Church and Civic Engagement: A Study West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod |
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Churchwide Assembly 2019 authorized the development of a
social statement on government, civic engagement, and the
relationship of church and state. We are now entering the
study phase. Churchwide ActionsChurchwide Assembly 2019Action taken by Churchwide Assembly 2019: To receive with gratitude the memorial from the Minneapolis Area Synod requesting a social statement on the role of government, the nature of civic engagement, and the relationship of church and state; and The action quoted above was the response of Churchwide
Assembly 2019 to a memorial submitted by the Minneapolis
Area Synod. The full text of that memorial reads, Whereas, the Lutheran tradition historically has been strongly supportive of the need for, and functions of, government; and Comparison of the memorial with the final action reveals
some differences. To explain those differences, it is
worth noting how the legislative process works. In this
case, a synod memorialized the Churchwide Assembly,
initiating the legislative process. Memorialization may be
understood as making a petition or a request of some
entity to take some action, the instrument being called a
memorial, the term employed in the ELCA, though the
words request or petition are reasonable
synonyms. Under our rules, the memorial is automatically
referred to the Memorials Committee. This committee
reviews the memorial and makes a recommendation to the
Churchwide Assembly regarding its disposition, this
recommendation usually being called the response of
the Memorials Committee. The response can recommend
adoption of the memorial (as is), some action consistent
with it, an alternative action, referral, or declination.
At the Churchwide Assembly, members may attempt to sway
the committee to change its response. If the Memorials
Committee included its response in an en bloc
recommendation, members may attempt to remove from en
bloc for separate consideration. Once on the
floor of the Churchwide Assembly, the response is subject
to a wide range of parliamentary motions and open to
debate. The Memorials Committee response read, To receive with gratitude the memorial from the Minneapolis Area Synod requesting a social statement on the role of government, the nature of civic engagement, and the relationship of church and state; and This response was issued in the Report of the Memorials
Committee in the Bulletin of Reports published
prior to the assembly. In an open hearing of the committee
during the assembly, Bishop Riegel attempted to convince
the Memorials Committee to instead order a review of Church-State Relations in the
USA: A Statement of the American Lutheran Church
(American Lutheran Church, 1966) and A Social Statement on Church
and State: A Lutheran Perspective (Lutheran Church
in America, 1966). The committee declined the
offered substitution, and its original recommendation came
to the floor as presented in the Bulletin of Reports. Once on the floor, the response of the Memorials Committee became a matter of lengthy debate, and the recommendation was more than once amended on the floor, yielding the final version printed at the top of this section. The full debate, including amendments and other motions, can be downloaded here and reviewed. Note well, the debate was twice interrupted for other business. Church Council of the ELCAUpon adoption, the Church Council of the ELCA became
responsible for appointing a task force to work on the
development of the social statement and setting the
parameters, such as deadlines, within which it works. This
process is governed by ELCA policy codified in Policies and
Procedures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America for Addressing Social Concerns.
The Church Council appointed task force members in 2020
with instructions to report in 2025. Task ForceThe Task Force has been meeting since its appointment
several times a year. It has approved a study document
that is now before the church for feedback. It will
eventually release a draft social statement that will also
be subject to feedback. Final consideration of a social
statement is by the Churchwide Assembly, a ⅔ vote being
necessary for adoption. As part of the Task Force's work, listening posts were
conducted across the church. At these listening posts,
clergy, laity, and even non-members of the ELCA were
invited to testify. A listening post was held at the
Lutheran Campus Chapel at WVU. Eighty clergy and laity applied to serve on the task
force. Of them, fifteen were selected by the Church
Council. Bishop Riegel serves as one of two bishops on the
Task Force. Common QuestionsTwo big questions are frequently asked about all this.
Rather than cutting and pasting, we recommend reviewing
what is printed on the ELCA.org. Click the question you
are interested in exploring and don't be shy about
exploring the links on those page. A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and FaithThe study curriculum has been published under the title,
A Study
Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith (click on
the link to access). The curriculum includes six sessions.
It is designed for group sessions, but an individual can
also use it. Leaders and participants guides are
included. Additional resources are also linked on the
page. If you would like advice or assistance organizing a
group, contact the WV-WMD Synod HQ. Deadline for responses to the
task force: 15 October 2023. Additional ResourcesThe following is curated for your consideration.
Other resources may be added over time, so check back. Additionally, if you would like to suggest a resource, contact +Riegel. |
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