Pages 3-4, 7 - 2007 Churchwide Assembly Re-Elects Presiding Bishop, Elects New Secretary, Takes Stands

The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), met in Chicago August 6-11 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. About 2,000 people participated, including 1,068 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly was "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"

Here are some of the things, in order of occurrence, that the 2007 Churchwide Assembly accomplished:

'Evangelical Lutheran Worship' Affirmed
Evangelical Lutheran Worship was affirmed as the church's primary worship resource. "This recommendation to affirm Evangelical Lutheran Worship commits the ELCA to renewing worship in the world in which we are called in and serve," said Carlos Peña, Galveston, Texas, vice president, ELCA Church Council.

Mark Hanson Re-Elected Presiding Bishop
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, 60, was re-elected to serve another six-year term as presiding bishop of the ELCA. Hanson was re-elected on the second ballot with 888 votes of the 1,029 cast. Hanson, led on the first ballot with 765 out of 1,022 votes cast. He fell two votes short of being re-elected on the first or nominating ballot.

Expanded "Welcome" for Returning Military Veterans
Churches and other agencies of the ELCA should provide a "welcoming and supporting environment for returning military veterans," and the bishops of the church were asked to work with military chaplains on additional ways to provide "healing ministries to military veterans and their families."

Voting members endorsed the proposal with 1,023 affirmative votes. The proposal grew out of a memorial from the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod.

Social Statement on Criminal Justice
The ELCA will develop a social statement -- the church's most authoritative teaching document -- on criminal justice issues to be prevented to the denomination for adoption in 2013.

By a vote of 957 to 68, the voting members approved the initiative that grew out of memorials from three synods.

'Book of Faith' Bible-Study Initiative Affirmed
The assembly adopted "Book of Faith: Lutherans Read the Bible," a sweeping five-year initiative to boost study of the Bible throughout the ELCA.

That initiative grew out of a 2005 proposal made by the ELCA North Carolina Synod. The ELCA Vocation and Education staff developed the recommendation for action.

See Larry Iverson’s column on page 9 for more information.

Concern for Genocide in Darfur
Lutherans around the nation should study the situation in Darfur and advocate to U.S. officials in order to seek an end to the killing that many call a genocide in the African region.

The resolution was passed by a vote of 976 to 11. Lutherans were urged to use the state and national governmental advocacy offices of the church and the church's electronic advocacy network to contact public officials to make the concerns of the churches known.

Escalation of Iraq War Opposed
The assembly declared its opposition to "any escalation of the war" in Iraq and called upon the U.S. government to "take immediate and comprehensive steps to end the violence and establish a peaceful, stable, and just society in that country."

The resolution, passed by a vote of 874 to 78, also urged Lutherans to engage in "moral deliberation about the situation in Iraq and the policies and actions of the government of the United States of America in relation to them" and urged expanded concern for military personnel and their families. Lutherans should also make their views known to members of Congress, the resolution said.

Recommitment to Lutheran Anti-Hunger Efforts
Following reports from the World Hunger Program of the ELCA and Lutheran World Relief (LWR), the assembly committed denomination members and congregations to renewed efforts to reach and surpass a goal of $25 million in annual giving to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

By a vote of 984 to 5, the assembly committed the church to "reach and surpass, as soon as possible, the goal of $25 million in annual giving by individuals and congregations" to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Last year’s gifts to ELCA World Hunger totaled over $20 million.

Full Communion Relationship with Moravian Church Extended
The assembly extended the ELCA's full communion partnership with the Moravian Church in America to the East Western Indies and the Alaska Provinces of the Moravian Church in America.

The 1999 Churchwide Assembly voted to accept a proposal for full communion for the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America.

The resolution was passed without amendment with a vote of 999 to 23.

Memorials on Same-Sex Blessings Sent to Task Force
The assembly voted 733-278 to refer memorials on the blessing of same-sex relationships to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. The Task Force is engaged in developing a social statement on human sexuality to be presented to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.

Education Social Statement Adopted
The assembly adopted, by a vote of 949 to 35, a social statement on education addressing issues of children's faith formation, quality of U.S. public schools, and support for Lutheran schools and campus ministries.

Social statements are major documents adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly that address significant social issues. "Our Calling in Education" is the ninth social statement to be adopted by the ELCA.

David Swartling Elected Secretary of the ELCA
David D. Swartling, a trial lawyer from Seattle, was elected to a six-year term as secretary.

Swartling, 60, was elected to the position after a series of five ballots. On the final ballot, he received 611 votes, with the Rev. Paul A. Schreck, currently an assistant to the ELCA secretary, receiving 366 votes.

The secretary is responsible for ELCA rosters, interpretation of governing documents such as the church’s constitution, the ELCA archives and handles other concerns for the 4.8 million-member church body. The post is a staff position here at the ELCA churchwide office.

Swartling will succeed the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, who has held the post of secretary since the ELCA was formed in 1987 by a merger of three Lutheran denominations. Almen will leave office Oct. 31.

Restraint in Discipline of Congregations, Leaders Encouraged
While the ELCA made no changes to its standards for its professional leaders during the Churchwide Assembly, it encouraged restraint in disciplining people and congregations that call ministers in mutual, chaste and faithful, committed, same-gender relationships, and called for restraint in disciplining professional leaders.

By a vote of 538 to 431, the assembly encouraged the ELCA's synods, bishops and presiding bishop to "refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining" people and congregations who call qualified leaders on the professional rosters of the ELCA "who are in a mutual, chaste and faithful, committed, same-gender relationship." The assembly also stated that the same restraint should apply to the professional leaders who are on the official rosters and are in committed same-gender relationships. The proposal was adopted by the assembly as a substitute for a recommendation of the Memorials Committee.

Clarification of Bishops' Accountability Requested
The assembly asked synod bishops to discuss their accountability "to the adopted policies, practices and procedures of the ELCA." The assembly requested that a statement of such accountability be brought for consideration to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.

When introducing the motion, the Rev. David P. Gleason, ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod said, "It seems to me that those who represent the church and its striving for unity should in fact follow those adopted practices and procedures. I think that it would simply help to clarify for all of us in the church where the lines of accountability lie for our bishops." By a vote of 318 to 309, the report was requested of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, a 67-member advisory body of the church which meets at least twice yearly.

HIV and AIDS Strategy Development Requested
The Assembly passed a resolution calling for a churchwide strategy for responding to HIV and AIDS to build on and deepen current denominational engagement with the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world.

The resolution requesting the strategy, passed by a vote of 925 to 22, urges further prayer, charity, advocacy, and education efforts to fight the pandemic. The ELCA has committed $1 million to be used for the strategy's implementation and the Lutheran World Federation's efforts fighting HIV and AIDS worldwide.

Two voting members expressed concerns that the proposal lacked sufficient financial support, and a resolution was passed by a vote of 586 to 13, encouraging the ELCA Church Council to commit up to an additional $1 million to the implementation of the strategy.

The strategy would build on current ELCA efforts to combat HIV and AIDS, which include the "Stand with Africa" campaign and advocacy efforts surrounding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

ELCA Assembly Acts to Strengthen the Church's Financial Future
The Assembly accepted a report with recommendations from the ELCA Blue Ribbon Committee on Mission Funding -- a committee appointed to study the funding policies and practices of the ELCA.

With a 623-52 vote, the assembly received "with gratitude" the report of the Blue Ribbon Committee, commended the content of the report for study and reflection throughout the church, and fostered a renewed commitment to "vigorous mission-support efforts."

With an 811-154 vote, the assembly amended the resolution to include a proposal -- for presentation to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly -- that calls for the development and implementation of a resource to "help congregations assess their responsible and accountable use of God's resources commended to their care."

Another amendment designed to encourage congregations to share with synods and the churchwide organization a minimum of 10 percent of their mission support, with planned annual increases of at least 15 percent, was defeated with a 139-535 vote.

Page 5 - College Grad Heads to South America
Southeastern Minnesota woman participates in ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission

By Kirsten Dumke

The beauty of being a recent college graduate is that the entire world is in front of you. Quite a few of my peers have plans to attend graduate school, others take the opportunity to work to pay off the ever-nagging student loans and there are some that decide to branch out for world travel before settling down to a nine to five. Being eager to see how I could contribute to the world around me, I applied to the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Missions (YAGM) program in February of this year.

As a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, a small ELCA college in St Peter, I have known numerous participants of the YAGM program; all brilliant individuals who know that they can help make this world different with God working through them. After hearing their stories, the YAGM program seemed like a wonderful opportunity to bridge some cultural borders and create amazing relationships through service. Recognizing this same passion within me motivated me to research the possibilities of world mission work. With the help of the Internet and many conversations with friends and family I was able to discern where God was leading me; luckily the YAGM staff thought I was right for the job as well.

At the end April, 46 YAGM applicants were asked to come to Wisconsin for a weekend of discernment that would help place us in specific countries and programs. We worshiped together, interviewed with country coordinators and shared our excitement and fears about what a year in mission would mean in our lives. At the end of the weekend, we gathered eagerly to hear which country followed our names, many secretly having hopes for one program over another. I was thrilled to hear that I was placed in the Argentina program and waited in anticipation for the beginning of July to find out where I would be placed. My country coordinator, Kate, took note of each of our individual gifts and used those to place us within a program.

With a July 3rd email from Kate, I was ecstatic to find that I will be working in Montevideo, Uruguay with the Obra Ecuménica Barrio Borro (OEBB) and Nuestro Salvador, Uruguay’s single congregation of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina and Uruguay (IELU). Through Obra I will be working with an after school program through which I will aide students in their studies and will also help teach English. My 40-hour workweek will be split between Obra and Nuestro Salvador, through which I will work with Pastor Wilma Rommel in a women and youth project in a low-income community in Montevideo. Each of these programs work very closely with families of the congregation and the improvement of the church communities.

This walk with Christ will be an amazing experience that will be exciting and trying all in one. As the fall nears I look forward to finding comfort in my new home and a new family in Montevideo; the transition won’t be an easy one but these priceless experiences are far too exciting to let pass by.

** Kirsten is the daughter of Rev. Mark and Nancy Dumke, Winona, Minn., and a member at Faith Lutheran Church in Winona.

Pages 6-7 - Report of the Presiding Bishop