody else in the Synod over the last 10 years. We know the agencies. LCMS World Relief has 120 Recognized Service Organizations, 100 of which are inter-Lutheran. We know the constitutional issues they face; we know the representation, Missouri/ELCA, on those organizations. ...

"It's going to be virtually impossible to do anything with Higgins Road [the ELCA's headquarters] - that is, direct joint administration of an AIDS task force or those kinds of issues. Higgins Road is deeply and ideologically committed to their stand on the issues that separate us, and unless the ELCA is willing and able to bring something new to the table, it's just going to be very difficult.

"On the other hand, a ministry such as [Lutheran World Relief] — where our friend John Nunes is doing his best to navigate some difficult waters and be faithful in an inter-Lutheran organization — I think our emphasis has to be on these independent Lutheran entities and how we relate to them."

Read the full interview here.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

After spending two hours of a two-and one-half hour conference call meeting in closed session Aug. 4, the ELCA Church Council voted in open session to cut the churchwide 2010 current fund spending authorization by 6 percent, from $69.3 to $65.1 million. ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-Skelton reported that, through the end of June, 2010 mission support was down $3.7 million (a 15.2 percent reduction) from the same period in 2009.

Spread across a variety of churchwide units, the $4.2 million cut affects some more deeply than others: Vocation and Education, down $592,000 (6.28 percent); Global Mission, down $448,000 (3.34 percent); Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission, down $400,000 (2.23 percent); Development Services, down $331,050 (22.06 percent); Church in Society, down $131,000 (4.72 percent); and Multicultural Ministries, down $94,870 (7.73 percent).

Wyvetta Bullock, executive for administration, told the council that churchwide was still trying to hold its commitment to new starts and missionaries. "We're not recalling any missionaries," Bullock said.

Bullock told The Lutheran that the $4.2 million cut includes: decreases in international scholarship grants; elimination of some unassigned new [mission] starts funding; reductions in grants to colleges and universities; small decreases in seminary and campus ministry grants; decreases in program activities; reductions in general office and administrative costs; and position vacancies.

In a separate action, in response to requests from nine synods, the council established an ad hoc committee to bring to the November 2010 council meeting a report and possible recommendations on ELCA Board of Pensions annuity funding, losses and "steps to mitigate adverse effects of the Fund reductions." 

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

A funeral service for Leegard is scheduled for 2 p.m. July 16 at Richwood Lutheran Church, Detroit Lakes. Leegard became a member of Richwood in 1944, after she wed Jerome Leegard there in 1942. She has served as president of the congregation and the Richwood Lutheran Parish Council.

"Through her writing, speaking and in conversations, Marj has consistently invited us to live in the wonder of God's grace," Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, wrote in a July 14 letter to Leegard's husband, family and friends.

"Marj has taught all of us about the beauty and challenges of life in rural America," Hanson wrote. "She has affirmed again and again how important rural ministries are in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America."

The Leegards lived on a farm outside of Detroit Lakes their entire married life.

Leegard wrote the book "Give Us This Day" and authored a column by the same title in Lutheran Woman Today from 1994 to 2009.

"We rejoice in Marj's many years of writing," said Kate Sprutta Elliott, editor, Lutheran Woman Today. "We are grateful for her life and witness, which has been an inspiration to many. Anyone who has met Marj would remember her good-heartedness and warmth. The readers of the magazine and Women of the ELCA staff will certainly miss her," Elliott said.

Sue Edison-Swift initiated Leegard's column in Lutheran Woman Today and served as managing editor of the magazine during most of Leegard's tenure there. Edison-Swift now serves as associate director for ELCA Global Mission Support.

"Marj was a theologians' theologian, a chaplain to synod bishops, and a liturgical storyteller. As someone who has walked in the valley of grief and pain, her extraordinary witness of faith and hope was especially powerful," Edison-Swift said. "I'm grieving her loss even as I know she'll be with me as part of the great cloud of witnesses."

In addition to her writing, Leegard led numerous Bible studies across the church and served on the board of regents at Concordia College, an ELCA institution in Moorhead, Minn.

In 1969 Leegard was elected American Lutheran Church Women (ALCW) synod president and became a member of the ALCW Board of Regents. The American Lutheran Church was an ELCA predecessor church body.

Leegard is survived by her husband, their son, Jerome "Jim" Jr., four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Preceding Marj in death is daughter Laurie, who died at age 27 of cancer.

In a May 1998 article titled "Groundedness," Marj Leegard wrote: "When we are planting vines and flowers (at Laurie's gravesite), I mumble, ‘Why are we doing this? She is not here. She is not here.' And then I know that God created her body and gave us the gift of a daughter for earth years and for eternity. There is thankfulness in the rush of color, the blooms of the flowering crab apple trees. We must have a place of remembrance, and in the old cemetery we find one place."

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

Three members of Fellowship Lutheran Church, Tulsa, Okla., died in a plane crash July 11 near Gundy's Airport in Owasso, Okla.

Lonnie Hardin, 55, Joseph Provenzano, 53, and Richard Shimer, 64, suffered injuries and died when their single-engine plane crashed about 100 yards from the runway, according to news reports.

"Rick, Lonnie and Joe will be greatly missed by their spouses and families and by Fellowship Lutheran Church. I give thanks that in Baptism they were marked with the cross of Christ forever. My prayers and the prayers of the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod will continue to be with their spouses and families and with Fellowship Lutheran Church," said Floyd M. Schoenhals, bishop, ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, Tulsa.

"These deaths are such a loss to so many," wrote Jinni Young in a letter to members of Fellowship. Young is president of the congregation council.

"Joe, Lonnie and Rick each had many friends in our church family and also shared their talents and gifts (with) those less fortunate through involvements with various mission projects in the community and abroad. They each made a difference in the lives of so many and will be sorely missed," Young wrote.

Hardin and Shimer were involved with Oaks Indian Mission, an ELCA social ministry organization based in Oaks, Okla. Shimer served as treasurer of the mission for more than 10 years. Hardin, an attorney, offered legal expertise for the mission. His wife, Donna Hardin, is a member of the mission's board of directors.

"This is a huge loss for us," said Don E. Marshall, an ELCA pastor who is development associate for the mission. Oaks Indian Mission is a unique, unprecedented ministry that represents relationships between church and tribe, Marshall said. "It exists in the heart of the Cherokee Nation. We also work with other tribes, who place their children in our care. More than 90 percent of our budget comes from Lutheran congregations and individuals. The important work (Hardin and Shimer) contributed made our ministry stronger."

Funeral arrangements for Hardin, Provenzano and Shimer are pending.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

Dana College, one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities, will shut down and not reopen for the 2010-2011 academic year, Dana’s Board of Regents announced June 30.

The 126-year-old, financially-struggling college was to have been sold this summer to Dana Education Corporation, a for-profit organization based in Nebraska. It would have ceased to be an ELCA college, much like Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa, which was sold last year to a for-profit university.

Commission refused transfer

Dana’s sale fell through when the college’s accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, refused a change of control that would have transferred  accreditation to the new buyers. Without accreditation, Dana students would have been unable to access federal financial aid and other help.

A Dana College news release called the commission’s decision “inaccurate, unfair and based on speculation and information not included in the required change of control request.” According to The Lincoln Journal Star, the commission believed that the new buyers lacked higher education experience; that there would not be sufficient continuity of Dana’s mission and programs and that the buyers’ promise of $4.5 to $5.5 million would fund the school’s operational losses, but not its infrastructure.

According to insidehighered.com, the commission “insisted on a series of stipulations to approve the continued accreditation of Iowa’s Waldorf College —stipulations that will effectively keep the near-term focus of the college on its residential, liberal arts mission.”

The commission’s decisions related to Waldorf and Dana were “based on a new set of policies ... that require that the mission remain similar after a purchase if the new owner wants the accreditation to carry over,”  reported insidehighered.com. Commission president Sylvia Manning told  insidehighered.com the policy became more detailed last year due to increasing purchases of nonprofit institutions by for-profit investors.

Helping to situate students & some staff

Dana College board chair Dennis Gethmann said the board was “devastated,” but that Dana is committed to providing assistance for more than 500 students, as well as faculty and staff. Dana has made agreements for students to continue their studies at Grand View University, an ELCA institution in Des Moines, Iowa and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Without a doubt, this decision by the HLC causes a major disruption in the lives of hundreds of Dana students, faculty and staff,” said Grand View University President Kent L. Henning. “To receive word, unexpectedly, in the middle of the summer that their institution is closing is a very stressful and unsettling situation. [We are responding] quickly with care, concern and flexibility to help these students progress toward their educational goals with the least possible disruption. ...Where possible, if we can assist faculty and/or staff colleagues with the impending transition in their careers, we will do so judiciously and appropriately.”

According to Benjamin Sasse, president at Midland Lutheran College, an ELCA institution in Fremont, Neb., Midland also plans to open its doors to students as well as some faculty and staff.

"This is a sad outcome for Dana," Sasse said in a statement on Midland's web site. "Because of our proximity and church affiliation, we have long shared some programs. As their closure has been a potential outcome for months, Midland built a plan for all Dana students and some faculty and staff. ...Our heart goes out to their community, and we stand ready to help."

So far that help will include allowing students to transfer all of their credits, retain their financial aid package and even, in some cases, keep their roommate assignments, said Jon Fredericks, Midland Lutheran College director of communications.  “Transfer students get free room and board,” he said, adding that Midland is trying to work out the legalities of offering this to Dana students as well. 

"It’s a wise investment for us,” Fredericks said. “We have a lot of great community support ... We have room in our classrooms and in our residence halls. We have the ability to serve more students than we currently enroll.”  

Calling the news of the closing “painful,” Stanley N. Olson, executive director for ELCA Vocation and Education, said: “We, here, grieve with many around the globe, and we express our deepest concern for those most immediately affected by the closing: students, faculty, staff, administration and the Blair community."

Dana's history of service to the world and church "will remain and will continue to have an impact," Olson said. "The ELCA is deeply grateful to President Janet Philipp and other present and past leaders and supporters of the college. President Philipp, Dana’s board and many others worked hard and creatively to find a way for the college’s educational mission to continue.”

“These are extraordinarily difficult times for small colleges,” Olson said.   

Posted By

John Brooks

The ELCA churchwide organization filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Minnesota June 28, seeking dismissal of all claims against it in a lawsuit filed following termination of a defined benefit compensation retirement plan by Augsburg Fortress Publishers (AFP).

On April 21 former employees of the Minneapolis-based publisher who were covered by the terminated pension plan filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota. Named as defendants were Augsburg Fortress; its president and chief executive officer, chief financial officer and vice president of human resources and organizational development; the ELCA; and current and former members of the publisher's board of trustees. About 500 people were affected by the termination of the plan.

The lawsuit seeks to recover losses allegedly suffered by the plaintiffs because of what they claim were "breaches of duty" with regard to the termination of the defined benefit pension plan. The suit also asks the federal district court to declare that the terminated pension plan is not a church plan, but a defined benefit plan regulated by the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Augsburg Fortress, a separately incorporated entity apart from the ELCA churchwide organization, maintained and continues to maintain its own retirement benefits for its staff. At the time the lawsuit was filed, the ELCA churchwide organization asserted that "it had no role in the creation, management, funding or termination of the Augsburg Fortress pension plan." It also denied all legal claims made against it by the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs assert that the ELCA is liable for the Augsburg Plan's losses under ERISA or, alternatively, state law, states the ELCA's dismissal motion. The ELCA churchwide organization denied this. The ELCA churchwide organization noted that it is named in three counts regarding ERISA. One count seeks a declaration that the terminated pension plan is an ERISA Plan (Count I); another claims the ELCA had a duty to monitor the plan under ERISA rules (Count V); a third claims the ELCA had a co-fiduciary duty under ERISA (Count VI).

"All ERISA counts must be dismissed because the Plan is a 'church plan,' not an ERISA plan," the ELCA  motion stated. "Even if the Plan is deemed an ERISA plan, Plaintiffs' allegations that the ELCA is an appointing fiduciary fail to state a claim as a matter of law, requiring dismissal of Counts V and VI as to the ELCA."

Augsburg Fortress Publishers similarly filed a motion on Monday seeking to dismiss the counts based on ERISA but did not address other claims in the lawsuit.

The ELCA churchwide organization motion also said the plaintiffs claim that Augsburg Fortress is an "alter ego of ELCA" which should render the ELCA liable for breach of contract (Count X), or for failure to keep the promises made to the publisher's employees concerning their pension (Count XI) or under the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act (Count XII).

"The allegations that AFP is an alter ego of the ELCA are neither legally sufficient nor plausible. The Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act allegations also fail to state a claim under the terms of the statute," the ELCA's motion stated. "Accordingly, the ELCA requests dismissal of all claims asserted against it."

In 2005 Augsburg Fortress' board of trustees froze the organization's defined benefit plan, and began offering a 403b defined contribution plan to employees. The costly defined benefit plan "has been underfunded for about nine years," Beth A. Lewis, Augsburg Fortress president and chief executive officer, said at the time the defined benefit plan was terminated on Dec. 31, 2009.

Lewis said when that plan was terminated most participants in the defined benefit plan would receive a lump sum payment. The trustees provided for a "more equitable allocation of plan assets among plan participants," she wrote in a letter to plan participants. Without the amendment, more than half of the plan participants would have received nothing at all, Lewis wrote.

"If we had done nothing, the plan would have run out of money in approximately five years and left about 60 percent of those in the plan with no retirement benefits," Lewis said. "We didn't think that was equitable or fair."
Distributions were made to plan participants in March, Lewis said. Lewis denied all claims of wrongdoing against Augsburg Fortress in the lawsuit.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

Stephen G. Marsh resigned as bishop of the ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod effective June 28.

In a June 25 letter to the synod, Marsh shared that he is “dealing with a number of emotional health issues which include addiction issues, and must now enter an inpatient setting [for] the space and safety to heal.” Marsh said he was “deeply sorry” his situation had led to “another period of trauma, anxiety and concern” for the synod.

“I will continue to pray for the forward and missional movement of the Southeast Michigan Synod, and I ask that you continue to pray for me in my healing and my future ministry,” Marsh wrote.

Marsh, 55, was elected bishop in 2009, succeeding John H.K. Schreiber, who died in August 2008. Kenneth R. Olsen, former bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, served as interim bishop before Marsh’s election.

Olsen “has expressed willingness to serve again in that capacity,” ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson and Synod Vice President Will Scott wrote in a June 25 letter to the synod. Hanson and Scott said that Marsh had also sought treatment for addiction issues in 2009. The two thanked Marsh for his service and asked for “individual and collective prayers for his full recovery.”

From 2007-2008, Marsh served as a columnist for The Lutheran.

Posted By

John Brooks

Lutheran Disaster Response will provide a $5,000 emergency grant to the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for initial response to tornadoes that struck in three counties near Toledo June 5-6.

Lutheran Disaster Response is a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported seven confirmed fatalities, with two serious injuries, said Michael Nevergall, assistant director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response. FEMA also reported 300 homes and commercial buildings suffered minor or major damage in the storms, he said.

Nevergall said Calvary Lutheran Church, Northwood, Ohio, will serve as a collection point for bottled water, light food items and a central location for volunteers working in the area. Calvary is the closest ELCA congregation to the disaster area, he said, which includes Wood, Fulton and Ottawa counties.

Mary Woodward, LDR's local coordinator, said two powerful tornadoes struck communities around Toledo, she said. One tornado had winds of up to 175 miles per hour, the Associated Press reported. Woodward is with Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, Columbus, and is president of Ohio Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

"Since Sunday evening we've been able to provide spiritual and emotional care for families in Lake Township," she said. In addition, she said Ronald M. Matthews, Friendship Lutheran Church, Amelia, Ohio, provided spiritual and emotional care training for pastors and trained volunteers working with people in the area affected by the storms.

LDR is organizing a community prayer service June 9 at Calvary Lutheran Church , and is assisting in organizing a community-wide prayer service at Lake High School, Millbury, Ohio, Woodward said.

"We're providing trained volunteers to help with debris removal and to help with preliminary efforts to assist families without insurance to rebuild," she said.

To give: Financial gifts may be sent via the Lutheran Disaster Response website.

Posted By

John Brooks

The bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Jon V. Anderson, said he is "concerned" about the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, Minn., following the congregation's "very close second vote" May 23 to end its affiliation with the ELCA.

Anderson made the comment in a June 3 e-mail message to the synod. Christ the King Lutheran Church has about 2,500 baptized members. The congregation was told after votes were counted that 232 votes of 348 ballots cast — exactly two-thirds as required by the congregation's constitution — favored the resolution to terminate affiliation with the ELCA, Anderson said in his message.

Two days after the vote, "it was revealed to me that there was an additional ballot that had not been reported in Sunday's (May 23) results," Anderson wrote. "How this single ballot is counted could change the outcome of Sunday's decision to disaffiliate. The congregation's leadership is working to resolve this matter."

According to a statement posted on Christ the King's Web site, the congregation council reported that one person marked a ballot "but neither on the YES or NO line provided on the ballot."

"Since it wasn't clear to the counters, it was decided that this ballot should not be counted in any way, leaving a total of 348 votes," the statement said.

The ELCA Model Constitution for Congregations and the congregation's own constitution require that "a two-thirds majority of the voting members present" must be achieved on a vote to terminate affiliation. Congregations are required to take two such votes, and there must be a 90-day consultation period with the synod bishop between votes.

On May 26 the congregation council reviewed all ballots, including the ballot in question. It declared the intent of the voter who submitted the questionable ballot to be a "yes," the council statement said. The council vote was 10 in favor with three abstentions, Jon Lindekugel, pastor of Christ the King, told the ELCA News Service.

The congregation council ruled that 349 voting members were present, and that 233 members voted yes, 112 voted no and 4 abstained, a 66.76 percent majority. Had the vote failed to achieve two-thirds, the process to leave the ELCA would have ended and would have to be restarted, if members still wanted to leave.

The congregation president and pastors presented a certified copy of the resolution and voting results on May 27 to Anderson. Anderson said he and a synod staff member met May 27 with Lindekugel and the congregation's president, Peter Royer.

Anderson wrote that he did not take a position on the ballot in question but did receive a copy of the resolution and the council's ruling.

"That does not mean I endorse their decision concerning this ballot," Anderson wrote. "As I understand our polity and policy in this situation, my opinion about the ballot and the process is not determinative. This matter will need to be resolved within the congregation in accordance with their constitution," Anderson's statement said.

Anderson also offered to "assist as requested and to support all of the members of the congregation as I am able."

Lindekugel explained that over a period of many years, members of Christ the King felt "a distance between themselves and the leadership of the ELCA," and that actions of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in recent years had "widened the gap."

The human sexuality actions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly were the last straw, Lindekugel explained. The resolution the congregation voted on May 23 included a number of concerns about the ELCA, not just human sexuality, he said.

Lindekugel said only one person has raised questions about the outcome of the second vote, since news of the questionable ballot became known. He said he is not certain how many people are needed to challenge such a vote formally and if so, how long the congregation must wait for such a challenge.

"Bishop Jon (Anderson) has been really helpful to try to look for alternative ways this could be solved," Lindekugel said. He also said if the process must be restarted the congregation will do it.

Lindekugel said the council did not make its decision to avoid restarting the process to leave. "The council acted, I think, in good faith and assuming some responsibility as elected leaders, they made the decision that the intent of the vote was yes," he said. The council will meet next week and consider what, if anything, it needs to do, he added.

Read the Christ the King Lutheran Church congregation council statement at the congregation's website. 

Posted By

John Brooks

Expressing regret for the deaths and injuries that resulted when Israeli military forces intercepted a ship convoy seeking to deliver humanitarian goods to Gaza, Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, called for "a full, international and independent investigation into the matter," in a June 1 public statement.

At least 10 people died after the ships were intercepted in international waters May 31. The ships were carrying humanitarian goods to Gaza from Cyprus. The mission was also intended to draw attention to the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and a number of activists were said to be on the ships. Video images showed Israeli soldiers rappelling from helicopters onto the ships, and showed the soldiers and passengers fighting.

Israel has restricted the flow of goods in and out of Gaza since Hamas gained control in 2007, primarily to control the smuggling of weapons. It said it had warned for days that it would not allow the ships to reach Gaza. Israel also said its troops opened fire in self-defense.

The United Nations Security Council expressed regret at the loss of life and injuries resulting from the Israeli military operation. It also "condemned those acts which had killed at least 10 civilians and wounded many more," according to a Security Council statement.

Speaking on behalf of the ELCA and the Lutheran World Federation, which he serves as president, Hanson expressed "my deep sadness" regarding the operation. He noted the ELCA and the LWF are engaged in the Middle East and are committed to Lutheran Christians and all people living in the region.

"We deeply regret the deaths and injuries that resulted when Israeli forces intercepted the boats," Hanson wrote. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of those killed or otherwise harmed during this incident. We note that this tragic incident occurred on the first day of the World Council of Churches' World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel."

The incident raises many questions that must be answered, Hanson said in his statement. "We therefore call for a full, international and independent investigation into this matter," the presiding bishop's statement said.

"While we condemn all violence in the resolution of political disputes, this incident raises a number of questions related to the just use of force. It is not clear that, in this incident, all alternatives were explored prior to the use of military force. One tenet of the just use of force is proportionality, a principle I raised during my meeting with the chief rabbis of the State of Israel during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli incursion into Gaza which lasted from December 2008 to January 2009. This incident provides an example of how proportionality is an ongoing concern related to Israeli military action against civilians, both Palestinians and internationals," Hanson wrote.

Hanson's statement said the attempt to deliver humanitarian materials to Gaza via the ship convoy calls attention to the ongoing blockade of Gaza and the consequences for the 1.5 million people living there. The presiding bishop said Israel's blockade "must be fully lifted, in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1860."

Though some aid does get to the people of Gaza, Hanson wrote that the economy, particularly the agricultural and fishing sectors, has been devastated. Basic goods such as seeds and seedlings, plastic piping, irrigation supplies, fishing nets, engine spare parts, veterinary drugs and cement are restricted, he wrote.

Hanson also wrote that the World Health Organization has documented the serious deterioration in Gaza's health system.

"This tragic event demonstrates the urgency of achieving a just peace. One role of religious leaders, including the churches, is to strengthen those voices working for peace, rather than yielding to the clamor of extremism, as we seek a just peace beneficial for all persons in the region," Hanson wrote.

"We urge that this incident not interrupt the proximity talks now being conducted through the Obama administration. Instead, we expect that this incident will intensify on all sides the commitment to serious negotiations that will lead to a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the ELCA presiding bishop's statement concluded.

In addition, Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran theologian and general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Geneva, called the events that occurred May 31 "deplorable."

"We condemn the assault and killing of innocent people who were attempting to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, who have been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007. We further condemn the flagrant violation of international law by Israel in attacking and boarding a humanitarian convoy in international waters. We pray for all those who are affected by the attack, especially the bereaved families," Tveit's statement said.

Statements:

Read Mark S. Hanson's statement at the ELCA website.

Read Olav Fykse Tveit's statement at the World Council of Churches website.

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

Two dismissed pastors have been welcomed back to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The candidacy committee of the Sierra Pacific Synod, Oakland, Calif., met May 24 and unanimously approved the reinstatement of the pastors to the ELCA clergy roster, and it also approved for reception six pastors from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM).

Dismissed pastors reinstated

According to the synod, a formal Rite of Reception for the pastors will be offered this summer.

Ross D. Merkel, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Oakland, and Steven P. Sabin, Christ Church Lutheran, San Francisco, have been approved for reinstatement.

In 1998 Sabin was removed from the ELCA clergy roster for being in a committed, same-sex relationship while serving as pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Ames, Iowa. His removal by an ELCA discipline committee drew national attention.

"I am relieved and happy that a long and painful episode in my relationship with my church family is ending. I look forward with hope to the restored partnership and opportunities for service that the actions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly and the Sierra Pacific Candidacy Committee have made possible," said Sabin.

"For two decades, many have been grieved and alienated by the ELCA's exclusion of gay and lesbian pastors blessed with loving spouses. I hope and pray that they can, like me, lay aside the hurts and take hope from the gracious power of God to renew and direct the church into evermore faithful and effective proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new period of evangelical outreach for the ELCA aided by our new witness to the forgiveness and grace of God truly being for all people," said Sabin. "Like the psalmist, I can only observe with awe and gratitude: 'This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"

ELM pastors approved for reception

ELM pastors approved for reception to the ELCA clergy roster are:

• Jeff R. Johnson, pastor, University Lutheran Chapel of Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.

• Craig Minich, pastor of youth ministries, Oakland-Berkeley Lutheran Youth Program

• Dawn Roginski, pastor of parish programs, St. Francis Lutheran Church, San Francisco

• Megan Rohrer, executive director, WELCOME, San Francisco

• Paul R. Brenner, St. Francis Lutheran Church, San Francisco

• Sharon Stalkfleet, Lutheran Ministry to Nursing Homes, Oakland.

ELM is an organization that credentials qualified candidates of "all sexual orientations and gender identities" for ordained ministry.

"Twenty years ago when I was ordained, we could dimly imagine that Lutherans would one day fully recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," said Johnson in a May 24 ELM news release. "I'm very thankful for all who have helped to carry this struggle forward and for our church which has finally opened up to the new and exciting future God has in store for us," he said.

"I was very pleased by how the candidacy committee came together," said Mark W. Holmerud, bishop, Sierra Pacific Synod. "This was a special meeting of the committee. We in the synod felt it was important to move forward with this process in a timely manner, so the committee agreed to this special meeting," he told the ELCA News Service.

"I am deeply grateful to the ELM pastors, and the two pastors who were removed from the ELCA roster, for their grace and good will in being a part of this process; to the members of the (Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary) faculty who made arrangements to be at this meeting, and to the candidacy committee for their faithful deliberations which have made it possible for these pastors to be brought onto the roster of the ELCA," said Holmerud.

"One of the things that was lived out yesterday was the sense that we were not examining the candidates but rather hearing stories of ministries from pastors who were already actively carrying out the gospel mission. That set the tenor of the meeting," said Nancy Feniuk Nelson, bishop's associate, Sierra Pacific Synod.

"This was by no means an examination. It was a sharing about ministry and a celebration of ministry. We had a worship service that included the former ELM candidacy committee, the present ELCA candidacy committee, the ELM pastors and faculty from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, including the seminary president, the Rev. Phyllis B. Anderson. It was a very moving worship. Bishop Mark and I did the first interviews of all the candidates, and I became profoundly aware of how grateful I am to be a part of this process in this time of the church," Nelson told the ELCA News Service.

Pacific Lutheran Seminary is one of eight ELCA seminaries.

Earlier this month at the synod assembly Holmerud lifted a public censure and admonition placed on University Lutheran Chapel of Berkeley in 2000 for calling Jeff R. Johnson, who was not a member of the ELCA clergy roster. Johnson was also elected at the assembly to the serve on the Sierra Pacific Synod Council.

In a May 6 letter to the congregation, Holmerud said by "lifting this censure, the members of the congregation of University Lutheran are hereby welcome into full participation in the mission and ministry of the Sierra Pacific Synod" and the ELCA.

Holmerud wrote that the actions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly "have brought us to a new day."

The 2009 assembly called for revisions to ministry policy documents, making it possible for Lutherans in committed, publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders. The ELCA Church Council adopted the revisions to ministry policy documents April 10.

"This is another important day for so many in the church," said Amalia Vagts, ELM executive director. "It is wonderful to have leaders like Bishop Mark Holmerud and Bishop's Associate Nancy Feniuk Nelson and the members of the Sierra Pacific candidacy committee demonstrating holy hospitality to all," she said.

"These gifts acknowledge our oneness in Christ and the ministry that is ours," said Karen DeWerth-Wamester, an ELCA pastor serving at First UCC.

Faced with a dwindling membership, the congregation, founded in 1894 by Hungarian immigrants, sold its building in 2006 to a Seventh Day Adventist Church, with the agreement that the UCC congregation could worship there, rent-free, for another 20 years. Funds from the sale have allowed the congregation to give and minister in new ways. 

"We're in a unique position [to give]," Chief Elder Nancy Szwejkowski said in a UCC Connecticut Conference news release. "My theory is that it doesn't do any good sitting in the bank."

"What a wonderful witness to the full communion agreement for the First United Church of Christ to give a generous gift to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia," said LTSP President Philip D. Krey. "Our traditions have grown together, our students study together, our pastors like Pastor DeWerth-Wamester serve one another's congregations, and now we support one another in the preparation of leaders. Scores of thankful students and faculty will remember this Bridgeport congregation."

The congregation's gift will also be counted toward the ELCA New England Synod's goal of raising $1.5 million for the seminary, and the seminary, in turn, will name a seminar room in its Brossman Center in honor of First UCC.

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

Bradley E. Schmeling and Darin Easler are in the process of being reinstated to the ELCA clergy roster. Revisions made to ministry policy documents now allow Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders.

"It feels like being back with the family again after a time of uncomfortable separation," said Schmeling, who serves as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Atlanta. "On another level, the reinstatement feels like the stone has been rolled away from the grave. It's wonderful to me that the news comes with the celebration of Easter," he said.

The candidacy committee of the ELCA Southeastern Synod met April 24-25 and approved Schmeling's request for reinstatement, effective "once the paperwork has been filed," said Schmeling.

In 2007 Schmeling was removed from the ELCA clergy roster for being in a committed, same-gender relationship with Easler while serving as pastor of St. John. A disciplinary committee ruled that Schmeling violated an ELCA policy regarding the sexual conduct of pastors.

The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for revisions to ministry policy documents, making it possible for Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders. Upon their April 10 adoption by the ELCA Church Counciil, those revisions became official.

"For so long people's dreams about serving the church has led to a dead end," said Schmeling. "Now with a change in policy, there are so many that can imagine a future with the church. The Holy Spirit is alive in the church in a profound and new way."

"I am aware that this moment is about so much more than ourselves... (it is) a moment for the church to be a beacon of hope and bear witness to the widening embrace of love and welcome to all people in the life and the ministries of the church," Easler said.

The ELCA Southeastern Minnesota Synod candidacy committee approved Easler's request for reinstatement April 30. Easler left his call at United Redeemer Lutheran Church, Zumbrota, Minn., in 2003, and in 2006, was removed from the ELCA clergy roster for being without a call for three years. He transferred to the United Church of Christ, working in hospice care as a bereavement coordinator. The ELCA and UCC are full communion partners.

Easler "served in our synod, and he served well," said Harold L. Usgaard, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Minnesota Synod. "I worked with (Easler) when he 'came out' to his congregation," said Usgaard. "The church hall was packed, and he received a standing ovation. There was lots of support for his ministry. But even at the time, (Easler) shared that it had been a lonely life."

Usgaard said some members of the congregation had asked, given the ELCA's policies at the time, what would happen if Easler "finds someone. I told them then I would have to come back and explain that he would no longer be their pastor."

Although the congregation spoke highly of Easler's ministry, Usgaard said some members expressed fear but "had great respect for his ministry. There were only a few people who wanted to talk to me afterwards, but the support for Easler was overwhelming," said Usgaard. When Easler left the congregation he was not disciplined, said Usgaard.

Easler plans to transfer to the ELCA Southeastern Synod, and said he will continue his work in hospice care "with openness to whatever door God opens for me."

H. Julian Gordy, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod, called Schmeling's reinstatement "very good news" for the members of St. John, who "have been enthusiastically and unanimously supporting him through all of this." Gordy added, "When (Schmeling) was removed from the clergy roster the congregation did not want to lose him as a pastor, which put them in violation of ELCA guidelines."

Gordy said because of the decisions of the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly -- which asked synod bishops to exercise restraint in disciplining — he met with the congregation's council to talk about the situation.
They "were clear about their desire to have (Schmeling) serve, and he's done that. Now that he will be back on the roster, there will be great rejoicing," Gordy said. Schmeling's reinstatement "is also good news for many others in our synod, although not for everyone."

"Bradley has been a very fine parish pastor, and the congregation has done well under his leadership," said Gordy. "There are people in our church that believe that pastors in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships should not serve as pastors in this church. But the assembly said that while we were not in agreement on this, congregations could call persons in such relationship to serve as pastors, and St. John has chosen to do this," he said.

The 2009 assembly also directed that revised policies recognize the convictions of those who believe the ELCA should not allow such service.

"I believe that we will learn to live in this new reality. I hope that people who don't personally support this change in ministry policy will be able to celebrate with St. John the restoration of their pastor to the roster," said Gordy.

"From the time I came out in the church in 1992, I never believed that I would retire as pastor in the ELCA," Schmeling said. "But with the policy change, for the first time ever I can imagine a full career of ministry in the church."

Posted By

John Brooks

The churchwide organization of ELCA said April 23 that it is "deeply concerned" for the well-being of participants affected by the termination of a defined benefit compensation retirement plan of Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis.

On April 21 former employees of the publisher who were covered by the terminated pension plan filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota. The churchwide organization's statement, issued to the ELCA News Service, said, "The entire ELCA, including the leadership of the churchwide organization, understands the far-reaching implications of this matter, and is deeply concerned for the well-being of the plan participants and continues to hold them in prayer."

"In the midst of this complex, difficult and painful situation we are also mindful of the need to respect both the obligations and the limitations in the legal agreements so that we can be responsible to all of our commitments and relationships as an interdependent church," the statement said.

Augsburg Fortress is separately incorporated entity apart from the ELCA churchwide organization. The publisher has maintained and continues to maintain its own retirement benefits for its staff. The ELCA churchwide organization had no role in the creation, management, funding or termination of the Augsburg Fortress pension plan, according to an April 22 report in the Wall Street Journal.

Plantiffs in the lawsuit are Judith Thorkelson, Karen Walhof, Gayle Aldrich and Jean K. Stanley, all participants in the terminated plan. The suit also included "all others similarly situated" as plaintiffs. Approximately 500 people were affected by the termination of the pension plan.

Named as defendants were Augsburg Fortress; Beth Lewis, president and chief executive officer; John Rahja, chief financial officer; and Sandra Middendorf, vice president of human resources and organizational development; the ELCA; and current and former members of the publisher's board of trustees.

The class action lawsuit seeks to recover losses allegedly suffered by the plantiffs because of what they claim are "breaches of duty" with regard to the termination of the defined benefit pension plan, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also asks the federal district court to declare that the terminated pension plan is not a church plan, but a defined benefit plan regulated by the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

"We deeply regret any hardship that the termination of our defined benefit retirement plan has caused, but the complaint brought against Augsburg Fortress and other defendants in this matter is wholly without merit," said Lewis, in a statement in response to the suit. "We deny all claims of wrongdoing alleged in the complaint and will seek its dismissal."

"The complaint filed against Augsburg Fortress misrepresents the care with which the plan was administered and the communications that occurred with plan participants," Lewis added.

ELCA Secretary David D. Swartling denied all legal claims made by the plaintiffs against the ELCA.

In 2005 the Augsburg Fortress board of trustees took action to freeze the defined benefit plan, and began offering a 403b defined contribution plan to its employees. The costly defined benefit plan "has been underfunded for about nine years," Lewis said at the time the defined benefit plan was terminated on Dec. 31, 2009.

When that plan was terminated, Lewis said most participants in the defined benefit plan would receive a lump sum payment. Lewis said the trustees provided for a "more equitable allocation of plan assets among plan participants," she wrote in a letter to plan participants. Without the amendment, more than half of the plan participants would have received nothing at all, Lewis wrote.

"We wanted to make certain that we had the most equitable distribution of assets possible," she told the ELCA News Service. "If we had done nothing, the plan would have run out of money in approximately five years and left about 60 percent of those in the plan with no retirement benefits. We didn't think that was equitable or fair."
Distributions were made to plan participants in March, Lewis said.

Posted By

Elizabeth Hunter

The April 22 Wall Street Journal reports that Augsburg Fortress retirees and employees are suing the ELCA's publishing ministry over pension woes.

The complainants allege that Augsburg Fortress "allowed their pension plan to fail, and used its connection to the Lutheran church as a legal shield to avoid paying them all their pensions," writes Ellen E. Schultz for the WSJ.

"Church plans ... don't have to tell employees how healthy their pension plans are, so bad news can come as a shock," Schultz wrote. "That happened to Augsburg Fortress employees in January. The company sent letters to the 500 employees, former employees and retirees explaining that most would receive only a portion of their pensions, paid out in a check in March."

Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article.

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

Meeting April 9-12 in Chicago, the ELCA Church Council authorized a rite designed to receive pastors from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) onto the ELCA's roster of ordained ministers. (ELM is an organization that credentials qualified candidates of all sexual orientations and gender identities for ordained ministry.) 

The rite can be used by synod bishops in the next two years as a means of reception that embraces the ELCA's desire for reconciliation with ELM pastors who serve ELCA congregations and who wish to be recognized fully as ordained ministers. The rite also seeks to respect the ELCA's "ecumenical commitment to the ongoing reconciliation of ministry in the Church catholic," according to the council's background materials.

The rite is intended to receive 17 ELM pastors who: were not previously rostered clergy in the ELCA or a predecessor church body; have been approved by a synod candidacy committee; and have received a call in the church. The rite was recommended to the council by the ELCA Conference of Bishops. The council emphasized that "no other use of the rite is authorized."

Robert G. Schaefer, executive, ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources, said that "Reception to the Roster of Ordained Ministers with Prayer and the Laying on of Hands" is intended "to be a rite that brings liturgical expression to the deep desire … for reconciliation both in this church and within the Church catholic. It intends to recognize what the ELCA has not yet recognized. At the same time (the rite) is intended to be recognizable by world Lutheran ecumenical partners, echoing patterns that are important for ordination."

Michael J. Schmidt, a council member from Sioux City, Iowa, said some pastors in his area asked if "there was something of a 'mea culpa' from the church" for those who have been "denied for a number of reasons for a number of years." Schmidt asked if there could be a rubric added to the rite to reflect an apology.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson said in response that it would be difficult to ask a synod bishop "to apologize for actions of the church." He added: "It would be very difficult to insert, especially liturgically, a rite of apology. I trust that those acts of reconciliation occur in the pastoral relationship, in the candidacy process and in the conversations that occur."

Council members also approved amendments to the ELCA Board of Pensions' medical and dental, retirement, survivor and disability benefits plans, and flexible spending plan. The amendments allow plan members to enroll eligible same-gender partners in the benefit plans effective May 1. The changes were mandated by the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly's adoption of a social statement on human sexuality, and an implementing resolution (#7) that called for "the ELCA to amend the eligibility provisions of the ELCA Pension and Other Benefits Program, consistent with the policies of this church."

Bound-conscience report 

The council received a separate report from a working group convened by the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop. The group was assigned to respond to "Motion F" — an action proposed to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly that requests a study on the concept of bound conscience, particularly with regard to same-gender relationships.

The council acknowledged the objectives of the working group's recommendations, which include a commitment to theological conversation about the foundation of the ELCA's decision-making. ELCA members will be invited to participate in these conversations, with the results to be disseminated widely. The working group recommended "respect for people whose consciences are bound to different understandings of Scripture" and an "invitation to helpful and constructive engagement with the issue of respect for people whose consciences are bound to different understandings of Scripture."  The council action anticipates "deeper and broader" attention to matters of bound conscience through conversation among key leadership groups, publications, a bibliography and/or resource listing on the ELCA Web site, and encouragement for constructive dialogue in various settings.

John Brooks also contributed to this story. 

Posted By

Melissa Ramirez Cooper

At its April 9-12, 2010 meeting in Chicago, the ELCA Church Council took action on a wills campaign, a genetics social statement and received reports on other matters.

Wills & genetics

The council anticipated the launch of "Kalos" — the ELCA Legacy Society — in 2010, and a wills and bequests campaign in 2011. Swartling proposed an amendment to encourage the council, Conference of Bishops, synodical officers and other ELCA leaders to become charter members of Kalos. 

The council also affirmed the timeline for a proposed ELCA Social Statement on Genetics, to be considered by the 2011 Churchwide Assembly. It asked the ELCA Church in Society unit "to convene conversations" related to the development of future social statements, and to bring a report and possible recommendations to the November 2010 council meeting.

Congregations leaving

David D. Swartling, ELCA secretary, reported that as of April 7, 308 congregations had taken first votes to leave the ELCA. Of those, 228 passed with the required two-thirds vote (among members present for the vote) and 87 failed. Of the 308, 90 congregations have taken a second vote and 89 of those passed. Swartling said that congregations won't be removed from the ELCA roster until their synods authorize removal.

2010 LWF Assembly report

Teresita C. Valeriano, director, Lutheran World Federation's (LWF) North American Desk, reported that ELCA members can participate in the 2010 LWF Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, by: praying, using the assembly's Bible study, preparing a dish from the LWF cookbook, "Food for Life," listening to the stories of Lutheran global companions and more.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson told the council that because of budget reductions the ELCA cannot continue to sustain the LWF's North American desk full-time after the LWF assembly. Hanson thanked Valeriano for her "compassionate advocacy."

In other action, the council:

• Approved a proposal that the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly be held in Pittsburgh, Pa.

• Re-elected Rebecca S. Larson to a third four-year term as executive director of the ELCA Church in Society unit.

• Elected Robert Hahn, Walkersville, Md., to fill an unexpired vacancy on the board of trustees of Augsburg Fortress, the ELCA publishing ministry.

• Elected John Bauder, Tampa, to the board of trustees of the Endowment Fund of the ELCA, and the advisory committee for Development Services and ELCA Foundation.

 John Brooks also contributed to this story. 

Posted By

John Brooks

Darlene E. Grega, an ELCA pastor serving at Valparaiso (Ind.) University was a "beloved member" of the Valparaiso family, said the university's president, Mark A. Heckler, in an April 7 message announcing her death.

The Porter (Ind.) County Coroner ruled Grega's death as a suicide, the Merrillville (Ind.) Post-Tribune reported April 9.

She was a first for chapel staff 

Grega, 55, joined the staff of the university's Chapel of the Resurrection in August 2008. She was the first ELCA pastor called to serve on the chapel staff of Valparaiso University , an independent Lutheran higher education institution. She served on a staff that included two Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastors, Joseph R. Cunningham and James A. Wetzstein.

"We mourn the loss of someone who cared deeply for the members of this community. Our sympathy and prayers are with Pastor Grega's son, Nathan, her extended family, and her many friends here at Valpo and beyond," Heckler wrote in his announcement to the university community.

University faculty, staff and students paid tribute to Grega at an April 7 evening prayer service, an April 8 morning prayer service, and will continue evening prayer services in Grega's memory through April 16, according to a Valparaiso spokesperson. A funeral or memorial service for Grega has not yet been announced.

"Pastor Grega has been a friend to many, and generously served our campus community since joining our chapel staff less than two years ago," Heckler wrote. "In particular she provided significant counsel and support to women on our campus and built relationships with our international students to help them feel welcomed here."

"We just lost a very fine colleague and are so saddened," Cunningham said in an interview with the ELCA News Service.

Grega presided at the April 4 Easter celebration at the chapel, a first for an ELCA pastor. "She had a great presence and was overjoyed. She did great, and we all commended her. That's why this is so shocking," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said Grega extended hospitality and care to many in the university community, including international students, women and Alliance, a community of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
"My last image of her is the joy of the post-Easter celebration, and seeing her smile," he said. "As a professional, my last memory of her is her deep care and concern for others. It's just such a tremendous loss."

Grega's bishop, James R. Stuck, ELCA Indiana-Kentucky Synod, Indianapoliis, expressed shock and sadness. "Her presence was very much appreciated by a lot of people," he said. "For her, it was a very rich ministry, and she would express that quite often. She provided a door for a lot of people in the community. It was a good and vibrant ministry for her."

Stuck recalled that Heckler's predecessor, Alan F. Harre, led an effort to raise funds for an endowment for an ELCA pastor to serve on the Chapel of the Resurrection staff. Stuck said he fully expects the university will continue to have an ELCA pastor on the chapel staff in the future.

She welcomed people on the margins

On behalf of the ELCA, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson extended condolences and sympathy for Grega's death to Heckler and the university community. "Darlene's call to serve as the first ELCA pastor on the staff of the Chapel of the Resurrection has been the occasion for renewing and deepening our relationships with the University and its extended family of alumni and friends," Hanson wrote in an April 9 letter. "We have rejoiced in the strength of her service as university pastor with students, faculty and staff -- a ministry marked by her distinctive gifts of warm hospitality, gregarious compassion for the suffering and tenderhearted, and tenacious advocacy for those who have often been kept at the margins of Christian community and public life.

"Although the news of her death comes as a deep shock and disappointment, we entrust her to the mercy of God shown in Jesus Christ and share with you our hope in the promise of Christ's Resurrection," Hanson wrote.

Grega was born in Cleveland and graduated from Valparaiso University and the Lutheran Deaconess Program housed on campus. She earned a master of arts degree in theology from Duke University, Durham, N.C.; a master of arts degree in counseling from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; and a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

Grega brought more than 25 years of experience in higher education to Valparaiso. She was director of international students at St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and director of the international center at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. She also had nine years' experience in campus ministry at colleges and universities in North Carolina, Minnesota and Texas.