Contents
- Actions
- Churchwide Assembly 2022
- Church Council of the ELCA
- Executive Committee of the ELCA
- Commission Membership
|
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran
Church
on ELCA website
ELCA.org/CRLC
|
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church
Actions
Churchwide Assembly 2022
Action taken by Churchwide Assembly 2022:
CA22.01.06. To receive with gratitude
the memorials from the Northern TexasNorthern
Louisiana Synod, Metropolitan Chicago Synod,
Northeastern Ohio Synod, Northwestern Pennsylvania
Synod, Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Allegheny
Synod, Lower Susquehanna Synod, Delaware-Maryland
Synod, Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, and West
Virginia-Western Maryland Synod concerning the
restructure of the ELCA’s governance; and
To direct the Church Council to establish
a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church comprised of
leaders of diverse representation from all three
expressions that, working in consultation with the
Conference of Bishops and the Church Council, shall
reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the
expressions of this church, the principles of its
organizational structure, and all matters pertaining
thereunto, being particularly attentive to our shared
commitment to dismantle racism, and will present its
findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide
Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting
convention to be called under the rules for a special
meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.(Carried 738-72)
It should be noted that the memorial advanced to
Churchwide Assembly by the WV-WMD Synod was not identical
to that which was adopted by Churchwide Assembly. The
resolving paragraph of the WV-WMD text is as follows (for full text, click here):
Resolved, That the West Virginia
– Western Maryland Synod in assembly memorialize the
2022 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Church in
America to direct the Church Council to establish a
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church that, working
in consultation with the Conference of Bishops and the
Church Council, shall reconsider the Statements of
Purpose for each of the expressions of this church,
the Principles of Organization, and all matters
pertaining thereunto, presenting its findings to the
2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a
reconstituting convention to be called under the rules
for a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.
It should also be noted that the Northern TexasNorthern
Louisiana Synod, Northeastern Ohio Synod, Northwestern
Pennsylvania Synod, Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod,
Allegheny Synod, Lower Susquehanna Synod, and
Delaware-Maryland Synod all advanced memorials
substantively identical in the resolving paragraph to that
of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod. The
Metropolitan Chicago Synod and the Metropolitan
Washington, D.C., Synod, however, included an additional
directive element, and it is the version advanced by these
two last synods that was adopted by the Churchwide
Assembly.
The Memorials Committee of the Churchwide Assembly
recommended the following operative action in its initial
report:
To refer the memorials to the Church
Council for further deliberation and definition,
specifically to determine the goals and boundaries of
any proposed changes to the constitution, especially
those related to Chapters 4 and 5; the need for a
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church; and the need
and scope of any proposed reconstituting convention,
with recommendations to be presented to the 2025
Churchwide Assembly.
You can review the background information provided by the
Memorials Committee in the published Report of the Memorials Committee
(see p.48).
During the course of the Churchwide Assembly, the
permitted petition was submitted to request substitution
for the recommendation of the Memorials Committee. The
Memorials Committee, in response, moved the substitute
operative:
To direct the Church Council to
establish a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church
comprised of leaders of diverse representation from
all three expressions that, working in consultation
with the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council,
shall reconsider the statements of purpose for each of
the expressions of this church, the principles of its
organizational structure, and all matters pertaining
thereunto, being particularly attentive to our shared
commitment to dismantle racism, and will present its
findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide
Assembly in preparation for a reconstituting
convention to be called under the rules for a special
meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.
There was debate and amendment on the floor and one minor
amendment, the insertion of the word, "possible." You may
review the legislative update (see p.4).
Church Council of the ELCA
Action taken by the Church Council of the ELCA at its
first meeting following Churchwide Assembly 2022:
CC22.11.38 To establish a
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church consisting of
no more than 35 voting members, directing the Executive
Committee of the Church Council to initiate the process
of forming the commission, fulfilling the
responsibilities of the Church Council related to
nominations in accordance with 14.41.01.c., and
receiving nominations to fill positions allocated in the
following manner:
- Three voting members from each
region for a total of 27, two of whom will be
selected from nominations received by each Synod
Council or Synod Council Executive Committee and one
of whom will be received through an open nomination
process;
- Each Synod Council or Synod Council
Executive Committee will be invited to submit two
potential nominees;
- Up to 8 at-large voting members will
be selected from either the synod nominations or the
open nomination process;
To populate the commission according to
the representational principles of this church,
requiring that at least 25% of the commission be persons
of color/primary language other than English; and
striving for at least 20% of members to be youth/young
adults;
To request the nomination process be completed prior to
the April 2023 Church Council meeting, presenting a
slate of nominees to the Church Council for action; and
To invite this church to join us in prayer as this
church embarks on this process of renewal.(Carried)
Executive Committee of the ELCA
Though we do not have in our possession the minutes of
the Executive Committee of ELCA, we are informed of the
following as the course mapped out by the Executive
Committee of the ELCA.
- The nomination process will open on Jan. 9 and close
on March 9, 2023. Each synod is invited to nominate up
to two people to be considered for appointment.
- Two individuals in each region who have been nominated
by their synods will be appointed for service.
- In addition, a third individual from each region and
up to 8 at-large members will be appointed from among
the synod nominations and the open nomination process.
- The Executive Committee will present a slate of
nominees for the Church Council to consider at its 20
April 2023 online meeting.
- The Office of the Secretary staff will notify members
of their appointment.
- The first meeting of the CRLC will be held in-person
22-24 June 2023 at the Lutheran Center in Chicago.
Commission Membership
Commitment and Expectations
The Executive Committee of the ELCA has published an
outline of the commitment &expectations of members of
the commission in the document, Commission for a Renewed Lutheran
Church: Information About Commitment and Expectations
for Commission Members. Please review.
Nominations
Open Nominations
Open nomination may be made for any person who qualifies
as a voting member of an ELCA congregation regrdless of
clergy/laity status, geography, age, or gender. You may
nominate yourself of someone else. It is important,
however, if you are nominating someone else, that you have
accurate information (and the consent of the person being
nominated).
Click Here
for the Open Nomination Form.
Synod Council/Executive Committee Nominations
Those nominated by the Synod Council and/or Synod
Executive Committee will be provided access to the Synod
Nomination Form after the Synod Council (or Executive
Committee) meeting at which action is taken.
|