Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Classification Protestant
Orientation Mainline Lutheran
Polity Interdependent local, regional, and national expressions with modified episcopal polity
Origin 1988
Merge of Lutheran Church in America, American Lutheran Church, & Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
Associations Lutheran World Federation, Christian Churches Together, Churches Uniting in Christ, National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches
Geographical Area United States & Caribbean
Statistics
Congregations Approx. 10,000
Members 4,774,203
Presiding Bishop - The Rev. Mark Hanson

Vice President - Carlos Peña

Secretary - David Swarthling

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1988 by the merging of three churches and currently having about 4.77 million baptized members, it is the largest of all the Lutheran denominations in the United States[1] and the fifth-largest Protestant denomination.[2] The next two largest Lutheran denominations are the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (with approximately 2.41 million members[3]) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (with approximately 390,000 members). There are also many smaller Lutheran church bodies in the United States.

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States. The ELCA also has congregations in the Caribbean region (Bahamas, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and one congregation in the border town of Windsor, Ontario. Before 1986, some of the congregations that form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada were part of the ELCA's predecessor churches. As of the acceptance of the document Called to Common Mission (CCM) in the year 2000, it is the only American Lutheran denomination in full communion with the Episcopal Church, which is the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion.

The ordination of women as pastors (ministers of Word and Sacrament) predates the ELCA and began in 1970, in the former Lutheran Church in America. Lutheran ministerial clergy are referred to as pastors or, less commonly, priests and have somewhat similar sacramental and leadership functions as their Roman Catholic counterparts, modified by the Reformation conviction that ministry ultimately must be carried out by all members.

Contents

[edit] Organization and structure

The ELCA is headed by a Presiding Bishop, who is elected by the Churchwide Assembly for a term of six years. The Churchwide Assembly meets biennially in odd-numbered years and consists of elected lay and ordained voting members; between meetings of the Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA Church Council governs the denomination. The current presiding bishop, the Rev. Mark Hanson was elected in 2001 and was re-elected in 2007. The most recent Churchwide Assembly was held in August 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The 2009 assembly is scheduled to meet in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The church perceives itself as having three expressions: 1) The national church 2) The regional synods 3) The local congregation

The Church is divided into 65 synods, one of which is non-geographical (the Slovak Zion Synod) and 64 regional synods in the United States and the Caribbean, each headed by a synodical bishop and council.[4] Within the ELCA the term synod refers to the middle judicatory (referred to in some other Lutheran denominations as "districts" or "dioceses").

Within the church structure are divisions addressing many programs and ministries. Among these are support for global mission, outdoor ministries, campus ministries, social ministries, and education. There are twenty-eight colleges and universities affiliated with the ELCA throughout the United States established by the predecessor bodies.

Many of the local congregations are legally independent non-profit corporations and own their own property. Actual governing practice within the congregation ranges from congregational-meeting led (more common in smaller churches), through elder- and council-led, to congregations where the senior pastor wields great, if informal, power (more common in larger churches).[5]

[edit] ELCA Constituting Convention

  • 1987 Columbus, Ohio

[edit] Churchwide Assemblies

  • 1989 Chicago, Illinois
  • 1991 Orlando, Florida
  • 1993 Kansas City, Missouri
  • 1995 Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1997 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 1999 Denver, Colorado
  • 2001 Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2003 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 2005 Orlando, Florida
  • 2007 Chicago, Illinois
  • 2009 Minneapolis, Minnesota (scheduled)

See List of ELCA colleges and universities, List of ELCA seminaries, List of ELCA synods.

[edit] Predecessor churches

The ELCA formally came into existence on January 1, 1988, creating the largest Lutheran church body in the United States. The Church is a result of a merger between the Lutheran Church in America (LCA), the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC), all of which had formally agreed in 1982 to unite after several years of discussions. The ELCA's three predecessor churches were themselves the product of previous mergers and splits among various independent Lutheran synods in the United States.[6]

[edit] Presiding bishops

To date, three pastors have been elected to the position of presiding bishop of the ELCA. Herbert W. Chilstrom served as the first presiding bishop from 1988 to 1995. He was followed by H. George Anderson (1995-2001), who had previously been the President of Luther College. The current presiding bishop is Mark S. Hanson, who also serves as president of the Lutheran World Federation. Hanson began his tenure as bishop in 2001; he was re-elected in August 2007 for a second term.

[edit] Beliefs and practice

See also http://www.elca.org/questions/, http://www.elca.org/communication/brief.html and http://www.elca.org/communication/faith.html

The ELCA is a member church of the Lutheran World Federation, a communion of Lutheran Churches throughout the world. Lutheranism is associated with the German reformer Martin Luther, with its official confessional writings found in the Book of Concord. The ELCA accepts the unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Gospel, acknowledging as one with it in faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the teachings of that document.

  • Theological Position: The ELCA is less conservative than the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) or Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the second and third largest Lutheran bodies in the United States respectively. Although having a sizable conservative minority, practically all moderate-to-liberal Lutherans in the U.S. belong to the ELCA; all other Lutheran bodies in the U.S. espouse some form of doctrinaire confessionalism or pietism, or an admixture of the two.
  • Interpretation of Scripture: ELCA clergy are less likely to take the Bible literally, in concord with most liberal Protestant bodies and in sharp contrast to the LCMS or WELS. ELCA seminaries and colleges generally teach a form of historical-critical method of biblical analysis, an approach that, broadly speaking, seeks to understand the scriptures and the process of canon formation with reference to historical and social context. For a brief description, see What is the Bible? on the ELCA website. Because of its use of the historic confessions, its ideological basis in Luther's catechism and its tradition of retaining many Roman Catholic traditions, such as vestments, feast days, the sign of the cross, incense and the usage of a church-wide liturgy, there are many aspects of the typical ELCA synod church that are very Catholic and traditional in nature. The ELCA is a very broad organization, however, and there are large segments of the denomination that are evangelical catholic composed of socially conservative and socially liberal factions both centering on liturgical renewal[7][8], confessional, charismatic/renewal, moderate, and liberal activist, or even combinations of these. Each of these groups tends to see and use the Bible differently. This tolerant and young church body (1988) has generally perceived such diversity as an asset, instead of a liability or threat, as earlier generations likely would have.
  • Sacraments: Like other Lutheran church bodies, the ELCA confesses at least two Sacraments, Communion (or the Eucharist) and Holy Baptism (including infant baptism). Confession and forgiveness is often included in the sacrament count; however, confession is a return to the baptismal waters and so the number may remain at two. The ELCA holds to the doctrine of the Sacramental Union, in other words, the belief that Christ is truly present – body, soul, humanity and divinity – "in, with and under" (Augsburg Confession) the Bread and Wine, so that communicants receive both, the elements and Christ himself. Other denominations, mainly of the radical reformation Reformed persuasion, sometimes erroneously perceive this as a belief in consubstantiation. The ELCA, however, rejects the belief of consubstantiation and regards attempts to explain in terms of philosophical metaphysics how the Eucharist "works" as disrespectful of, if not blasphemous against, the Sacrament's miraculous and mysterious character. In effect, the ELCA belief in the "mysterious" character of the consecrated elements is more in line (along with most other Lutheran Church bodies) with the traditional Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican belief - this being of a real, though unexplainable, partaking of the body and blood of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church believes in transubstantiation, while many other Protestant church bodies doubt or openly deny the Real Presence in the elements of communion. Unlike practically all other American Lutheran church bodies, the ELCA practices open communion, inviting all persons baptized in the name of the trinity with water to receive communion. Some assemblies also commune baptized infants similarly to Orthodox practice. In its quest to return to many of the traditional catholic (universal) practices, the leadership of the ELCA encourages its churches to practice the Eucharist at all services, although some churches still retain non-communion services that alternate with the full liturgy of the Eucharist. In addition to the two sacraments, the ELCA also retains the other five sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church - not as sacraments, but as acts that are sacramental in nature, or sacramentals. These include confirmation, holy orders, extreme unction, confession, and marriage. Their practice and their view as "minor sacraments" varies between churches of a "high" and "low" church nature.
  • Ministerial training and ordination: Pastors are trained at one of eight ELCA seminaries located throughout the United States. They generally hold a Bachelor of Arts degree or equivalent, as well as a master's degree in divinity, and are required to learn biblical Hebrew and Greek. Pastors are ordained by bishops under terms of Called to Common Mission (CCM), the full-communion agreement between the ELCA and The Episcopal Church, a phased embrace of the historic episcopate. Since the passage of CCM, a small number of pastors have received special dispensation under extraordinary circumstances for presbyter ordination rather than episcopal ordination, under a bylaw exception passed by the 2001 Churchwide Assembly. Pastors who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) have been prevented from serving as ordained ministers unless they agree to celibacy, though around forty pastors who are in principled non-compliance to this policy continue serve as pastors in ELCA churches by joining the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.[9] At its 2007 churchwide assembly in Chicago 83 ELCA pastors and seminarians came out as GLBT, many serve in the ELCA without any discipline from their synodical bishop.[10]Many bishops, however, still discipline GLBT pastors and pastors who might celebrate GLBT unions, either implicitly or explicitly, in accordance with stated ELCA practice.[11].
  • Worship styles: The ELCA is undergoing a process of renewing its worship life. It recently released Evangelical Lutheran Worship, a main resource for congregations. It is the first in a constellation of resources to be released in the next few years. Many ELCA congregations are liturgical churches where local customs flourish. Their worship life is rich and diverse, and is rooted in the Western liturgical tradition, though Lutheran-Orthodox dialog has some minimal influence on Lutheran liturgy. Visitors to Lutheran churches may find some people who will make the "sign of the cross" on their body and others who do not. Many Lutheran Churches use traditional vestments (alb, cincture, stole, chasuble, cope, etc.) and liturgical colors: white, red, green, and purple – although in recent years, blue is worn for Advent, scarlet for Holy Week, and gold for Easter Sunday only. Much of the dialog of the liturgy has its roots in the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, and in fact, since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, most major parts of the ELCA's liturgy are worded exactly like the English Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. There has always been a minority of Lutherans who are less liturgical or even non-liturgical. Some ELCA congregations have a non-liturgical contemporary service, either in addition to traditional service or exclusively. Wide variety in worship is, however, assured by Article VII of the Augsburg Confession where unnecessary uniformity is discouraged. One important compromise that has developed is that many Lutheran congregations have two or more worship services each week, with different degrees of formality in each.
  • Musical Heritage: Springing from its revered heritage in the Lutheran Chorale, the musical life of ELCA congregations is just as diverse as its worship. Johann Sebastian Bach and African songs are part of the heritage and breadth of Lutheran church music. The Lutheran liturgy is music filled with five to seven hymns per service including metrical psalter, metrical responses and hymns. The new Evangelical Lutheran Worship has ten settings of Holy Communion, for example. They range from plainsong chant, to Gospel, to Latin-style music. Congregations worship in many languages, many of which are represented in Evangelical Lutheran Worship and upcoming worship resources. Other books often found in ELCA churches include the Lutheran Book of Worship, With One Voice, This Far by Faith, and Libro de Liturgia y Cántico .

Comparison to LCMS in ELCA's point of view according to the Honoring Our Neighbor's Faith [12] These conclusions are not agreed upon by the WELS or LCMS.

Number LCMS ELCA
1 Believe in triune God Same
2 Accept Lutheran Confessions as true teachings of biblical faith Same
3 Believe that God comes to us through the Word and the sacraments Same
4 Teach justification by grace through faith Same
5 Believe that the Bible should not be subject to higher critical methods Many within the ELCA believe that the Bible can speak effectively through the use of higher critical study.
6 Believe that the Bible restricts women from certain church positions including ordained ministry Believes the Bible permits, even encourages, full participation by women in the life of the church
7 High degree of doctrinal agreement necessary before fellowship is possible Agreement on a more basic level is sufficient for fellowship.

[edit] Rostered ministry

A pastor in the ELCA church
A pastor in the ELCA church

As a Lutheran church body, the ELCA professes belief in the "priesthood of all believers", or that all baptized persons have equal access to God and are all called to use their gifts to serve the body of Christ. Some people are called to "rostered ministry", or vocations of church leadership and service. After formation, theological training, and approval by local synods these people are "set aside, but not above" through ordination or commissioning/consecration. The ELCA currently has four types of rostered ministers:

  • Pastor (Priest): An ordained minister called to the "office of public ministry" of "Word and sacrament" and considered a "steward of the mysteries" of the Church (i.e. given the "Office of the Keys" to proclaim absolution.) Pastors traditionally serve congregations, but this role is being expanded to include other forms of ministry as well (i.e.chaplains).
  • Deaconess: A lay woman, married or single, who serves the Church in a variety of ways. Traditionally, deaconesses served in the caring professions as nurses, social workers, or teachers.
  • Associate in Ministry: Serves local congregations, synods or other ministries in a variety of roles as parish administrators, parish musicians, youth ministry leaders, or other positions.
  • Diaconal minister (Deacon): A minister of Word and Service who may serve as a chaplain, youth minister, or in some aspect of social justice or advocacy work. This is the newest category established by the ELCA. A Diaconal minister is similar to the role performed by permanent deacons in the Episcopal Church.

The Division for Ministry at the ELCA's headquarters is responsible for the oversight and pastoral care of rostered ministers, in addition to the synodical bishop. Information on the Division's work and the various types of rostered ministry can be found at the Division's webpage. More and more ELCA congregations are employing specialized and even general ministers outside of this national oversight.

[edit] Ecumenical relations

The ELCA is a member of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, and Christian Churches Together and is a "partner in mission and dialog" with the Churches Uniting in Christ.

The Church maintains full communion relationships with member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (which is a communion of 140 autonomous national/regional Lutheran church bodies in 78 countries around the world, representing nearly 66 million Christians), the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. In 2005, the ELCA approved a provisional agreement with the United Methodist Church called "A Proposal for Interim Eucharistic Sharing", which is the first step toward reaching full communion with that denomination. The General Conference of the United Methodist church approved full communion with the ELCA on April 28, 2008. This agreement will take effect if it is approved by the church-wide Assembly of the ELCA in 2009. [13]

On October 31, 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation – of which the ELCA is a member – signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths. The Declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply.

[edit] Social issues

In general, the ELCA is a broad, inclusive organization with a majority of leadership that tends to be liberal[citation needed] which emphasizes social justice among its core values. However, there is a great deal of diversity of opinion among its constituent congregations, and, thus, the ELCA has been the arena for a number of tussles over social and doctrinal issues during the years since it came into existence in 1988. In part, this is due to the fact that the ELCA assimilated three different Lutheran church bodies, each with its own factions and divisions, thus inheriting old intra-group conflicts while creating new inter-group ones. In general, however, the ELCA has avoided major schisms, partly by engaging in long periods of study and interactive deliberation before adopting new stances. Differences on issues usually reflect geographic differences among so-called "Red States" and "Blue States" in the U.S. generally, although historic demographic splits (e.g., urban liberalism over against rural or suburban conservatism) are often perceptible as contexts.

The ELCA's stances on social issues include:

[edit] Role of women

See also: Lutheran Women's Caucus

The ELCA ordains women as pastors, a practice that all three of its predecessor churches adopted in the 1970s. Some have become synod bishops since the formation of the ELCA, with about 10% of the synods currently led by female bishops.

[edit] Role of feminist theology

See also: HerChurch

The role of feminist-theology in the ELCA has not been without controversy. HerChurch is a congregational example of feminist theology in the ELCA today.

[edit] Sexuality

ELCA policy documents state that "marriage is the appropriate context for sexual intercourse."

[edit] Creationism/evolution

The ELCA has not adopted an official position on creation or evolution, but there is general agreement on Historical and Form Criticism in biblical scholarship.

[edit] Homosexuality

As of the August 11, 2007 vote at the Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, the ELCA urged its bishops and synods to "exercise restraint" in disciplinary action against gay and lesbian ministers who violate the celibacy rule who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships". The resolution passed by a vote of 538-431. However, it rejected measures that would have explicitly permitted ordaining gays churchwide.[14] This resolution has been viewed differently by those holding diverse positions in the church. Many view it as a temporary action, pending the complete discussion and adoption of a Social Statement on Sexuality at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. Others view it as permission for the ordination of those in homosexual committed relationships, a position which was in fact emphatically rejected by an earlier vote at the 2007 Assembly. In any case, the situation remains unresolved until 2009, when a vote on the proposed Social Statement (which requires a 2/3 vote for passage) comes before the Churchwide Assembly. A draft of the Social Statement was released to the public on March 12, 2008. A portion of the statement reads, "[Same sex] relationships are to be held to the same rigorous standards and sexual ethics as all others. Further, they will encourage same-gender couples to model their relationships according to the teachings of the Small and Large Catechisms pertaining to the sixth commandment. This suggests that dissolution of a committed same-gender relationship be treated with the same gravity as the dissolution of a marriage." It also, however, restates that marriage is recognized as a union between a man and a woman only. Responses to the statement will be accepted through November 2008. A set of resolutions for the Churchwide Assembly to be prepared in conjunction with the statement will be released at a later date.[15]

In past debates, the resolution failed to meet the two-thirds supermajority required for its adoption, and was defeated. The resolution did receive a majority, however. This issue has been discussed for many years and was hotly debated again at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly, although legal difficulties and upset in the Episcopal Church are likely to suggest continued caution about such change. In 2007, however no two-thirds supermajority was required because the assembly was not adopting a social statement or attempting to change a governing document.[16] The church's stance and ongoing deliberations on homosexuality have been the subject of sharp clashes. Groups such as Lutherans Concerned/North America are presently advocating for greater strides toward full acceptance and equality for gay men and lesbians, while "renewal" groups on the Right, such as Solid Rock Lutherans, seek to reverse moves in this direction.

The church has officially welcomed openly homosexual members within its congregations since 1991. In 1993, the Conference of Bishops issued an advisory statement which stated that "there is basis neither in Scripture nor tradition for the establishment of an official ceremony by this church for the blessing of a homosexual relationship. We, therefore, do not approve such a ceremony as an official action of this church’s ministry. Nevertheless, we express trust in and will continue dialogue with those pastors and congregations who are in ministry with gay and lesbian persons, and affirm their desire to explore the best ways to provide pastoral care for all to whom they minister." Some on both sides of the issue have regarded this position has providing room, and even tacit permission, for same-sex blessings by individual pastors or congregations. Some congregations and pastors do offer such blessings to their gay and lesbian members. Other church members have understood this language to preclude such blessings. The church's governing documents, including the church's discipline standards for pastors and congregations, neither specifically allow nor specifically forbid such services of blessing. The 2005 Churchwide Assembly continued this policy, urging the ELCA to continue to respect the 1993 guidance from its bishops while also reiterating its welcome to gay and lesbian persons and trust in pastors and congregations to provide faithful pastoral care.

In 1990, the ELCA suspended First United Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California from membership for ordaining Jeff Johnson, an openly gay pastor, against the wishes of the denomination. At the same time, St. Francis Lutheran Church, also in San Francisco, was suspended for ordaining two openly lesbian pastors, Ruth Frost and Phyllis Zillhart. On December 31, 1995, First United and St. Francis were expelled from the ELCA for this action. As of January 1, 1996, both congregations are independent Lutheran churches affiliated with the San Francisco Conference of Lutheran Churches. Pastors Johnson, Frost and Zillhart continue to serve on the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM).

Pastor Bradley Schmeling of St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Georgia refused to resign last year when Bishop Ronald Warren requested him to do so after Schmeling and Pastor Darin Easler admitted to being in a gay relationship. Easler is a former ELCA pastor and is now a Chaplain with the United Church of Christ.[17] Schmeling was ordered to resign by August 15, 2007 but appealed the order, an appeal which was denied. This created media attention in the southeastern United States. While Schmeling has been removed from the ELCA clergy roster (and under the current rules can not be officially reinstated), the congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church retains him as their pastor. On September 1, 2007 Bishop H. Julian Gordy took over for Warren. The "urge restraint" resolution of the 2007 Churchwide Assembly could allow Gordy to allow the situation to stay in this condition without disciplining the congregation, pending the 2009 actions.[18]

Discipline of homosexual pastors violating clergy standards is rare in the ELCA, where at least 82 have come forward to admit that they are non-celibate as well as active in the pulpit. Lutherans Concerned of North America estimates that the number of GLBT clergy out of step with the current ELCA policy on clergy standards is much higher than widely thought.[19] Despite these developments, there have been no reports of other disciplinary actions taken by Bishops against GLBT Pastors to date and ELM continues to credential pastors and hold Extraordinary Ordinations for pastors of all sexual orientations and gender identities that stand in principled non-compliance to the ELCA's discriminatory policies. Most of the members of the ELM Roster serve in ELCA congregations.

[edit] Abortion

The issue of abortion has also been contentious within the ELCA. The church, in documents approved in 1991, set out its position on the matter as follows. The ELCA describes itself as "a community supportive of life," and encourages women to explore alternatives to abortion such as adoption. However, the church states that there are certain circumstances under which a decision to end a pregnancy can be "morally responsible." These include cases where the pregnancy "presents a clear threat to the physical life of the woman," situations where "the pregnancy occurs when both parties do not participate willingly in sexual intercourse," and "circumstances of extreme fetal abnormality, which will result in severe suffering and very early death of an infant." Regardless of the reason, the ELCA opposes abortion when "a fetus is developed enough to live outside a uterus with the aid of reasonable and necessary technology."

The Lutheran Women's Caucus supports abortion rights, and is a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.[20]


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ ELCA Quick Facts, retrieved December 13, 2007
  2. ^ http://www.demographia.com/db-religusa2002.htm Christian Church Membership in the United States: 1960-2002
  3. ^ About Us. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  4. ^ For further information about the ELCA's structure and organization, see 2005 ELCA Constitution (pdf document, retrieved March 27, 2007)
  5. ^ See the Model Constitution for Congregations (retrieved March 27, 2007) - especially Chapter 5 "Powers of the Congregation" and Chapter 7 "Property Ownership".
  6. ^ For example, see Lowell Almen, One Great Cloud of Witnesses, (Minneapolis:Augsburg Fortress, 1997) p.9-12 for a brief recounting of the formation of the ELCA; or the Roots of the ELCA is available online (retrieved March 27, 2007
  7. ^ www.valpo.edu/ils
  8. '^ Cimino, Richard. 'Lutherans Today, Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2003, 81-101.'Bold text'
  9. ^ http://www.elm.org/elm-roster-and-affiliates/
  10. ^ Goodsoil press advisory: LGBT Lutheran pastors are introduced press event
  11. ^ Vision and Expectations for Ordained Ministers, http://archive.elca.org/candidacy/vision_ordained.html
  12. ^ p. 86 Honoring Our Neighbor's Faith, Robert Buckley Farlee (ed.), Chicago: Augsburg Fortress, 1999. ISBN 0-8066-3846-X
  13. ^ http://calms.umc.org/2008/Menu.aspx?type=Petition&mode=Single&number=1455 retrieved 4/30/2008
  14. ^ "Lutherans vote not to punish gay ministers", Los Angeles Times, 2007-08-12. Retrieved on 2007-08-12. 
  15. ^ Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-26-08.
  16. ^ "ELCA Council Recommends 2007 Churchwide Assembly Rules", ELCA News Service, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2007-04-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  17. ^ "Lutheran Church in Atlanta Plans to Keep Gay Pastor", Fox News, 2007-08-12. Retrieved on 2007-08-12. 
  18. ^ A Pastoral Letter regarding the Bradley Schmeling disciplinary case and St. John's Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA, retrieved August 12, 2007
  19. ^ [http://www.lcna.org/lcna_news/2007-08-08b.shtm LGBT Pastors are Introduced.
  20. ^ RCRC.org

[edit] External links

A history of many of the bodies that merged to form ELCA:

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