T
he difference from two years ago was obvious in many ways, particularly one. The 2011
Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Fla., brimmed with a younger face, not only from those attending but to those speaking as well.
Nearly 13 percent of voting mem- bers were 30 and younger, and 27 percent were under the age of 46. When they addressed issues under consideration, from revamping the way the denomination operates to a malaria initiative and a genetics social statement, it was clear they were ready to engage. On a broader level, the assembly looked to the future. While acknowl- edging drops in membership and donations, presenters repeatedly circled back to the assets and aspira- tions of the ELCA’s members, con- gregations, synods, regions, agencies and institutions, and churchwide organization. And they nearly univer- sally voiced high expectations for the church in the years to come. References to the 2009 Church-
wide Assembly’s approval of the human sexuality social statement and related changes in rules open- ing rostered positions to gays and lesbians in committed relationships were just that: references. No direct discussion or debate of the dramatic steps taken two years ago occurred. Indeed, memorials to reconsider and remove “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” as well as another to rescind rule changes opening the roster to gays and lesbians, were declined as part of a larger package of memorials by a vote of 930-50.
Instead, the gathering at the Mar- riott Orlando World Center focused on the business of the future. It also
This assembly report was prepared by Charles Austin, Elizabeth Hunter, Daniel J. Lehmann and Julie B. Sevig. Photography by Julie Fletcher.
took time to honor John G. Kapanke, president of the ELCA Board of Pen- sions, upon his retirement, while welcoming his successor, Jeffrey D. Thiemann, an ELCA pastor from Walnut Creek, Calif. Coverage of this year’s gathering may be found on pages 20 through 29, plus a column by the presiding bishop on page 50 and the editor on page 4.
And work is already under way preparing for the 2013 Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh.
A number of voting members partici- pated in a test of electronic equip-
ment that could replace paper docu- ments at future gatherings.
I
Big changes in store for church operations
n a restructuring of historic pro- portions, voting members of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assem- bly approved changes in the ways the denomination will govern itself, attempt to improve its mission out- reach, and conduct its business in the years ahead. The changes include: • A three-year cycle for Churchwide Assemblies. • The elimination of current program committees attached to ELCA units. • A review of synods’ workings and possible redrawing of synodical boundaries. • Planning a new way to prepare and adopt social statements. • The possibility of adding mem- bers to the ELCA Church Council, which governs the church between assemblies.
Some of the changes reflect moves
already made in the ELCA’s structure to accommodate shortfalls in income. Others are designed to strengthen connections between congregations,
synods, regions, institutions such as colleges and social service agencies, and the churchwide offices. The changes came from the delib- erations of a task force called “Living Into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA,” known as the LIFT report. The group sought to investigate the “evolving societal and economic changes of the 20 years since the formation of the ELCA” and to see how those changes were affect- ing the governance of the ELCA, its regions, synods and congregations. It conducted surveys and discussions on all levels of the church.
Diane “Dee” Pederson, an ELCA pastor and head of the LIFT Task Force, told the assembly the report aimed to answer two questions: • “What is God calling this church to be and do in the future?” • “What changes are in order to help us respond most faithfully?” The “evolving societal and eco- nomic changes” of the last two
September 2011 21
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