2005 Synod Assembly

Crippen, Payne speak on Task Force's Report

(Live Update added 5 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2005)

Assembly members listened to Bishop Margaret Payne, Chair of the ELCA Task Force for Studies on Sexuality, and Rev. Joseph Crippen, member of the ELCA Church Council and pastor in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, during the Report of the Task Force of the ELCA Studies on Sexuality. Bishop Payne gave an overview of the process whereby the Task Force presented its report to the Council.

"As Lutherans, we have the ability to live with tensions in difficult times," she said. "We don't have any problem with ambiguity." Though Lutherans are often viewed as "wishy-washy," she observed, we are instead living as a reflection of the nature of Christian life. "Our culture demands certainty, but as Lutherans the only thing we are certain about is that God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins," she said.

Bishop Payne went on to identify the issues addressed by the Task Force: Biblical interpretation and the roles of conscience and pastoral discretion, calling the latter two vital "touchstones" used in the process.

Regarding the recommendations themselves, Bishop Payne noted that the first one, concerning unity in the midst of difference, was not asked for by the ELCA but found crucial by the Task Force. "The church should not proceed unless we agree" to remain together in spite of differences, she said. As for the second recommendation, Bishop Payne explained that the "intent was to support those love one another and are committed to each other" while asking the questions, "How can this be?" and "How shall this be?"

Recommendation three was the most problematic, according to the Bishop. Even so, the Task Force sought to "create a space while we continue to explore this issue."

Rev. Joseph Crippen then explained how the ELCA Church Council received the report and developed the subsequent recommendations that will be considered at the Churchwide Assembly in August. "We are a deeply divided church," Crippen observed. "This division was a huge part of the Council's decision that largely adopted the recommendations of the Task Force. On a more personal note, Rev. Crippen stated how "that changes everything if we are all brothers and sisters in Christ."

Following the presentations, the assembly voted to go into a Quasi-Committee of the Whole. This parliamentary move allowed for questions and comments on the recommendations.

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